Tulsa World: Authorities seeking motive in homicide of juvenile guidance specialist

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Authorities seeking motive in homicide of juvenile guidance specialist

Michael Eugene Jackson, 32

By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Published: 11/11/2009 10:48 AM
Last Modified: 11/11/2009 7:05 PM

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A man who was released this year from the L.E. Rader Center was arrested Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a juvenile guidance specialist who worked at the juvenile detention center.

Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the attack.

Cedric Jackson, 19, was arrested about 10 a.m. on complaints of first-degree murder and shooting with intent to kill in the Tuesday shooting death of Jason Woodfaulk, 31, and the wounding of Joseph Love, whose age was not available.

Later Wednesday, police identified a second “person of interest” in the shooting. They are seeking Michael Eugene Jackson, 32, who they believe was present at the shooting.

Detective Jason White said police are investigating the shooting as being drug related.

State Office of Juvenile Affairs Director Gene Christian said he has asked his staff investigator to conduct an internal investigation and to work with police to determine whether the shootings are linked to Jackson’s time as a resident of the Rader Center.

There was no obvious conflict between the two, he said.

“According

to the staff, they are not aware of any situations or any ongoing history of that nature,” Christian said.

Woodfaulk and Love were shot at 48th Street North and Yorktown Place about 4 p.m. Tuesday. The house is across the street from Penn Elementary School, 2138 E. 48th St. North. Police said people there were in the line of fire, but no one at the school was injured.

Love was driven from the scene in a Dodge Durango, which police pulled over in the 5200 block of North Peoria Avenue. He was taken by ambulance from there to a hospital. Court records show that Jackson has had several previous charges that resulted in his confinement at Rader.

Jackson pleaded guilty as a youthful offender to robbery with a dangerous weapon in August 2006 and was placed in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, court records show.

In April 2007, he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and battery on a detention officer that had been filed in September 2006. Associate District Judge Dana Kuehn ordered that he remain in OJA custody at Rader.

He was charged again in February 2007 with assault and battery on a detention officer, but the state requested that that charge be dismissed.

After an arrest by the Sand Springs Police Department, he pleaded no contest in February 2008 to an assault and battery that occurred in November 2007. Judge Millie Otey sentenced him to 90 days in jail, with all time suspended, and fined him about $600 plus court costs.

A June 4 OJA review submitted during a court hearing indicated that Jackson had been out of Rader and in the “community phase” of his supervision. The court determined that OJA was “making reasonable efforts.”

On Sept. 29, Jackson was ordered released from OJA supervision, and Kuehn closed the case, over the state’s objection.

Paula Christiansen, public information officer for OJA, said Rader staff counselors will be available to talk with other employees about the loss of their co-worker.

“Obviously, we are very concerned about what has happened and we want to make sure we get all of the information that we can before making any further statements,” Christiansen said.

World staff writers Ginnie Graham and Shannon Muchmore contributed to this story. By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer

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Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Police seek reason for fatal shooting," which was published on 11/12/2009. So far, 93 comments have been made.