BENTON, Ill. - Every time an employee of a school district - doesn't matter if it's a teacher, an administrator, an ancillary staff position, a bus driver - is charged with a sex crime, it causes those of us with great distaste for the public school system to wonder how many more are hiding in their very protected midst.
And every time it's slow coming to the public's attention, it causes those of us with at least a little bit of insight into area media to wonder what on earth is going on.
That'd be the case with the most recent incident of school sex abuse, this one alleged to have occurred at Benton Consolidated High School, and the charge dating back to early August...with relatively NOTHING produced about it until last week (late September).
With mainstream media, usually this kind of thing misses the initial arrest and languishes a bit until things "blow over," at least when it comes to the local outlets.
Then when there are a couple of court dates scheduled and no one can deny it, that's when the local media finally decide to step up and say something about it as opposed to a one-line entry on the police blotter, while in the meantime, everyone involved knows; all their friends, family and acquaintances know, the entire court and law enforcement system in the county knows...the only people who don't know are the ones who are impacted by it: the taxpaying public.
Especially those who send their kids to the public school system that continues to make poor hiring choices in bringing these people into the realm of the kids.
It's unclear why nothing came out about the arrest and charging of Jeremy J. Jackson, 29, of Benton, when it first occurred.
The timeline is interesting, though.
Published reports indicate that Jackson was the BCHS "computer/network specialist and webmaster" (fancy term for tech guy) who resigned back in mid-July of this year.
The complaint of a Solicitation of a Sex Act with a Victim Under the age of 18 or with Intellectual Disabilities was made on August 6. That's the only charge Jackson is facing, which seems to indicate that an alleged actual sex act might not have occurred.
Published reports don't indicate whether it was a male, female, or confused person who is alleged to have been a victim. They also don't indicate whether this alleged solicitation occurred at the school, from a home, at another location, or what, exactly, is alleged to have occurred. As well, there has been no mugshot of Jackson released.
Whatever the case, Jackson was arrested the day after the warrant was issued - Aug. 7 - and he was able to post $2,000 cash bond to be on his way to hire none other than more-sizzle-than-steak attorney Bryan Drew (or at least the "Drew Law Group") for his defense, such as it will be.
Jackson made a first appearance in Franklin County on Aug. 28, but most of the public weren't alerted to the situation until about a week after his preliminary hearing on Sept. 19.
Apparently thinking that it was now "safe" to let the public know, MSM played the whole thing down and, as is the usual case, gave no details and provided no context for the plague that is the predatory contingent bearing down on our schools (and let's be very clear here: No one is saying Jackson is guilty. It's just that the number of those working in the schools who continue to get charged with such a thing has stayed pretty consistent for years, so despite whatever 'best efforts' the schools are attempting to produce, they aren't working...and in some areas, it just keeps getting worse.)
Jackson has been set for a next hearing on November 8.