Miami Resident David Jackson Convicted of Carjacking and Stolen Car Charges Related to Infant Kidnapping |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Tennessee
March 17, 2011
GREENEVILLE, TN—Following a two-day trial in U.S. District Court, in Greeneville, Tenn., a jury convicted David Jackson, of Miami, Fla., of carjacking and interstate transportation of stolen car charges.
Sentencing is set for August 1, 2011, at 9:00 a.m., in U.S. District Court, Greeneville, Tenn. Jackson faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, $500,000 in fines, $200 in mandatory assessments, and supervised release for six years.
Evidence presented at trial established that Jackson had a violent disagreement about custody of his infant son with the child’s mother, which led to the carjacking and the infant’s kidnapping. The jury found that Jackson physically assaulted his ex-wife and forcibly took her car from her. From Sunday, July 11, 2010, until the early morning hours of July 13, 2010, Jackson, the infant, two adults, and one teenager drove from a remote home in Greene County, Tenn., to a motel in Miami, Fla. The infant was the subject of a nationwide Amber Alert and his whereabouts were unknown to his mother for approximately 36 hours. Two of the three drug-addicted adults used by Jackson to assist him with the abduction were previously convicted of kidnapping charges as a part of this prosecution. Jackson could not be charged with kidnapping his own son under federal law.
William C. Killian, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, noted that the infant’s safe recovery and the successful prosecution of Jackson resulted from swift and extensive cooperation among several agencies, including the Greene County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office; Newberry County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office; Metro-Miami-Dade Safe Streets Task Force; National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also credited public response in ensuring the infant’s safe return to his mother. “This case is a testament to how well the Amber Alert system works and the quick and effective response given to child abduction cases by law enforcement agencies. Thankfully the child was not physically harmed and was returned to his mother in a matter of hours,” said Killian.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith represented the United States at trial.