By Joe Johnson
An Athens man was recently arrested for a stalking incident two months ago in which he threatened to kill himself in front of his wife and three children, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.
The incident occurred the night of March 25, when 41-year-old Albert Lamar Jackson appeared at the home of a 35-year-old woman who was in the process of getting a divorce from him, according to the 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 off 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.
The investigating officer wrote in her report that she would be seeking warrants.
Jackson was arrested May 18 on warrants charging him with two felony counts of aggravated stalking and one count of reckless conduct, according to the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
As of Wednesday, Jackson continued to be detained without bail at the county jail.
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.