Pubdate: Tue, 14 Aug 2012
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Website: http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Christopher Hong

SUBURBAN DAD HELD AS MAJOR DRUG DEALER

Nicholas Jackson Sr.'s double life brought danger to his door and may
have cost the life of his teenage son, according to court documents
obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Federal prosecutors say they have new information on the circumstances
of the February home-invasion in Gwinnett County that led to the
killing of Nicholas Jackson Jr., an honor student and rising football
talent at Norcross High School.

Friends and family describe the elder Jackson as a typical suburban
dad, shuttling his son from their tan, two-story Norcross home to
football games and volunteering at them.

However, federal prosecutors say Jackson was a drug dealer whose
reputation on the street put his family in jeopardy.

That reputation led to rumors in drug circles that about $1 million in
cash and 50 kilos of cocaine were stashed in the Jackson's home.

On the night of Feb. 2, six would-be robbers kicked in the basement
door hoping to steal the cash and drugs thought to be hidden inside
the house, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Skye Davis in a hearing last
week.

Inside, they encountered the 15-year-old Nicholas Jr. playing a video
game in the basement. The assailants chased the teen into a bedroom.
As he struggled to keep them out, a gunman blindly fired six shots
into the door, striking him once in the chest, according to the police
incident report.

He died at the hospital.

At the time of the killing, residents were perplexed why intruders
brought the violence into their quiet Norcross neighborhood that
surrounds the Hopewell Baptist Church. However, Warren Summers,
Norcross police chief, soon suspected the home invasion was related to
drugs.

Summers said Jackson cooperated with police, "but he didn't tell us
everything."

Those suspicions were officially confirmed on July 25, after federal
authorities indicted Jackson and 14 others on multiple drug charges.
They allege Jackson was part of a Mexican drug ring that sold cocaine,
crystal methamphetamine and marijuana in the Atlanta area. During the
course of the one-year investigation, authorities say they seized more
than $1.6 million and multiple kilograms of drugs.

On Friday, a judge refused to release Jackson from jail. Facing a
minimum 10-year prison sentence if convicted, Davis said Jackson posed
a flight risk.

She also said her belief that Jackson is a major drug dealer and his
criminal history made him a danger to society. Jackson, 38, was
convicted of aggravated assault as a 19-year-old and simple battery
when he was 24 and has also been arrested on charges that include
misdemeanor drug possession and armed robbery, according to
information presented in court.

Davis described Jackson as a knowledgeable drug dealer who used others
to help him elude police surveillance and physically separate himself
from the drugs. Jackson would facilitate deals on the phone and send
Darren Dunlap, his "right hand man," to pick up the shipments.

Prosecutors say in May 2011, police intercepted conversations of a
pending drug deal and pulled over Dunlap's car. As police discovered
the five kilograms of cocaine inside, Jackson notified his Mexican
supplier and was in constant contact with a person he had arranged to
get in view of the seizure, Davis said.

Dunlap was arrested but released on $200,000 bond the next month. He
was charged alongside Jackson in the July indictment but remains at
large.

Sherry Reid, Nicholas Jr.'s grandmother, said the family did not want
to comment but in court the documents friends and family describe a
different Jackson than the prosecutors. They described him as a
"kind-hearted" father who built houses for a living and cooked meals
for school functions.

"I know Mr. Jackson to be a bright and inquisitive person," said
Barbara Brown-Fleming, an official at the Hopewell Christian Academy,
where the younger Jackson attended.

Shameka Render, Jackson's long-time girlfriend and mother of his four
children, wrote Jackson has been a pillar of support amidst their
son's death and another son's health problems.

"I believe that great parents often times produce great children,"
Render wrote. "My son, Nicolas (sic) Jackson II, had so many of his
father's qualities."

Jackson's attorney said he worked as a contractor, and according to
state records, Jackson owned a now-defunct contracting business and
trucking company based in downtown Stone Mountain. Among the houses he
built was the one his family lived in on the 300 block of Autry Street.

A man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for his
safety, said he bought a house in DeKalb from Jackson several years
ago. He said Jackson was rushing to sell the house, but he was
ultimately impressed by his work. He visited Jackson's home once and
remembered he had a nice, normal family.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for August 22.

Staff writer Andria Simmons contributed to this story.
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