Mt. Vernon Register-News

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November 12, 2009

Jackson found guilty in beatings

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — After just over an hour and a half of deliberations, a jury found Tyrone Jackson guilty for his part in the beating of three children in October 2007.

Jackson, 39, of South 24th Street, was found guilty of aggravated battery of a child and two counts of domestic battery for holding down the 9-year-old daughter of Madlon Ladd, who is a co-defendant in the case, while Ladd allegedly beat the girl with a rhinestone belt and electrical cord, as well as taking part in the beating of two younger siblings, aged 5 and 6 years old at the time of the incident, according to court testimony.

Jackson represented himself during the trial, which began with jury selection on Monday. In a surrealistic move, Jackson put himself on the witness stand on Thursday, asking himself questions and then answering them.

During the one-man question and answer session, Jackson said although he watched the beatings, which left scars on the older girl, he did not participate. In addition, he maintained that he believed the girl received the worst beating of the three because she "wouldn't take her licks."

Jackson described how when Ladd went to hit her, the girl kept saying "no" to being hit with a belt, and tried to fight off the attack and "wouldn't accept a whooping."

"She kept saying, 'no mamma,' and when she said no, Madlon would hit her," Jackson said. "She's not going to take the whooping, and keeps trying to grab the belt with her free hand. ... I stayed out of it, but I saw what was going on. She continued to try to give her daughter a whooping, but she wouldn't take her whooping. I watched the whole thing. ... When she grabbed the extension cord, it wasn't like with the belt, she only had to hit her five or six times. (The girl) resisted the whole time with the belt. When she hit her with the cord, the resistance stopped, and two or three more licks and it was over."

Jackson said after the beating, he directed Ladd to calm down and then put witch hazel on the girls' wounds. After the incident, Jackson had people over to the residence to work in his home recording studio.

Jackson said he didn't feel Ladd was abusing her child.

"I have eight kids, and I use a belt on them, but neither have any of my kids acted out like (the girl) did that day," Jackson said.

After hearing the verdict, Judge Joe Harrison remanded Jackson into the custody of the Jefferson County Sheriff�s Office, and ordered a pre-sentencing investigation report be conducted by the probation department. A status on the report has been set for Dec. 15.

Jackson is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence on drug charges, which was handed down on Feb. 18.

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