A former Hertford town councilor has pleaded guilty to statutory rape and other charges in connection with his actions with a 15-year-old girl in 2022.
Quentin Sherard Jackson, 39, also pleaded guilty in Pasquotank County Superior Court on Monday to two counts of statutory sexual offense, two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor child, District Attorney Jeff Cruden said in a press release.
At the request of Jackson and his attorney, Jamal Summey, Superior Court Judge Marvin Blount Jr. delayed Jackson’s sentencing in the case until Aug. 19, Cruden said.
“I am so very proud of the victim for having the courage to first come forward and report what occurred, and for the courage to see the case through,” Cruden said in the release. “Luckily, her mother was by her side and supported her through the entire process.”
Cruden, who, along with Assistant District Attorney Alexis Massengill, prosecuted the case, said his office looks forward to the Aug. 19 sentencing hearing “where we will have the opportunity to relay to the court what we feel the appropriate punishment should be for Mr. Jackson’s crimes.”
Blount will have a range of sentencing options in Jackson’s case, Cruden said in a followup email. The former Hertford town official could be sentenced to an active term of between 13.8 and 21.6 years or to an active sentence of between 23 and 32.6 years.
Cruden said a “key component” in Jackson’s sentencing will likely come from testimony by the victim and her mother at the Aug. 19 sentencing hearing. Cruden said he also will make a recommendation about Jackson’s sentencing but said he prefers to state it in court the day of the hearing.
According to Cruden, Jackson was 36 and the victim was 15 when the crimes were reported.
Jackson was initially jailed Nov. 3, 2022, in lieu of a $1 million secured bond after his arrest on nine child-sex charges. A spokeswoman for the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, said Jackson was arrested after he was charged with three counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of statutory sexual offense with someone 15 years old or younger, and one count of statutory rape of someone 15 or younger.
The offenses Jackson was accused of occurred between May 24 and June 3 of 2022, the SBI spokeswoman said.
Jackson was released on bond on Nov. 11, 2022, but following his arrest Nov. 16, 2022, for an additional charge of taking indecent liberties with a child, his secured bond was increased to $2 million and he was taken back into custody.
Edward Williams, who identified himself as the father of the 15-year-old victim, told The Daily Advance in November 2022 that Jackson told his daughter he wanted her to model for him. Jackson first took photos of her in a bathing suit and then asked her to take off her shirt, Williams said.
When his daughter said she didn’t feel right doing that because she considered Jackson a father figure, Jackson allegedly told her the photos would provide her with a chance to make some money, Williams said.
Williams said his daughter and her mother have since moved but he still lives in Elizabeth City.
Jackson was a town councilor in Hertford from 2017 to 2021, serving as mayor pro tem for the first two years of his term. He lost bids for mayor in both 2019 and 2021. He also finished sixth in a six-candidate race in November 2022 for three open seats on the Perquimans Board of Commissioners.
In his email, Cruden said he thanked the SBI and the Elizabeth City Police Department for their “excellent work” in investigating the Jackson case.
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