Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Jackson arraigned for missed court date
FAYETTEVILLE — A woman with a history of alcohol-related arrests and missed court dates appeared Wednesday for arraignment on a failure to appear charge in Washington County Circuit Court.
Jo Lynn Jackson, 55, was scheduled to appear before Washington County Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor for a status hearing on her case June 7, but didn’t show up. She was arrested this month.
Taylor on Wednesday arraigned Jackson on the failure to appear charge, accepted Jackson’s not guilty plea and set a court date of Sept. 27.
Jackson’s underlying charges — filing a false police report, reckless burning and public intoxication — are set for trial the same day.
Jackson claimed a Washington County jailer sexually assaulted her in a shower in July 2015. Investigators have said videos from the cell block showed the jailer never went into the shower with Jackson. The jailer denied any wrongdoing and passed a lie detector test.
Jackson missed a scheduled mental examination related to the case in December, but later attended a rescheduled examination, according to court filings.
In early November, Johnson police issued a warrant for her arrest. Police said they were looking for Jackson because she didn’t pay a taxi fare Oct. 4. Jackson was ordered to appear in court, but didn’t show, according to police. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Jackson was arrested last summer for reckless burning, a felony; and public intoxication. Police said she set a fire in her driveway and the fire spread and threatened nearby apartments.
She was arrested three times for driving while intoxicated in 2014, twice while she was free on bond.
Jackson drove into and killed a Fayetteville city worker, Jackie Luper of West Fork, in September 2011. She drove into a city construction zone in front of Butterfield Trail Village on Joyce Boulevard, hitting Luper and injuring two other workers.
Jackson pleaded guilty in 2012 to misdemeanor negligent homicide in Luper’s death. She served six months in the Washington County Detention Center and was given probation for one year.