Ronnie Jackson Faces Up to Life in Prison After Leading Robbery Spree Through Shelby County
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 17, 2014 |
MEMPHIS, TN—Ronnie Jackson, Jr., 29, of Memphis, Tennessee, faces up to life in prison following his conviction on March 13, 2014, by a federal jury on 12 counts related to a series of robberies in and around Shelby County, announced U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III.
According to the indictment and facts presented in open court, Jackson and his accomplices robbed three Dollar General Stores, a Family Dollar Store, and two Walgreens drug stores in April and May 2012. During the last robbery, Jackson and a female accomplice went into the Walgreens at 824 West Poplar Street, Collierville, Tennessee, to case the store. After Jackson and his female accomplice returned to their getaway vehicle, two male accomplices entered the store, forcing approximately 14 customers and five employees to the floor at gunpoint. They ordered the manager to open the safe and took more than $6,000.
One of the victims of the robbery managed to dial 911, and Collierville Police officers converged on the scene, arriving in time to witness one of the male accomplices attempting to enter the getaway vehicle. Jackson and his female accomplice were taken into custody, and the male accomplices were apprehended after a brief foot pursuit.
Jackson was convicted on six counts of robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce (also known as Hobbs Act robberies) and six counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Each robbery carries a penalty of up to 20 years. The first firearms charge carries a penalty of seven years to life in prison, and each of the other firearm charges carries a penalty of 25 years to life in prison. All firearms charges must be served consecutively, and there is no parole in the federal system. He will be sentenced on June 19, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., before U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson.
This case was investigated by the Safe Streets Task Force, specifically by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Memphis Police Department, and the Collierville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bo Summers represented the government.