Florida Native Took Car from Greene County as Part of a Kidnapping

GREENEVILLE, TN—David Jackson, 42, of Miami, Fla., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court, Greeneville, Tenn., to serve 262 months in federal prison for carjacking and interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. The sentence was the result of his March 17, 2011, conviction at trial.

Jackson’s conviction related to a July 2010 violent disagreement about custody of his infant son with the child’s mother, which led to the carjacking and kidnapping of the baby. 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 36 hours. The other two adults pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping charges and testified on behalf of the United States.

At sentencing, the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge, noted that: Jackson was a career criminal in the common understanding of the term; Jackson had a very serious and significant criminal history; the circumstances which led to the federal convictions involved illegal drugs and intimidation of his co-defendants; and, Jackson had a long history of lack of respect for the law and law enforcement officers. He found that the need to protect the public from Jackson was obvious and that he was, in fact, a danger to the public.

“Thanks to the various federal and multi-state task forces, Greene County, Tennessee, Newberry, South Carolina and others, this cooperative effort resulted in a lengthy sentence for a very dangerous member of our society. The quality and persistence of AUSA Helen Smith’s prosecution efforts helped accomplish this needed incarceration,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Killian.

The indictment, conviction, and sentencing of Jackson resulted from investigation by several agencies, including the Greene County, Tennessee’s Sheriff’s Office; Newberry, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office; Metro-Miami-Dade Safe Streets Task Force; National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smith represented the United States.