Woman admits to assisting in home invasion

FARMINGTON – A Washington County woman who assisted in planning a home invasion two years ago has pleaded guilty to one of several charges she had been facing.

Katherine Jackson, 22, was in St. Francois County court Friday to plead guilty to first-degree burglary. As part of a plea agreement, one count of first-degree assault, two counts of kidnapping, one count of robbery and two counts of armed criminal action were dismissed. A trial had been scheduled for next month.

Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte ordered a presentence investigation report compiled by the State Board of Probation and Parole and set formal sentencing for Aug. 15 in St. Francois County.

According to the Washington County prosecutor’s office, Jackson could be sentenced up to seven years in prison.

According to court records, four individuals, including Jackson, made a plan to break into a home to steal money and drugs. Two went inside the house while Jackson and a man stayed outside.

The break-in occurred while the homeowner was at work and her 9-year-old was being cared for in the house by a pregnant woman.

The baby-sitter told police she saw a man kick in the door of the residence and walk in holding a knife. He struck the woman repeatedly and held her face-down on the floor. The man reportedly applied pressure to the back of her neck and head and told her to stop screaming or he would kill her.

The baby-sitter told police a second person entered the house and searched the house while the man placed something over her head and took her into the bathroom. The two subjects tied her and the 9-year-old boy up with telephone cord. The man threatened to shoot the baby-sitter in the face if she did not cooperate. The boy was not harmed.

The two subjects left the house after taking a safe from the home. Jackson told police they later discovered there was nothing in the safe.

The baby-sitter’s boyfriend later came home and untied them. The baby-sitter required hospital treatment for her injuries and later miscarried.

During questioning, Jackson and a man admitted to assisting in the robbery of the home. Jackson admitted to helping with the plan of the home invasion and admitted to giving gloves and panty hose to the two people who robbed the home. She also said she drove them to and from the residence.

The man who was accused of entering the home and striking the baby-sitter was found guilty by a jury this month. The man, Jonathan Nixon, could be sentenced up to 121 years or two life sentences. He will be sentenced in Washington County Aug. 18.