Camden man convicted in weapons trial

January 22, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Phone: (856) 384-5617; Pager (856) 251-4736

Nelson L. Jackson (DOB 7/19/77), of 4 Bentley Woods, Glassboro, faces up to 10 years in New Jersey state prison after his conviction on a second-degree charge of possession of a handgun without a permit.

Jackson was found guilty by a Gloucester County NJ jury late Thursday (1/21) after deliberations over two days.

He was charged June 25, 2008 after a rented Cadillac he was driving was stopped near the Bentley Woods apartment complex in Glassboro, based on a caller’s tip to police. A 40. cal handgun was found on the floor of the vehicle in the front seat area. Although the weapon did not have fingerprints traceable to Jackson, Deputy Gloucester County Trial Chief Michael S. Curwin explained to the jury that the defendant was charged under a legal theory called constructive possession, attributing control of the gun to him as the driver and renter of the car.

Under the state’s Graves Act, dealing with weapons offenses, Jackson must be sentenced to at least three years in New Jersey state prison, with no eligibility for parole during that time. The sentencing range for second-degree crimes is five to 10 years. Jackson has been held in the Gloucester County Jail since his arrest. Sentencing was scheduled by Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. for Feb. 26.