A Jackson County Common Pleas Jury has found a Jackson man guilty of multiple sex-related crimes.
According to Jackson County Common Pleas Court records, Robert J. Nickell, 50, formerly of Chillicothe Pike, Jackson was found guilty of three counts of Rape, a 1st-degree felonies; one county of Sexual Battery, 3rd degree felony; and one count of Gross Sexual Imposition, a 3rd-degree felony.
Nickell’s case was bound over from the Jackson County Municipal Court Judge Mark Musick on February 14. On February 21, the indictments were filed in Jackson County Common Pleas Court. Nickell appeared for his arraignment on February 24 and plead not guilty to the charges, where Jackson County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Regan set Nickell’s bond at $200,000 or 10% cash or full surety.
Nickell’s jury trial began on Monday, April 24, and was found guilty on Thursday, April 27. He remained incarcerated in the Jackson County Correctional Facility since his arrest. Nickell took the stand in his own defense.
On Friday, Judge Regan sentenced Nickell to 43 years in prison. He is not eligible for early release and will have to register as a tier III sex offender for life.
A juvenile family member told a neighbor that Nickell had attempted to rape her. After reporting the allegations, Jackson County Sheriff Tedd Frazier’s Deputies discovered that Nickell had sexually abused the juvenile over several years.
Nickell will be conveyed to a State Penal Institution to begin his maximum prison term.
Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier complimented his investigators for another successful investigation resulting in a conviction. He commended Jackson County Prosecutor Randy Dupree for his prosecution of this case which resulted in a guilty verdict. He thanked Common Pleas Judge Regan for sentencing Nickell to the maximum allowed prison term.
“Together, we will keep our children safe and place those who harm our children where they belong… in prison behind bars,” Sheriff Frazier said.
