Fayetteville Prosecutor Hopes High Bond Keeps Jackson From Collecting More DUI Charges

Fayetteville Woman Arrested On Third DUI Charge This Summer

Jo Jackson
Jo Jackson

FAYETTEVILLE -- Prosecutors are hoping a large bond and electronic monitoring will stop a woman from drinking and driving again until they can get her into court.

Jo Lynn Jackson was convicted of killing a city worker in 2011 and faces her third drunken driving offense since June.

At A Glance

DWI Penalties

Conviction for a first offense DWI in Arkansas can result in 24 hours to a year in jail, fines of $150 to $1,000 and a license suspension of six months. A second conviction is punishable by a week to a year in jail, fines of $400 to $3,000 and a license suspension of two years. Third offense is punishable by 90 days to a year in jail, fines of $900 to $5,000 and a license suspension of 30 months. Fourth offense, a felony, is punishable by one to six years at the Arkansas Department of Correction, fines of $900 to $5,000 and a license suspension of four years. There are options for community service in lieu of jail time and enhancements calling for more jail time if there’s a passenger younger than age 16 in the car. A judge may also order the use of an ignition interlock device. Driving when your license has been suspended has penalties of a 10-day jail sentence and up to $1,000 in fines.

Source: DrivingLaws.com

Jackson, 54, of 4002 N. Zion Valley Drive was arrested Sunday in connection with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. She's also charged with reckless driving, expired vehicle license, no insurance and driving on a DUI suspended license. Jackson was given a Sept. 22 trial date in Fayetteville District Court.

A driver's license is automatically suspended administratively by the state when a person is arrested for DUI.

Casey Jones, city prosecutor, said he considers Jackson a danger to the public and herself and wants her to remain in jail and off the road. Jackson hasn't been to court on any of her pending DUI charges, which makes it harder to keep her from getting in a car and driving, Jones said.

"In short order she gets these three DWIs, none of which she has been convicted of. She bonds out because she has that nasty presumption of innocence we all have until you're found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," Jones said. "She's sitting in jail because I took the unprecedented move of asking for the revocation of her previous bonds."

Jackson's two previous bonds were revoked Monday morning. Bond for Sunday's arrest was set at $20,000 and comes with the requirement that, if Jackson makes bond, she'll be required to wear an ankle monitor that will detect alcohol, her location and her rate of travel. Jackson was in the Washington County Detention Center on Monday evening.

"This will at least, if she's going at a fast rate of speed, tell us that she's driving," Jones said. "We'll revoke her bond and send the police out to snatch her up, drunk or not," Jones said.

Jackson was arrested Sunday night on Missouri Way after an off-duty police officer saw her white Toyota Sequoyah driving erratically on North College Avenue. He saw Jackson pull her southbound vehicle into the northbound lanes of traffic and stop before continuing southbound and she was swerving, according to the arrest report.

Police found a single-serving bottle of Sutter Home wine in the console, according to an arrest report. The 6-ounce bottle was open and half full.

Jackson failed a field sobriety test and registered .21 on a breath test, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

In 2011, Jackson was convicted of negligent homicide and two counts of third-degree battery after hitting three men.

Jackie Luper of West Fork and two other workers, Bradley Robbins, 34, of Farmington, and Bret Horn, 30, of Springdale were injured Sept. 23, 2011, when Jackson drove into a construction zone in front of Butterfield Trail Village on Joyce Boulevard. Luper died the next day at Washington Regional Medical Center. Robbins and Horn were not seriously injured.

Jackson's 12-year-old daughter was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Jackson was arrested in connection with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and other misdemeanors, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Zolpidem, a prescription sleeping medication, was found in Jackson's system, according to a toxicology report.

Jackson pleaded guilty in 2012 in Washington County Circuit Court to a misdemeanor version of negligent homicide and third-degree battery. She was sentenced to and served six months in the Washington County Detention Center and given one year probation. The misdemeanor negligent homicide charge didn't contain a driving while intoxicated element so she was never convicted of driving under the influence in that instance, Jones said.

Sunday marked the third time this summer Jackson was arrested on a DUI charge. A fourth DUI after three convictions within a five-year period would be charged as a felony and could result in prison time.

Jackson was arrested Aug. 10 in connection with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving, no proof of insurance and violation of implied consent. A caller said a woman driving a white Toyota Sequoyah hit multiple poles and ran into some shopping carts in the parking lot of Walmart, 3919 N. Mall Ave, according to Police Department dispatch logs. Jackson told police she drank half of a bottle of wine and took Hydrocodone and Ativan, according to the arrest report. Open containers of wine were found in the vehicle. She was given nine chances to take a breathalyzer, and was unable to give a sample.

On June 10, Jackson was arrested at a Sonic Drive-In where she hit a trash can, according to an arrest report. Police found a wine bottle in her car, according to the arrest report.

NW News on 08/26/2014

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