County man gets 15 plus years for fatal 2023 crash

LISBON -- Gerald Jackson ended a life during a three-county crime spree Aug. 6, 2023 when he hit another vehicle head-on in a truck he stole just moments before.

That choice landed him in prison for 15 years nine months after sentencing Friday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court and could potentially end in even more time if the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections deems it necessary.

"I'm very pleased with the court's sentencing. It was a senseless act, 100 percent preventable," county Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart said after the hearing.

Judge Scott Washam followed Weikart's recommendation, citing Jackson's record, the chance for recidivism and a need to protect the public, making consecutive sentences necessary.

Jackson, 41, McCloskey Road, Columbiana, had already been indicted for the crash when a superseding indictment was issued with more serious charges after the other driver, Jennifer Hunley, 47, of Hanoverton, died Sept. 18, 2023 from her injuries. Her son Daryn, then 11, suffered serious injuries as a passenger.

Jackson had stolen a truck belonging to Donald Pitts on U.S. Route 30, Hanoverton, fled from a sheriff's deputy attempting a traffic stop after seeing the truck that had been reported stolen, lost law enforcement and kept going, then crossed the center line and crashed the truck in a head-on collision in Hanover Township, injuring Hunley and her son. After the crash, Jackson fled on foot and was found hiding in a nearby field and taken into custody.

In June, Jackson entered a guilty plea to first-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide in the death of Jennifer Hunley and second-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault for injuring her son, along with third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, fourth-degree felonies of grand theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of receiving stolen property, fifth-degree felony vandalism and misdemeanor operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or combination of them.

The recommendation that Washam followed was 10 years for the homicide charge, five years for the assault charge and nine months for the failure to comply charge to be served consecutively for a total of 15 years nine months in prison, with the rest of the sentences for the other charges to be served concurrently, or at the same time. He suspended Jackson's driver's license for life and gave him credit for 398 days already served in jail. He was also fined $375

The indefinite sentence for the homicide charge includes a possible addition of up to 10 years and the assault charge carries a possible additional indefinite sentence of up to seven and a half years. Known as the tail, the additional time is up to the parole board.

Charges of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter, second-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide, and second-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault will be dismissed since they're subject to merger, along with charges of attempted breaking and entering, two counts OVI and a charge of driving under suspension.

The charges for OVI alleged he had methamphetamine and marijuana in his system at the time of the crash.

Some of the charges alleged that he caused physical harm to property owned by Simon Automotive, had a stolen 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 belonging to Gotch and Company and had a stolen 2007 Lincoln Town Car belonging to Old School Classic LLC, all on Aug. 6, 2023.

Weikart described what Jackson did on Aug. 6 as a three-county crime spree, starting in Carroll County when he stole a truck at 1:30 a.m., later in the morning he used that truck to ram a business in Columbiana County. From there, he ended up in New Middletown in Mahoning County where he stole a Lincoln Town Car, and eventually ended up at the property of Donald Pitts in Hanoverton where he dumped the Town Car and stole a Chevy Silverado, the car he crashed when he crossed the lane and hit the Hunley vehicle.

Weikart said the investigation showed that Jackson's speed had been increasing, then two seconds before the crash, the speed dropped to 48 miles per hour. The speed in the Hunley vehicle decreased all the way down to 19 miles per hour.

"She saw what was coming but she had nowhere to go in that road," Weikart said.

He asked for consecutive sentences, noting that "he took the life of an innocent person."

"He also turned the life of an 11-year-old child upside down," Weikart said.

He then recounted Jackson's lengthy criminal record. He had served prison time before and many of the charges stemmed from drugs, including methamphetamine and psychedelics. He had numerous chances to change his ways, but "he squandered them all," Weikart said.

Three sisters of Jen and the father of her son all spoke about their loss and the suffering of Daryn, asking for "Justice for Jen."

According to Weikart, defense attorney Paul Conn had indicated previously that he planned to ask for less prison time for his client, but when Conn addressed the court, he said after listening to the victim's family members speak and considering his substance abuse, his client asked the court to make the prosecutor's recommendation a joint request.

"He took something and doesn't remember much of anything from that crime spree. He's asking that the court make this an agreed sentencing," Conn said.

Jackson said no when asked if he wanted to address the court, saying nothing.