JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A registered sex offender accused of attacking a 92-year-old woman inside her Arlington home has an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1980s, state records show.
Joseph Lee Jackson, 59, was arrested over the weekend and booked into the Duval County jail on charges of home invasion robbery, burglary, criminal mischief and resisting police.
"I’m surprised. I thought honestly he was a little too old for that," said one neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
The man crept into a woman’s home while she slept in June, threatened and hit her and then made off with some of her belongings, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
After learning of his criminal history, neighbors, who said they saw police taking Jackson into custody outside his apartment in Arlington, told News4Jax that they're glad he's behind bars.
"It was weird because we weren’t expecting anything like that to happen," neighbor Mikaylah Sandifer said. "He looked terrified and that’s good. He needed to look terrified."
Court records show Jackson’s criminal history dates back decades. He’s been sent to prison 11 times since 1984, spending more than 20 years locked up -- including 12 years for a sexual battery conviction. He was last released in 2017.
"That is horrifying," Sandifer said. "My friend has ... a child, so of course nobody wants that around."
News4Jax went by Jackson’s apartment Monday morning and found that the lights were on, but no one answered the door.
Family members of the 92-year-old woman, whose home is near the apartment complex, told News4Jax that the man also came back to her house at least two other times -- once in August and again in mid-Septemeber. They said they are thankful the suspect is off the streets.