A man convicted at age 15 for his part in the brutal 2001 murder of Brooktrails store owner Joan LeaFeat has been re-incarcerated for being in Mendocino County in violation of his parole.
Jameson Jackson, now 24, had been working and living in the Ukiah area since summer, apparently unbeknownst to his parole agent in Southern California. He was arrested in Ukiah over the weekend following a traffic stop.
"If I knew he was out on the street, I wouldn't go out of the house," said Dan Armas, LeFeat's son.
More than 2,500 people had signed a petition to make it a condition of Jackson's parole that he stay out of the area, Armas said.
That condition will be lifted on Aug. 25 when Jackson turns 25 and is no longer under the control of the California Youth Authority. He was released on parole from the Youth Authority in August 2008.
His murder co-defendant, Chris Coleman, the alleged gunman, was tried as an adult and is serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the Feb. 24, 2001 robbery and murder.
Jackson provided the gun and stood by while Coleman shot LeFeat multiple times, firing the final bullet as she lay on the floor begging for her life, according to testimony at his trial.
Jackson, who claimed he thought Coleman was joking when they devised a plan to rob LeFeat's store, was convicted of murder, robbery, burglary and attempted car theft.
Jackson, who has been living and working in Mendocino County, had regular parole visits in Fontana, in San Bernadino County east of Los Angeles, at the home of his girlfriend and one of her relatives, which he listed as his residence.
Parole for those convicted as a juvenile tends to be less restrictive than adult parole, said Bill Sessa, spokesman for the Department of Corrections' juvenile division.
Normally, juvenile parolees know in advance about parole visits, which take place at their homes in an effort to encourage face to face discussions.
"With a juvenile, a parole visit is as much social work as law enforcement. You want the person to be there," Sessa said.
"We actually saw him in Fontana last month," Sessa said.
Jackson likely will spend the remainder of his parole incarcerated following a hearing on his violation, Sessa said.
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