MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman made her first court appearance after being charged with a felony for allegedly causing $10,000 in damage to a DoorDash driver's car over an undelivered food order.
Janiyah Jones appeared before a court commissioner, where her public defender immediately requested the felony charge be dropped — a request that was denied.
"This is an aggravating matter," said Court Commissioner Dewey Martin.
Jones' public defender Kendra Marie Schmeling said her client is prepared to fight the charges.
"She is motivated to dispute the charges and fight this case," Schmeling said.
Watch: You will see my side of the story’: DoorDash customer speaks to TMJ4 after felony charge
Incident caught on surveillance video
Prosecutors say Jones tracked down DoorDash driver Faith Morris at her home after Morris claimed she lost cell phone service during a delivery. Morris told police she believed Jones was able to locate her using DoorDash's GPS system since the order was never completed.
Milwaukee police say Ring doorbell video captured Jones at Morris' residence. Court records state that seconds after Jones goes out of frame on the surveillance footage, Morris' family witnessed Jones "striking [Morris'] vehicle with a tire iron, smashing her windows."
"She did this over a 10-piece chicken wing! She passed Fryerz to come here," Morris said. "It was so crazy how the glass was just raining from the sky.”
Defendant speaks out
Before her court appearance, Jones agreed to speak on camera but declined to share her version of events.
"When they decide to take it to trial or not, you guys will see my side of the story," Jones said.
When asked about the situation going viral nationally, Jones acknowledged seeing the coverage.
"I've seen all the comments, I've seen the videos, I've seen everything," Jones said. "If the judge decides to take this to trial, I have no problem with it, given the evidence I have," Jones said.
However, when pressed for details about what happened on July 11, Jones declined to comment, at times laughing during the interview.
Jones was released on a signature bond. She’s required to pay $5,000 if she misses a future court appearance. If convicted on the felony charge of criminal damage to property and a misdemeanor charge for disorderly conduct, she could face up to three years in prison.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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