Oct. 27 -- City officials allowed a new Gary Fire Department hire to complete his first phase of training despite learning of recent allegations he harbored a fugitive accused in the Walmart shooting in Hobart, officials have confirmed.
Gary spokeswoman LaLosa Burns said Tyrone L. Jackson Jr., 24, has been removed from the city's payroll pending the final disposition in the case, though they allowed him to complete the first segment of training.
"We believe the city’s position is wholly consistent with our responsibility to protect our citizens, especially the vulnerable such as our children. It is also consistent with our rule of law that says everyone charged is given the presumption of innocence until proven guilty," Burns said.
Authorities allege Jackson allowed Alex C. Hughes to hide in his Gary house for more than a week, despite knowing Hughes was wanted by police for his role in the Sept. 30 gang-related shooting at the Hobart store.
Jackson, 24, told detectives in a statement he grew up in the same neighborhood as Hughes and they had known each other for the majority of their lives.
He said he met with Hughes at his house to discuss hiring an attorney, but claimed it was before a warrant was issued for Hughes' arrest, records state.
Burns said Jackson was hired as a fire department recruit on Sept. 4. His annual starting salary was $49,304, consistent with incoming firefighters, Burns said.
Jackson can been seen in social media posts participating in recent Gary Fire Department fire safety class with young children.
"It is noteworthy that at the time of the trainees’ visit to the YWCA and the Boys & Girls Clubs, Jackson had not been charged in the current case," Burns said.
In February, Jackson was charged in separate case with one count of neglect of a dependent, a felony, and one count of criminal recklessness, a misdemeanor.
In that case, court records show Jackson and his attorney had been negotiating a plea deal this past month with the prosecutor's office for a lighter sentence.
He secured a plea deal Oct. 22, and in exchange, the felony charge was dropped, his misdemeanor charge upheld, and Jackson was ordered to serve six months of probation.
Burns said because Jackson's prior case was resolved as a class B misdemeanor, it would not disqualify him from serving on the Gary Fire Department.
Bradley Carter, spokesman for the Lake County prosecutor's office, said that case was reopened Wednesday after the probation office filed a petition to revoke his probation. A hearing on the probation revocation is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 7 before Judge Salvador Vasquez.
The affidavit in the February case was not immediately available Friday.
Charging information alleges Jackson "knowingly or intentionally placed the dependent in a situation that endangered the dependent's life or health, abandoned or cruelly confined the dependent, deprived the dependent of necessary support, or deprived the dependent of education as required by law." Jackson also did "recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally perform an act that created a substantially risk of bodily injury to (a dependent)," records show.
Jackson's employment as a Gary Fire Department recruit was reportedly a factor during discussions about his plea agreement in the February case, Carter said.
Though Jackson was charged with felonies in both cases, he has not convicted of either charge. It's unclear how his alleged probation violation will affect the dismissed felony charge in the February case.
Hughes was arrested Oct. 9 after he allegedly left Jackson's house in the 1300 block of East 51st Place. Jimmy Lee Jackson Jr., 26, also is charged with assisting a criminal on allegations he picked up Hughes from the residence and then fled authorities.
Police first learned of Hughes' location after obtaining phone records Oct. 8 indicating a cellphone connected to Hughes was located in the area of Tyrone Jackson's residence.
A police database indicated Hughes' brother was associated with the residence, and a Gary police officer had received information Hughes was living with that same brother, records state.
The next day, investigators with the FBI's Gang Response Investigative Team were staking out Tyrone Jackson's house to arrest Hughes.
Records show Jackson bonded out of jail Oct. 18.
Jackson's next court hearing in the Walmart shooting case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 11 before Judge Vasquez.
___ (c)2018 The Times (Munster, Ind.) Visit The Times (Munster, Ind.) at www.nwitimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
