The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office warned Jova’a Jackson on multiple occasions to end her relationship with the father of her unborn child or risk losing lose her job as a deputy. Just days after tendering her resignation, she is accused of ending the man’s life.
The 31-year-old former sheriff’s deputy is now jailed in Clayton County in connection with the shooting death of her boyfriend, 28-year-old Terell Douglas. Personnel records show Jackson was investigated twice by her Rockdale agency over her relationship with Douglas, a felon with an “extensive arrest history,” and her supervisor recommended she be fired.
Jackson resigned in lieu of termination on May 31. Four days later, on June 4, Clayton police say she showed up at a home in the Southlake Cove apartment complex, where Douglas had been visiting a friend, and an argument between the couple turned deadly when Jackson pulled out a gun.
She turned herself in last week on charges of malice murder, stalking and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on her arrest, as Jackson is no longer employed there.
Jackson, who started her career in Rockdale as a jailer in October 2015 and rose to the rank of corporal, resigned at the close of an internal investigation into allegations of employee misconduct, according to the sheriff’s office.
She had previously been investigated in 2019 and received a written reprimand over her relationship with Douglas, which she described as “on again, off again” since 2018, records show. According to sheriff’s office policy, employees are prohibited from associating with people or organizations “of questionable character,” including those who have a reputation for criminal activity.
Following the reprimand, her superiors believed the relationship was over, the investigative findings state. But they recently learned it had resumed and questioned Jackson, who said Douglas just moved in with her in January after rekindling the flame. However, investigators found evidence that Jackson’s timeline was inaccurate.
Dishonesty is grounds for dismissal, according to the agency’s employee code of conduct. A supervising officer also sustained allegations of associating with groups of questionable character. Additionally, they noted that Jackson’s relationship with Douglas put him in close proximity to her agency-issued firearms. As a felon, he’s not allowed to be around any guns under Georgia and federal law.
The day Douglas was killed, Clayton police found the man wounded near the entrance of the Southlake Cove apartment, and he died after being rushed to a hospital. Jackson was not there when police arrived.
When she surrendered at the police department on June 6, officials said Jackson also gave up the weapon she allegedly used to shoot Douglas. Her state law enforcement certification has been suspended, according to Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records. She has no other sworn law enforcement experience in Georgia.
Jackson’s case is the latest in a string of law enforcement arrests. On Monday, Fulton County officials announced the firing and arrest of a jailer accused of using excessive force during an inmate exchange with Alpharetta police. The incident happened June 5, just one day after Douglas was killed.
Earlier this month, another Fulton County deputy, Akeiba Stanley, was arrested. She is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Christian Eppinger, a defendant in the sprawling “Young Slime Life” gang case still lumbering toward trial.
And in Clayton County, five jail employees and contractors have been arrested recently on accusations of stealing from inmates, providing contraband and even planning an attack on an inmate.
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