[NC] Immediately-fired on sex charges, CMPD Police Officer Marcus Jackson had previous domestic violence history before being hired

...Years before he became a police officer in September, 2008, Jackson was the focus of domestic violence allegations by two women who told a judge he had physically assaulted them... CMPD has declined to say whether those domestic violence incidents should have disqualified Jackson from being hired...

EXCERPTS FROM NEWS DEC 31 2009
THRU JANUARY 5TH 2010:

NORTH CAROLINA OFFICER CHARGED WITH ON-DUTY SEX CRIMES
Fox News
Thursday, December 31, 2009
[Excerpts]  A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting two female motorists while in uniform and operating his patrol car. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Marcus Jackson, 25, was charged with sexual battery, second-degree sex offense, extortion, kidnapping, indecent exposure and two counts of felonious restraint. He was being held in lieu of bond totaling $360,000 ahead of a court hearing Thursday... "TO HAVE ONE OF OUR OWN INVOLVED IN SUCH A DESPICABLE ACT IS NOT ONLY A VIOLATION OF THE PUBLIC TRUST, BUT A COMPLETE DISHONOR TO THIS OFFICER AND EVERY OFFICER THAT WEARS THIS BADGE," [POLICE CHIEF RODNEY] MONROE SAID. "WE WORK VERY HARD TO GAIN AND MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC'S TRUST, AND THIS KNOCKS US BACKWARD."... Monroe added that "it would be naive" to think others had not been assaulted by Jackson, according to a report Thursday in the Charlotte Observer. The police chief reportedly released Jackson's photo at a news conference in the hopes that other potential victims will come forward... [Full article here]

EX-OFFICER HAD PAST REPORTS OF VIOLENCE
The Charlotte Observer
By Ely Portillo & Gary Wright
Posted: Friday, Jan. 01, 2010
[Excerpts] A CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WEDNESDAY WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TWO WOMEN IN HIS PATROL CAR HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ACCUSED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, and in 2005 was ordered not to own or carry a firearm, according to court documents. Court records show that two women previously accused Marcus Ramon Jackson of attacking and threatening them, before he became a police officer. Judges granted both women restraining orders, forbidding Jackson from contacting or going near them. One judge prohibited Jackson from carrying a firearm during the two weeks of the restraining order. He wasn't convicted of any crimes in those cases. CMPD HIRED JACKSON IN SEPTEMBER 2008, AND ASSIGNED HIM TO PATROL THE EASTWAY DIVISION IN EAST CHARLOTTE. POLICE SAID THEY CONDUCTED A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL BACKGROUND CHECK ON JACKSON, AND WERE AWARE OF A DOMESTIC COMPLAINT FROM 2003. A court found him not guilty of violating a restraining order and his arrest record was expunged, police said. UNTIL THURSDAY, CMPD WAS UNAWARE OF THE 2005 INCIDENT... Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Jackson - wearing his uniform and driving his police cruiser - pulled over a 17-year-old girl, forced her into his car, drove to another location and forced her to commit sex acts... As detectives investigated the allegations, Monroe said, a 21-year-old woman reported Tuesday night that she too had been assaulted by Jackson under similar circumstances... "WE WORKED THE INVESTIGATION AROUND THE CLOCK WITH OUR INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION AND SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT," SAID POLICE SPOKESMAN CAPT. BRIAN CUNNINGHAM. "WITHIN 24 HOURS OF IDENTIFYING MR. JACKSON AS THE SUSPECT, EVIDENCE WAS COLLECTED, HE WAS INTERVIEWED AND ARRESTED, AND HIS EMPLOYMENT WAS TERMINATED. ... WE BELIEVE THAT WE ACTED IN A SWIFT AND APPROPRIATE MANNER"... COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL THAT JACKSON'S PAST INCLUDED TWO ALLEGEDLY VIOLENT EPISODES IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY. THE FIRST WAS IN 2003 WHEN JACKSON, THEN 19 AND A STUDENT AT UNC CHARLOTTE, WAS DATING A 15-YEAR-OLD HARDING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. THE GIRL'S MOTHER SOUGHT A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST HIM IN MAY 2003. "THE DEFENDANT THREATENED MY DAUGHTER BY TELLING HER 'SHE WAS GOING TO GET HERS AND CATCH ONE,'" THE MOTHER WROTE. JACKSON TRIED TO HIT THE TEEN WITH A CAR AND PUSHED HER INTO A LOCKER, ACCORDING TO THE MOTHER'S COMPLAINT. HE WAS LATER SUMMONED TO COURT AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF VIOLATING A RESTRAINING ORDER, BUT WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY IN AUGUST 2003. IN 2005, JACKSON WAS WORKING AT OFF BROADWAY SHOES ON SOUTH BOULEVARD AND STILL STUDYING AT UNCC WHEN HIS 21-YEAR-OLD GIRLFRIEND SOUGHT A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST HIM. "THE DEFENDANT GRABBED ME BY THE FACE SEVERAL TIMES, SCREAMING AND YELLING...," THE GIRLFRIEND WROTE IN HER COMPLAINT. "THE DEFENDANT HIT ME IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD, SLAPPED MY FACE, PUSHED ME DOWN IN THE FLOOR, FORCING (ME) IN (A) WALK-IN CLOSET." THE JUDGE ORDERED JACKSON TO STAY AWAY FROM THE VICTIM AND NOT OWN OR CARRY ANY FIREARMS. BUT NO CRIMINAL CHARGES WERE BROUGHT... [Full article here]

JUDGE WON'T REDUCE BOND FOR OFFICER CHARGED WITH SEX CRIMES
WCNC.com, NewsChannel 36
by ALEX REED AReed@WCNC.com
Posted on December 30, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Updated yesterday at 5:05 PM
[Excerpts] A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer charged with sexually assaulting women in his squad car won't have his bond reduced. In court Thursday afternoon, Marcus Jackson asked the judge if he could "take it out of his heart to uplift the secured bond for the sake of being with loved ones." The judge said no. Jackson remains behind bars on $360,000 secured bond. Jackson, 25, is charged with sexual battery, second-degree sex offense, extortion, kidnapping, indecent exposure and two counts of felonious restraint. HE WAS IMMEDIATELY FIRED AFTER HIS ARREST WEDNESDAY NIGHT... JACKSON'S WIFE SPOKE TO NEWSCHANNEL 36 BY PHONE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. SHE SAID SHE'S "COMPLETELY DEVASTATED" and did not want to talk on camera. Jackson's next court date is set for Jan. 11. [Full article here]

OFFICER CHARGED WITH SEX OFFENSES HAD A PRIOR RECORD
Beaufort Observer
January 03, 2010
[Excerpts] ...We were rather suspicious when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said "it would be naïve" to believe that the officer hadn't assaulted other women. He issued the officer's mug shot to the media, hoping other potential victims will come forward, according the Charlotte Observer. Sure enough, there is more. Now we learn that this same officer apparently has a previous record of domestic violence... The current charges are that on December 18 Jackson pulled a 17 year-old girl and offered to not write her a ticket if she performed sex acts on him. Then a 21-year old woman came forward to say that Jackson had pulled her and forced her to commit similar acts. THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THE CPD KNEW ABOUT THE FIRST ATTACK BEFORE THE SECOND ONE TOOK PLACE... [Full article here]

Police are asking anyone who may have been by assaulted under similar circumstances to come forward by contacting detective Mike Melendez at 704-353-0560.

CMPD OFFICER SUSPENDED PRIOR TO FIRING, ARREST
WSOCtv.com
January 4, 2010Updated: 9:28 am EST
January 5, 2010
[Excerpts]  A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer accused of sex crimes faced previous internal investigations. Eyewitness News learned Marcus Jackson was suspended for two days last September. Records show Jackson filed an accident report after another officer was involved in a crash last July. Jackson recorded the officer's speed at 45 mph. One month later, Jackson changed his report, saying the officer was traveling 65 mph. But two different police sources told Eyewitness News the car's computer revealed it was going at least 75 mph at the time of the crash. When asked about the incident, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials said "in reference to the accident, we cannot comment on an internal investigation"... The fallout from the arrest of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer on sexual assault charges is beginning to be felt outside of the police department. Eyewitness News learned MECKLENBURG COUNTY PROSECUTORS WILL BE FORCED TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST MANY OF THE SUSPECTS ARRESTED BY MARCUS JACKSON... A spokesman for District Attorney Peter Gilchrist said prosecutors are compiling a list of cases Jackson was involved in. Cases in which Jackson was scheduled to provide significant information will likely be dropped, said Bart Menser. “It’s a truthfulness issue," he said. "How can you ask folks to convict someone else when you have allegations like this?"... YEARS BEFORE HE BECAME A POLICE OFFICER IN SEPTEMBER, 2008, JACKSON WAS THE FOCUS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS BY TWO WOMEN WHO TOLD A JUDGE HE HAD PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED THEM... CMPD HAS DECLINED TO SAY WHETHER THOSE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS SHOULD HAVE DISQUALIFIED JACKSON FROM BEING HIRED. Nor has the department said whether Jackson had any additional disciplinary problems during his 15 months with the department. [Full article here]
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