A Chicago man was charged with rape from an August 2024 incident in Merrillville.
Jeremy Cornell Jackson, 38, is charged with rape, a Level 3 felony. He is at large with bail set at $3,000, according to Lake County court records.
On August 25, 2024, Merrillville Police were dispatched to a residence where a woman told police that “Leante” Jackson had raped her, according to a probable cause affidavit. She had been dating him for about four months after meeting on a dating app. On Aug. 24, the woman told police that Jackson arrived at her house around 12:15 p.m., records state. The pair smoked marijuana and started kissing and cuddling; the two had not previously engaged in sexual intercourse. She asked Jackson if he had protection and he replied that he did not, court records state.
While she was reaching toward her nightstand for a condom, he forced himself on her, putting his hands around her neck and choking her, and having sex with her despite her telling him to stop multiple times. The rape lasted about eight minutes, the affidavit states.
Jackson then asked her, “What are you going to do, cry about it?” Eventually, she was able to break free and Jackson replied “I’m done,” gathering his personal items and leaving, court records state. At that point, the victim called police.
She was transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake where a sexual assault exam was performed, records state. The kit was forwarded to the Indiana State Police lab, where it was analyzed and male DNA was located.
The victim gave police the suspect’s phone number and his Instagram username “king jay jack,” which she had taken screenshots of, the affidavit states. She said they mainly communicated through phone and not Instagram. Police filed a preservation request for the “kingjayjack” account on Aug. 29, court records state.
On Sept. 3, the victim told police she believed that she met “Leante” on Bumble. She described him as a 38-year-old Black man, who was between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 and has a “big belly” and dark skin with a low beard, records state. She identified Jackson in a six-person photo lineup.
Police contacted Jackson on Sept. 6 and he agreed to meet with police on Sept. 12, but failed to show up for the interview without notice, the affidavit states. Police called him and were forwarded to his voice mail where they advised him to call and reschedule. Police have yet to hear back from Jackson, records state.
Police were granted a search warrant to examine Jackson’s cell photo records, which showed him traveling to Lake County from Benton Harbor, Michigan, on the day of the alleged rape before he was present at the victim’s residence.
