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	Ex-pastor Gets 40-year Terms for Sex Assault By Randy Ross News-Journal July 17, 2008 http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/07/17/07172008_jackson_trial.html The former pastor of a Gladewater church has been sentenced to two 40-year prison sentences for sexually assaulting two young sisters in the late 1990s. A jury of seven men and five women deliberated about 15 minutes Wednesday before handing down the sentences for Larry Jackson, 55, who was pastor at the Gladewater Church of Christ on Main Street. County Court at Law No. 2 Judge Alfonso Charles originally said the sentences would be served consecutively. Assistant District Attorney Jenny Huckle said she thinks the sentences will become concurrent because of the law at the time of the abuse. Charles is expected to make a decision today. Huckle said Jackson would be eligible for parole in 20 years. Jackson, a Kilgore resident who was arrested in October, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault Tuesday. The girls testified Tuesday, and their mother opened testimony Wednesday. The Longview News-Journal is withholding the names of the girls' family to avoid identifying sexual assault victims. The mother said she met Jackson's wife while she and his wife were working in a group home for people with mental disabilities in Kilgore. After her husband was stationed out of state, she sometimes left her daughters at the Jackson home because of her work schedule. The girls sometimes stayed overnight. The girls' mother said she did not learn of the abuse until the family moved to Virginia several years later. "I feel like I failed my children," she said. Following the mother's testimony, defense attorney Clifton "Scrappy" Holmes called several character witnesses, including Jackson's wife and daughter. Jackson's wife, Carolyn, and 22-year-old daughter, Crystal, each cried on the witness stand as they discussed their love for him. "I don't know what to do without my daddy," Crystal Jackson said. Former Gladewater mayor John Paul Tallent also spoke on Jackson's behalf. Tallent said he knew Jackson for about 10 years, and he said Jackson's church work was valuable to the Gladewater community. During cross examination, Tallent said he probably would not want his granddaughters to be alone with Jackson. After the verdict was read, the girls' father said in a statement to the court that he was sorry for the pain of Jackson's relatives, but they would have wanted justice for their children had they been in his family's situation. "I think the jury was right in their verdict," the father said. Relatives in the audience began crying as Jackson was handcuffed. "Daddy, I love you," Crystal Jackson cried out between sobs as he was walked out of the courtroom. Holmes said Jackson probably would want to appeal the sentences.
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