William Auburn Jones

Introduction

William Auburn Jones is a 58-year-old resident of Gambrills, Maryland, who served as pastor of Jessup Baptist Church in Jessup, Maryland, and taught at Elvaton Christian Academy in Millersville from 2020 until March 2025. In July 2025 he was arrested and charged with 21 counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, and assault, after an Anne Arundel County investigation that authorities said identified at least five alleged victims — children who were between 7 and 13 years old at the time of the alleged incidents. He is also associated with the global missionary organization Mission Fields International. Jones has been charged but not tried, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Background Information

Jones was known around Elvaton Christian Academy as “Mr. Bill,” according to a court charging document obtained by 11 News, which stated that detectives learned “Mr. William Auburn Jones is known as ‘Mr. Bill’ by students and staff.” The same document indicated he had “given (the students) gifts, these gifts included Legos, remote-controlled cars and gift cards.” He taught at the private Christian school from 2020 until March 27, 2025, according to the charging document, and simultaneously served as pastor of Jessup Baptist Church. His defense attorney told the court that the teaching job had no connection to the church. Jones also traveled internationally through his missionary work: prosecutors said at his bail hearing that he belonged to a missionary group in which he takes trips to Cambodia and Costa Rica. His attorney said Jones “served honorably in the U.S. Army for 21 years and then became a church pastor for the last 22 years.”

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from prosecutors and police charging documents. They were never admitted by William Jones, and he has been charged but not tried; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation began on May 1, 2025, when Anne Arundel County police officers responded to Elvaton Christian Academy for a report of a sex offense complaint. Officers met with the mother of a student who reported inappropriate sexual behavior by a former teacher, and while they were on scene, a second parent came forward with similar allegations involving her child. Detectives from the Child and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Unit opened an investigation, which authorities said uncovered that Jones — pastor of Jessup Baptist Church and a teacher at the academy from 2020 to 2025 — was the suspect. Charging documents obtained by 11 News indicated the alleged incidents took place in the school’s computer room, where Jones taught, and involved inappropriately touching students in his care. Some statements students made during the investigation were recorded in the documents, including “Mr. Bill touched places he wasn’t supposed to, and he touches private parts,” “Mr. Bill would touch kids in their private areas,” and “Mr. Bill was touchy with kids.” Detectives identified at least five alleged victims, and authorities alleged the offenses occurred over a span of nearly five years, from 2020 through 2025.

Public Reaction and Consequences

An arrest warrant was issued on July 23, 2025, and Jones was taken into custody without incident on July 24–25 by the Anne Arundel County Police Fugitive Apprehension Team. At a July 28 bail review hearing at the Circuit Court in Annapolis, a judge denied bond. Prosecutors told the judge that Jones “created a world where he has access to children in every aspect of his life,” citing the missionary trips. His defense attorney requested house arrest or pretrial release, saying Jones was not a flight risk, would take a leave of absence from the church, and would have no interaction with minors. Jones was joined in court by his wife, children, neighbors, church members, and pastors of other churches. The judge took that public support into consideration but said she could not put the allegations aside, worried Jones could be a danger to the alleged victims and others in the community, and denied bond. Police urged anyone with additional information to come forward.

Current Status

As of the most recent reports, Jones is being held without bond following the July 28, 2025 bail review hearing. He faces 21 counts, including felony sex abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, and assault — charges he has not had the opportunity to answer in trial, and no plea has been reported. Prosecutors said that since his arrest, several more possible victims have come forward, including one who made claims of abuse at the church; those new allegations remained under investigation. Police continued to ask anyone with information about the case to contact the Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit or the department’s anonymous tip line. No trial date or disposition has been reported in the corpus coverage.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Jones’s arrest ended both of the roles through which he worked with children: he had been pastor of Jessup Baptist Church, where his attorney said he would take a leave of absence and have no interaction with minors if released, and his teaching position at Elvaton Christian Academy had already ended in March 2025, months before his arrest. The case also touched his church community, with congregants and fellow pastors appearing in court to support him, and his missionary affiliation with Mission Fields International — through which prosecutors said he took trips to Cambodia and Costa Rica — featured centrally in the prosecution’s argument that he had built himself access to children. A man whose attorney described 21 years of honorable U.S. Army service followed by 22 years as a pastor now faces more than 20 criminal counts, is jailed without bond, and, if additional alleged victims’ claims are substantiated, could see the case expand further as the legal process moves forward.