Unsuccessful Kentucky jailer candidate sentenced in vote-buying conspiracy

Bill Estep
·2 min read
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An unsuccessful candidate for jailer in southern Kentucky has been sentenced to serve five years on probation after pleading guilty in a vote-buying case.

James “Darrell” Jackson, 60, of Tompkinsville pleaded guilty to one charge of facilitation to engaging in organized crime and five charges of making or receiving expenditures for a vote, all felonies.

Circuit Judge David L. Williams sentenced Jackson to six years in prison, probated for five years. That means if Jackson doesn’t violate any parole conditions in five years he won’t have to serve any jail time.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced the sentence Tuesday.

Jackson was a constable in Monroe County when he sought the Republican nomination for jailer in the May 2022 primary.

The Attorney General’s Office received a tip about suspected violations during the election, which Jackson did not win.

The office investigated and a grand jury ultimately indicted Jackson and six other people, charging that Jackson and family members and friends took part in a scheme to pay voters or obtain blank absentee ballots to try to win the nomination for Jackson.

The others who pleaded guilty in the case were:

  • Mary Jackson, 24, of Tompkinsville, sentenced to six years in prison, suspended for five years.

  • Leslie Jackson, 37, of Summer Shade, received a sentence of one year suspended for five years.

  • Bonnie McClendon, 67; Tommy McClendon, 71; and Sherrye Jackson, 48, all of Tompkinsville, were placed on pretrial diversion for five years.

  • Lisa Jackson, 35, of Mount Hermon, who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of vote buying, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Her sentence was enhanced because of prior felonies.

“Kentucky’s election laws are strong, and our elections are secure,” Coleman said in a release. “Our team is laser-focused on defending the integrity of the ballot box and protecting one of our nation’s most cherished and fundamental principles: free and fair elections.”