Wic. Co. Deputy Benjamin Jones will not be charged in Rhinvil death
On the morning of March 3rd, a loaded revolver could’ve easily been the end to Deputy Benjamin Jones.
Instead Jones used his own weapon to kill 25-year-old felon Fednel Rhinvil.
After months of review by Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matt Maciarello, Deputy Jones has now been officially cleared of all potential charges.
“Fendel Rhinvil pulls out a .22 caliber revolver, the officer still shows tremendous restraint, orders him to stop and to drop the weapon, or stop at least twice,” Said Maciarello.
In his report released Tuesday Maciarello says Jones was right in how he handled a near death confrontation with Rhinvil nine months ago.
The incident began with an investigation into a shot fired into the home of a suspected drug dealer on Shiloh Street in February.
“A day before this incident with this deputy, there was a threat to a house on Olivia Street, that the same person that shot up the house on Shiloh Street was now going to shoot up a house on Olivia Street,” Maciarello told 47 ABC, “The deputy had every right to stop the two men,”
On the day in question, Deputy Jones saw two men, one of them Rhinvil, out front of a house he knew to be frequented by a drug abuser.
Jones stopped them and asked for identification. One man cooperated, but Rhinvil ran, leading Jones on a chase.
That chase ended on the ground when Jones saw Fednel pull out a .22 caliber revolver.
“The deputy still shows tremendous restraint, orders him to drop the weapon, or stop, at least twice, he does not. He dispatches the threat firing four times into Fednel Rhinvil.
Those four shots, to the head, the chest, and hand were have been ruled self-defense.
Maciarello explained the Maryland self-defense law to 47 ABC, saying, “If a person has a reasonable and honest belief that harm is immediate and imminent, they can use force against an attacker. If the attacker is using deadly force, well then they get to use deadly force against the attacker to dispatch the threat.”
Medics responded not too long after to find Rhinvil dead at the scene and Jones suffering from a broken finger.
Maciarello said that in his actions, Deputy Jones exhausted every avenue that he could have before using lethal force.
Jones is now back serving as a Sheriff’s Deputy.
As for Rhinvil, we’ve learned he did have a prior conviction in Maryland for possession of drug paraphenalia, but his felony charges were in Florida where he had two drug convictions for possession of marijuana in 2008 and 2010.
