Home Salt Lake City Press Releases 2010 Ryan Sidney Jackson Sentenced in U.S. District Court
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Ryan Sidney Jackson Sentenced in U.S. District Court

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 01, 2010
  • District of Montana (406) 657-6101

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on November 1, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, RYAN SIDNEY JACKSON, a 23-year-old resident of Wolf Point, appeared for sentencing. JACKSON was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 45 months
Special Assessment: $100
Restitution: $220,231
Supervised Release: five years

JACKSON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to arson/aiding and abetting.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On September 9, 2007, JACKSON and a multitude of other juveniles and young adults were attending a party at a house near Wolf Point, within the exterior boundaries of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The house belonged to a family that was in the process of moving from the Wolf Point area to Great Falls, however no members of that family were present during the party.

During the course of the party, people began vandalizing the house and removing property from the house and outbuildings. At the end of the night, JACKSON and Tyrell John Connor set fire to the house and burned it down.

Many of the party-goers were interviewed during the investigation, as was JACKSON. Some of those witnesses were initially untruthful about the fire, including JACKSON. However, during subsequent interviews, several witnesses told law enforcement that they either saw JACKSON and Connor start fires in the house, heard JACKSON and Connor talk about "torching" the house, or both.

When JACKSON was interviewed a second time, on September 15, 2009, he stated that he and others were responsible for burning down the house. Specifically, JACKSON admitted to placing egg cartons on a stove in the downstairs kitchen and starting them on fire. He also said that he put that fire out before leaving the party and that he saw someone else start a fire upstairs with a can of gasoline and other cans.

A deputy state fire marshal conducted an origin and cause investigation at the scene the day after the party. He concluded that the house was a total loss and noted that some areas were still smoking and releasing heat. However, the deputy marshal was unable to determine the precise location of the fire or fires and unable to draw any conclusion about which fire may have destroyed the house.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that JACKSON will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, JACKSON does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent rof the overall sentence.

Connor pled guilty to federal charges and has been sentenced.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.