A Bay County jury needed less than 15 minutes to return guilty verdicts Tuesday against a man the prosecutor described as a “monster” for repeatedly sexually battering a child over a 5-year-period, and he was then sentenced to life in prison.
Terry Lee Jacks, 53, was found guilty of three counts of Sexual Battery on a Person Under the Age of 12 and one count of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation on a Person less than 12 years of age. The jury reached its verdict in 14 minutes and 40 seconds after hearing the case presented by Prosecutor Peter Overstreet.
Circuit Court Judge Dedee Costello sentenced Jacks to four life sentences without the possibility of parole and designated him a sexual predator.
Overstreet told jurors in his opening statement that between the ages of 8 and 13 years of age, the victim was raped vaginally, anally, and orally, and “had to endure the abuse over and over again, it was repetitive, it was ongoing.”
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In 2018 the then-13-year-old victim was living in another county and reported the Bay County abuse. Authorities there contacted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Sgt. Christian Williams handled the case and attempted to interview Jacks.
In addition to Sgt. Williams, Overstreet called three other witnesses, including a neighbor who witnessed the abuse on one occasion and a member of the Department of Children and Families involved in interviewing the victim.
For additional information contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov or (850) 381-7454.