Bedford man sentenced for child molesting
Editor's note: This article has been altered to remove the street address of Joshua Jackson.
BEDFORD — A Bedford man was ordered to spend 15 years in prison for child molestation charges.
Joshua Adam Jackson, 30, Bedford, pleaded guilty to child molesting, Level 3 felony, Aug. 26 in Lawrence Superior Court I. But after a few continuations of Jackson's sentence hearing, public defenders Bruce Andis and Stephanie Parker filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea in early November.
"(Jackson) has had time to reflect on the plea of guilty, and desires to withdraw the plea and go to trial ... for the following fair and just reasons: A. His testimony at the factual basis portion of his guilty plea hearing was false; and B. He wishes to have a jury trial on the merits of this case, ... " the motion states. "The withdrawal of the plea is necessary to correct a manifest injustice."
Judge Michael Robbins denied the withdrawal of the guilty plea on Nov. 4 and set a sentence hearing for Monday afternoon.
Jackson, who was facing three counts of child molesting, was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The victim had given her friend at school a note containing sexually revealing information, and the friend provided that note to school officials, according to a probable cause affidavit. The friend also told school officials that the victim said "she had been touched sexually" by a man who lives in her home.
The victim said Jackson walked into her bedroom without knocking at an inappropriate time. Later, Jackson texted the 13-year-old suggesting they engage in sexual activity. The victim told Jackson she was going to bed, and he went into her room, the affidavit reads.
The girl said that Jackson touched her and had intercourse with her. The victim said it was painful and made her feel weird, so she stopped it.
Later, Jackson again texted her about what happened. He mentioned her getting him into trouble, according to the probable cause.
Jackson was charged with two Level 1 felonies of child molesting and one Level 4 felony of child molestation. He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of child molesting, Level 3 felony, and the other two charges were dismissed.
Robbins sentenced Jackson to 15 years in prison with four years suspended. Two of those four years will be served on supervised probation and two will be on unsupervised probation. Jackson also has to follow special probation conditions as an adult sex offender, and he is to have no contact with the victim. He received credit for 263 days already served.
In Indiana, a Level 3 felony is punishable by three to 16 years in prison.
Contact Times-Mail Staff Writer Sara Kuhl at (812) 277-7254 or skuhl@tmnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford man sentenced for child molesting
