By Joe Johnson
An Athens man who was arrested earlier this year for a stalking incident in which he threatened to kill himself in front of his wife and three children was sentenced this week to probation, according to Clarke County Superior Court documents.
During the first six months of his two years on probation, 41-year-old Albert Lamar Jackson will be required to wear an ankle bracelet, have no contact with his wife and undergo mental health evaluation, according to the sentencing document signed Wednesday by Western Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Eric Norris.
He can have supervised visits with his children through arrangements made by a third party, according to the sentence.
The incident for which Jackson was arrested occurred the night of March 25, when he appeared at the home of a his 35-year-old wife, who was in the process of getting a divorce from him, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.
Jackson reportedly had called the woman earlier in the day to tell her he was coming over and when he arrived at about 9:15 p.m., he just sat in his car in the street in front of the woman’s home.
The woman told police that she tried to call Jackson but he would not answer his phone.
"(She) stated that she felt the situation was weird, so she had her three children come outside with her,” according to the police report.
Upon approaching the car, the woman said she saw that Jackson had a gun in his lap, and he stated he wanted to end his life, according to the report.
The woman said she convinced Jackson not to kill himself in front of the children – ages 8, 10 and 14 – and that as Jackson drove away, she heard several gunshots from the car.
Jackson, who had a history of family violence with the woman, was not supposed to have any contact with her as a condition of bond from a Jan. 17 stalking arrest.
Jackson was arrested May 18 on warrants charging him with two felony counts of aggravated stalking and one count of reckless conduct, those charges were subsequently reduced by the district attorney's office to misdemeanor stalking and disorderly conduct.
He was sentenced by Norris as a first offender, meaning Jackson can be exonerated of the charges if he successfully completes his sentence.
Anyone who is in an abusive relationship can seek advice and services by calling Project Safe’s 24-hour hotline at (706) 543-3331, or by visiting http://www.project-safe.org.
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