Jackson convicted of raping girl, 12

The defendant could get sentenced to life in prison.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Trumbull County jury has convicted a 35-year-old city man on five counts of rape involving a 12-year-old girl he was baby sitting and whom he had known all her life.
Allan Jackson Jr. was also convicted on five counts of pandering in obscenity for taking pictures on his cell phone of the rapes.
The jury reached its verdict at 5:30 p.m. after deliberating about three hours. A presentence investigation will be conducted, and Jackson will be sentenced in several weeks. He could receive 10 years to life in prison on each rape count and two to eight years on the pandering charges.
Earlier Wednesday, jurors heard closing arguments, in which Assistant Trumbull County Prosecutor Mike Burnett explained that the charge of rape involves having sexual conduct of any kind with a child under 13. To merit the potential life sentence, the rapist must have used force or threat of force.
She was forced
Burnett said Jackson forced the girl into sexual conduct in the basement of the girl's Warren home. He is not related to the girl.
Burnett said evidence presented during the three-day trial showed that Jackson had sexual contact with the girl between the summer and Dec. 26, 2005, and that the girl told her mother and authorities about the rapes Dec. 27.
To prove the pandering in obscenity charge, Burnett said, he had to prove that Jackson created or produced obscene material involving a minor -- in this case, cell phone photos.
The photos have times and dates on them that correspond to times when Jackson and the girl's mother have said Jackson was supervising the girl, Burnett said.
Defense attorney Samuel Bluedorn of Warren countered that Jackson had taken the stand to deny the allegations and that prosecution testimony contained too many inconsistencies. Jackson didn't know how the photos got on his phone, and the photos do not show who committed the acts, Bluedorn said.