Man gets 10 years for forcing couple into sex

LIONA TANNESEN, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- A man who forced a couple he did not know to have sexual contact at gunpoint while he watched pleaded guilty Tuesday to three felonies.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Paula Casey sentenced Samuel Jackson III, 24, to 10 years in prison.

Jackson pleaded guilty to indecent liberties, attempted first-degree rape and unlawful possession of a firearm.

"Mr. Jackson apologized to the court and to everybody for what he did," defense attorney S. Don Phelps said. "He basically said he was sorry for what he did, and the 30 minutes is going to cost him 10 years."

Jackson had no previous violent or sexual convictions.

He had juvenile convictions for possession of stolen property and taking a motor vehicle without permission. He also had an adult conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Phelps said.

Jackson's previous criminal history meant he faced a standard range of 10 to 131/2 years in prison, but since the crimes are Class B felonies, the maximum sentence is 10 years.

At gunpoint

The victims in the case were a couple in their mid-20s who pulled into the parking lot of the College Street Farmers Market early June 2.

"They parked there to engage in some romantic contact," said Jim Powers, a Thurston County deputy prosecuting attorney.

Jackson opened the car door, forced the woman into the back seat at gunpoint and sat down in the passenger seat, Powers said.

Jackson ordered the woman to perform oral sex on the man.

This was the basis for the indecent liberties conviction.

Then Jackson ordered the woman to perform oral sex on him, Powers said.

"Even at the risk of death, she just said, 'No,' " Powers said. "She wasn't going to do it."

That order was the basis for the attempted rape charge.

The male victim persuaded Jackson to allow them to get out, supposedly to urinate, and then whispered to the woman that she should leave, Powers said.

She ran, and the man got back into the car and pretended he was surprised. Finally, Jackson left. He was not arrested that night.

A break in the case

In August, Lacey police Sgt. Jim Mack questioned Jackson after receiving a tip in a different investigation.

Mack found a 9 mm pistol, a short-barreled shotgun and an assault rifle in a compartment behind a mirror in Jackson's bedroom.

One of the weapons matched the description of the one used in the June crime, Powers said. Mack noticed that Jackson's home was near the crime scene and that he matched the description given by the victims.

Mack questioned Jackson, and Jackson waived his Miranda rights and gave an incriminating statement, Phelps said.

Jackson never said why he did it, Powers said.

"He really did not give an explanation for that before," Powers said, "and he did not today in court, either."

Liona Tannesen covers Lacey and courts for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5427.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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