Man Convicted Of Killing Chattanooga Police Officer Let Out of Prison

Image Credit: Tennessee Dept. of Corrections & Thomsonmg2000 / CC

The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

A man found guilty of killing a Chattanooga police officer in 2002 has been released from prison, years short of serving his 25-year sentence.

Isaac Eugene Jones was charged in 2005 with first-degree murder and was found guilty of the lighter charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Chattanooga police officer Julie Jacks. Jones was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Jones was released on August 5th, 18 years after his conviction, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections’ website. He was credited with pre-trial time served, leaving his sentence to expire on that date after spending 21 years behind bars.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the shooting took place on May 6, 2002, when Officer Jacks was attempting to arrest Jones, who was 20 at the time. Jones was trying to escape the Parkridge Medical Center where he had been taken for a mental evaluation.

Officer Jacks responded to a call asking for assistance in finding Jones after he ran away and encountered him at the intersection of Vine and Kilmer streets.

As the two struggled, Officer Jacks was heard over the radio saying, “he’s going for my gun,” before Jones shot her three times with her .45-calliber service weapon, ultimately killing her.

Officer Jacks died on Vine Street. She had been an officer with the Chattanooga Police Department for three years and had been voted Rookie of the Year in 2001. 

Jones filed an appeal in 2010, asking for a new trial on the basis that he had not been adequately represented in the 2005 trial where he was found guilty. He filed another appeal in 2011 with the same claim. Both were denied by the courts.