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A Washington, D.C., police officer pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a Temple Hills man who was killed during a botched robbery attempt in December.

Reginald Jones, 41, an Upper Marlboro resident and six-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, pleaded guilty before District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Michael L. Rankin on charges of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to Superior Court records.

In a statement submitted to the court, Jones admitted plotting with several other suspects to kidnap and rob another individual who they believed was a drug dealer. One of the alleged robbery conspirators, 40-year-old Arvel Stewart Alston of Temple Hills, was accidentally shot and killed during the course of the robbery attempt on Dec. 1 in Southeast Washington, D.C., according to Jones' statement and other charging documents.

Jones is scheduled for a status hearing Feb. 4 and could face life in prison on the second-degree murder charge and up to 15 years in prison on the robbery charge, according to Bill Miller, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, which is prosecuting the case. No sentencing date has been set.

Jones' attorney, Brian K. McDaniel, could not be reached for comment by press time.

Jones was one of five men arrested following Alston's death. One of the suspects, Rashun Parker, 27, of Camp Springs, pleaded guilty Dec. 23 to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

The other three men — Lynn Daniel Wilkerson, 33, of Hyattsville; Jarvis Clark, 19, of Temple Hills; and Arvel Crawford, 19, a District resident and Alston's son — are due in court today for a status hearing.

According to charging documents, Alston and the five suspects were involved in a conspiracy to rob another man the night of Dec. 1.

During a hearing in January, a District homicide detective testified that Parker told police that Wilkerson and Jones were sitting in Jones' squad car during the robbery, serving as lookouts.

According to charging documents, when the robbery victim tried to fight back, Crawford fired a gun and accidentally shot his father, Alston, in the side. The robbery victim was also shot but survived.

The rest of the men allegedly fled the scene, according to police.

Jones was arrested and charged Dec. 15. He has been placed on unpaid, indefinite suspension from his job as an officer in the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division, according to department spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump.

ztillman@gazette.net