NewsLocal NewsCleveland Metro

Actions

'Urban terrorist' responsible for Cleveland, Parma robberies gets 20 years in prison

gavel
Posted at 12:19 PM, Sep 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-22 12:19:27-04

CLEVELAND — A 22-year-old “urban terrorist” who is responsible for a string of robberies across Cleveland and Parma, including one where a person was shot, will spend more than two decades in prison.

According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Stefhan Jackson, has been sentenced to 20 to 23 years behind bars.

“Jackson was an urban terrorist who robbed numerous people at gunpoint,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “This plea encompasses six different robberies, including one where he shot the victim. The streets of Cleveland are far safer with him in prison for decades.”

Jackson pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of felonious assault and one count of burglary.

According to authorities, Jackson’s crime spree dates back to Dec. 23, 2018, when he robbed a gas station on Broadview Road in Cleveland at gunpoint.

The following week on Jan. 1, 2019, Jackson robbed a gas station on Pear Road near Bradwell Avenue in Cleveland. The employees locked themselves in an office and called police.

The same day, Jackson and two other men went to a residence where a 24-year-old and 19-year-old were living. One of the robbers pretended to be a pizza delivery driver while the two others hid nearby. The fake pizza employee walked up to the porch were the victims were at, dropped the bag, pulled out a gun and demanded their phones and wallets. When they tried to escape by running through a back door, Jackson opened fire and struck one of the men in the torso.

The next day, Jackson robbed another gas station on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland and threatened to kill an employee if he didn’t hand over money, authorities said. Jackson stole some cash and a lottery box.

On Jan. 4, 2019, Jackson robbed a convenience store at gunpoint and threatened to kill an employee. He left with cash and cigars, authorities said.

On Sept. 22, 2019, Jackson broke into a home on Essen Avenue in Parma. The resident was asleep at the time of the break-in. During the robbery, the resident was pistol-whipped and punched. Jackson then forced the man to run naked from his home. Jackson left with around $2,000 in stolen cash, authorities said.

Jackson was sentenced under the “Reagan Tokes Law” which, according to the prosecutor’s office, “implements an indefinite sentencing system for non-life felonies of the first and second-degree in which the judge imposes both a minimum term and a maximum term.”

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.