Separate guilt pleas entered in Franklin County cases

A 33-year-old Franklin County man has pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual battery involving a 13-year-old child, according to District Attorney Shameca Collins.

Sherman Rodell Jackson was sentenced by Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell to 20 years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender upon release.

“Hopefully, this young child will begin to heal from the trauma suffered at the hands of Mr. Jackson and will live a positive, productive life,” Collins said through a written statement issued by her office.

Jackson had initially been charged with three counts of sexual battery, which had been alleged to have occurred between May 15 and July 9 of this year.

He was held on $75,000 bond in connection with the case and pled not guilt during a preliminary hearing before Blackwell on Thursday, Sept. 30.

A jury trial had been set for Jackson on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in Franklin County Circuit Court, but a plea deal was brokered between the state and Jackson’s count-appointed attorney, Gus Sermos, late last month.

Two of the counts against Jackson were dropped by the district attorney’s office in light of the guilty plea with the state recommending the 20-year sentence.

In a separate Franklin County court case, Juvenal Osorio Mora entered a guilty plea before Blackwell involving one count of trafficking cocaine.

Mora was sentenced to 20 years — five of which was suspended with 15 to serve followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine as well as court costs.

On May 1, 2020, Mora was stopped on U.S. Highway 84 by the Mississippi Highway Patrol for speeding in Franklin County.

After the vehicle was stopped, Mora allegedly gave officers a fake driver license. He was taken into custody, and a joint investigation by the MHP and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics found seven kilograms of cocaine hidden in the dashboard of Mora’s vehicle.

Collins issued a public thank you to the MHP and MBN for their enforcement efforts.

“Drugs are the genesis of many of the property and violent crimes in our community,” she said. “Getting them off the streets is an integral part of making our communities safe.”