Evansville man sentenced to home detention

An Evansville man appeared in Putnam County Circuit Court and was given a four-year sentence for Class C felony possession of cocaine.

Robert A. Jackson, 49, was sentenced to four years with one and one-half years served on home detention and the remainder to be suspended and spent on probation.

Jackson will receive credit for the 31 days he spent in the Putnam County Jail after his arrest and 282 additional days he has spent on home detention. He must also pay fines and costs associated with his case.

Jackson was arrested on March 15 on charges of Class A felony dealing in cocaine and the Class C felony possession charge. He originally entered not guilty pleas, but under the terms of a plea agreement he pled guilty to the possession charge on Nov. 20 in exchange for the dismissal of the dealing charge. He was allowed to be released to home detention on March 31.

Jackson was arrested after Putnam County Sheriff's Department Deputy Dwight Simmons stopped the black Escalade Jackson was driving near the 40-mile marker on I-70 in Cloverdale Township due to plate light housings on the vehicle that needed bulbs replaced.

Simmons called Deputy Craig Sibbitt, who had a K9 drug dog with him, for backup.

According to court documents, the dog alerted the officers to the "presence of narcotic odor on both the driver's door seam as well as the passenger side door seam."

Officers initiated a search of Jackson's vehicle and discovered about four ounces of cocaine in the center console, court documents said.

Jackson told officers he had had a cocaine addiction for about 10 years and that he did not intend to sell the drugs.

Jackson's prior criminal history includes battery and fraud convictions.