NORTHWOOD – A Hanlontown city council member was given probation in a domestic abuse case stemming from an April 1st incident there.
Jacob J. Jackson, 38, of Hanlontown was arrested on April 1 after assaulting his wife at their home.
Jackson plead guilty, and Judge Coleen Weiland gave Jackson a 1 year suspended jail sentence, a $315 suspended fine and 1 year of probation. He must also pay a $100 court cost, according to records.
Sources close to the victim told NIT that the assault could have been prevented, as Jackson (pictured in 2011) had been with Worth County Sheriff Jay Langenbau prior to the incident and had told the sheriff he intended to harm his wife. Read more about the sheriff’s account of what happened, here.
Jackson was convicted of felony 3rd degree burglary ( 713.6(A) ) in 1994 and served a number of years in prison for that offense.
Sources also say that Jackson lives in rural Worth county but still serves on the Hanlontown city council.
I agree with Missy that Weiland is biased against women. I have been in her courtroom and there was NO WAY we walked out losing. My attorney was confident enuf to give us all high fives talking about how unprepared the other party was, how they came in empty handed with nothing to support their testimony, etc. BUT OH HELL NO, MS WEILAND DIDN’T SEE IT THAT WAY AT ALL!!! UFB!!! And no, I did not appeal it. I had already racked up a large bill with the attorney and could not afford any more. And this was definately a child/dead beat dad case! All I can say is she mustuv liked the way his jeans fit because there was no other reason for the way she ruled!!! FYI “a citizen” remember respect is earned–not just given because of a title you somehow acquired and “lawandorder” it was a crappy ruling and WE DID NOT deserve it! I too think she needs to stay home and play mommy!
@Fed Up Also…thank you for giving your experience in Judge Weiland’s courtroom. I wholeheartedly agree that this judge screws women over. Your case underscores this. My experience is similar, and my attorney left scratching his head in disbelief. Money and resources also kept me from pursuing additional legal recourse. Yet, this worthless judge continues with business as usual.
Let’s hope the citizens of this county remember this the next election and VOTE OUT JUDGE WEILAND!!!
“I would love to see statistics on how many criminals she has actually sentenced to the maximum allowed.”
I am not sure that would prove anything since, each case must be judged on it’s own merits. I am also not sure that one can assume the Prosecutors office has the resources other local or state offices may have.
The same can be held with a defendant’s defense. Say for example, one decided to hire Sidley Austin instead of a local firm? Obviously, a local firm would not have the resources and acumen of 500+ lawyer organization.
So the stats cannot show any sort of pattern at all.
Who cares about your statistical explanation!! I’m sure the pattern of sentences that Judge Weiland hands down are very lenient. There’s a prime example below of a criminal trying to strangle a woman and he served ONE DAY!!! She is worthless!!!!!!
Just look on North Iowa Mugshots:
Martinez, Marcos Antonio
06-09-1982
Booked CGCJ 12-15-2012 13:28
Mit – SERVING SENTENCE – 708.2A (2D) AGCR021450 DOMESTIC ABUSE ASSAULT IMPEDING FLOW OF AIR/BLOOD
Serving 1 day / discharge 12 16 12 – JUDGE COLLEEN WEILAND PRESIDING
I did not make the original comment about statistics. But none the less:
There’s a prime example below of a criminal trying to strangle a woman and he served ONE DAY!!! She is worthless!!!!!
Since you bring it up, tell us all the details of the case before the court. What evidence was presented, and what rebuttle was offered by the defense? This way we can all play judge and jury.
Let me be clear on a point. I do not advocate violence of any sort, no matter who the victim is. However, I do support the legal system in our country, and appreciate all it’s complexities.
@Observer…you are more than likely a friend or family member of this judge. I don’t need to be privy to the information that was presented in the courtroom to see a pattern of irresponsibility in administering the law. It sickens me to see these criminals consistently freed or given drastically reduced sentences. You can’t tell me that EVERY case that comes before judge Weiland is presented that poorly, to cause the criminal to be set “free”. Not only is this judge pathetic in matters of criminal law, but also in civil law. One example of the handling of civil law is presented in a post here by a female detailing her struggles with this judge.
I just hope the citizens and tax payers of this county remember this at the next election and VOTE OUT JUDGE WEILAND!
Hanlontown publishes all it’s consel minutes in a monthly paper called the sundowner. It says whose present and whose absent. Jackson is absent alot. When there is a fire in Hanlontown, fireman phones ring continuosly. If he doesnt have a phone with a Hanlontown number he won’t get called.
Sometimes somebody gets away with something only to have somebody else notice another crime they may be committing.
Now when convicted of a felony are your rights to vote note stripped, and it being a felony offense if you are caught voting?
Do city council members vote? I wonder how quickly Hanlontown can accidently lose all records of him voting in city matters….
You would think his right to vote would have been stripped when was convicted of burglary. Especially since he never made restitution for that crime. I also wonder how he is able to continue to be on the volunteer Fire Department?
Could someone give some public information about Judge Weiland? Address, phone number, marital status, anything that is not covered by law or an offical secrets act of some sort. Appreciate it.
How about trying Google or calling the courthouse?
“I agree. I have always thought Worthless Weiland was afraid of retaliation. How else could anything account for her blatant disregard for the law!!!!”
You only assume she displays blatant disregard for the law.
Tell me please, if it is so blatant, why have we not seen any wholesale appeals on her decisions? Why have we not seen any official sanctions against her actions?
I think it is because unless you know the details in each case, it is hard to make a determination either way. I am not an apologist for any judge, but of the system itself. A system which by the way, is the envy of most other people in the world.
Interesting article. Matt, could you research if there is a way to initiate sanctions against Judge Weiland, or at least a review by her peers as to whether or not she is, in fact, being derelict in her position as a judge?
@Observer-we are not the envy of anyone anymore. As a matter of fact they are laughing at us all around the world. How the mighty have fallen because of the socialist progressive’s that now seem to be in power. The other country’s have no repect for us anymore and think we are soft. They are just waiting to come in and take us over. If you don’t believe that get out from behind your keyboard and your ideals and travel around the world. You have to get out of the five star hotels and get to the real people but you will find that this is true if you can get to real people, not people in a book.
I am going to stand behind the comment that our Justice system is a lot better than in other places in the world. This comes from many sources, including the Heritage Foundation.
Property rights, the hope for a fair trial, corruption. Will you be free from it in Iran, Ecuador, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Burma, Chad? How about Laos, Serbia, Shi Lanka, Pakistan, Moldova, Vietnam? Part of what makes life in such places so repressive is a lack of, or corrupt legal systems. The lack of ability to have and hold property. The right to say as you please, without fear of reprisal.
Is our Justice system perfect? Hardly, mainly because it is based upon the judgement of humans. Yet, unlike a lot of other places, we have avenues of appeals, along with constitutional checks and balances.
@LVS: Observer is correct about the rights we have compared to most of the world. We are lucky to have property rights, civil rights, and all the rest that most people in the world do not have. The only people in the world who look down on us are the people who have the same rights as we do and the ones who want to take away our rights – terrorists.
However, we need more prisons to lock up the criminal element in our society. We need a national or state Jail tax. That is the one way we will keep our society from degrading further. We need to keep the criminals separated from the rest of society and give them intensive behavior modification along with decent prison jobs that will pay off their debts and teach them responsibility. The other is to start teaching ethics, empathy, and morals in our schools since some parents are not doing it.
OK. I’m off on another tangent. But we have to fix the problem of criminals in our society. We have to change it before we have nothing but criminals!
LVS you are one of the angriest people on earth. You need to get over it and come to terms with the fact that the majority of the voters think you and your side is wrong. Grow up. Do something constructive. Do something other than name calling and crying about how you see the world. If things are that bad try and do something about it instead for your crying and complaining. People are getting tired of you putting a political spin on everything and blasting the democrates at every turn. You are a sick, angry, little person. GROW UP and stop your BITCHING
@Happy Guy-Once again, no one cares about your opinion, so, quit being a waste of space and go away.
@Katie-you may be corret in your views but I can assure you that the people I was in contact with around the world do not always agree. We went through the same thing when Carter was president and now we are going through it with Obama. They have very little respect for us and really consider us obnoxious. You have to get to know them before they will open up and tell you but it is there. My personal opinion is you are correct but people in other parts of the world would not always agree.
@Observer: We have not seen any wholesale appeals of Judge Weiland’s decisions because she never sentences anyone to real prison time! You have to be unhappy with your sentence to appeal it. I would love to see statistics on how many criminals she has actually sentenced to the maximum allowed.
Just ask Mr. Halverson…….. Everyone is guilty, untell it happens to them!
I am starting to think NIT.com only prints stories of Weiland giving soft sentences. I might be wrong but I never see a story with the headlines about a jail sentence. Either nobody goes to jail or NIT is bias (could be a little of both).
I wonder where all his supporters are this time…
I do know that Judge Weiland has at least 1 child and if fear of retaliation is the reason she is letting all of these POS go free, she needs to do the right thing for herself and for this city and step down. I understand the fear that she may have as I also have children. Personal information is freely available to anyone who wants to look for it. If this is the case, Judge Weiland, please step down and let a judge that will keep these criminals off the street take your place.
Yes ! she needs to go !
Yes, Weiland needs to give up the bench. The crime rate is high enough in MC and she is not helping clean that up any.
Weiland needs to be out of there! She always sides with criminals, from drugs to violent crimes. If she would grow a vagina & put these punks in jail or punish them, they wouldn’t be as likely to repeat offend.
I am beginning to wonder if Judge Weiland is not afraid to give these alleged perpetrators harsh sentences for fear of retaliation. One or two I could see, but it looks like a pattern is emerging here. A lot of people appear to be walking when their crime would indicate incarceration and/or a rather hefty fine.
I agree. I have always thought Worthless Weiland was afraid of retaliation. How else could anything account for her blatant disregard for the law!!!!
Worthless Weiland will screw women over in her courtroom. She has a soft spot for the men in her courtroom.
I would be curious to hear from other women that have been in her courtroom and see if they feel they were treated as equitably as the men. I highly doubt they were.
Regardless of personal feelings toward Judge Weiland, respect for her office and position should be afforded her. It is really just common courtesy. Thank you.
#1: Judge Weiland does NOT “screw over women in her courtroom.” I have been a woman in her courtroom, and I have experienced first hand that Judge Weiland’s rulings put the best interests of children first above all else.
#2: I work in the legal field and have seen many, many rulings written by Judge Weiland, some of which were in favor of women, and some that were in favor of men. She knows what she’s doing, and she IS a good Judge, especially in civil matters. If you are on the receiving end of a crappy ruling from Judge Weiland- you very likely deserved it.
#3: I think NIT has some kind of vendetta going against Judge Weiland, because they only print negative articles about her.
However, as a side note to all of the people on here who rant and rave about her letting criminals go- She is not the only Judge in our judicial district- there are 6 of them servicing the 2a district, and Judge Weiland is NOT the only Judge handing out probation and suspended sentences.
Spend some time reading about the judicial system and how the process works with criminal cases, and then spend some more time reading the Iowa Code Section. You should be angry at the County Attorneys who negotiate these plea deals and the terms associated with them.
There are two sides to every story and evidently the judge believes his side.
She always sides with the criminals.
Judge Weiland did not beleive his side of the story more than she believed hers. He pled guilty because the evidence was strong enough to convict him. While I do believe Judge Weiland is too lenient in her sentencing, she agreed to the terms asked for by the Worth County Attorney. Mr Jackson was guilty then and is guilty now. A true wolf in sheeps clothing.
This disgusts me! How are women who are abused supposed to feel safe if they abusers are getting a slap on the wrist? Weiland needs to go bye bye, its not the police they catch people and charge them and she simply lets them off and we wonder why Mason city is such a shitty town. You want to clean up the town get right of the filth judges and other officials
Judge Worthless strikes again! Way to send a msg that beating a woman is not ok…oh wait she didn’t.