Armed Robber Who Went On Cleveland Crime Spree Sentenced

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man who committed six armed robberies in Northeast Ohio has been sentenced to prison.

Stefhan Jackson, 22, robbed businesses in Cleveland and Parma, prosecutors said. Jackson's crime spree began in December 2018 and continued through September 2019. He was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.

“Jackson was an urban terrorist who robbed numerous people at gunpoint,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “This plea encompasses six different robberies, including one where he shot the victim. The streets of Cleveland are far safer with him in prison for decades.”

The Crimes

On Dec. 23, 2018, Jackson robbed a gas station on Broadview Road in Cleveland. He pointed a gun at an employee, demanded money and ran off after he stole $500.

On Jan. 1, 2019, Jackson robbed another gas station, this one on Pearl Road. He again aimed his gun at two employees. The workers managed to lock themselves in a back office and call police, causing Jackson to run off.

Undeterred, Jackson and two other then robbed two people living on Mayview Avenue in Cleveland. When the pair of residents returned home, one of Jackson's partners pretended to be a food delivery driver and approached the duo. The man then dropped his delivery bag, pulled out a gun and demanded the keys from the residents, prosecutors said.

Jackson and the other two men stole the residents' phones and wallets and then forced themselves inside the Mayview home. As Jackson and his partners rifled through the house, the residents tried to sneak out the back door. Jackson saw them and shot at them, hitting one of the residents in the torso. Jackson and the other two suspects then ran from the home, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the next day, Jan. 2, 2019, Jackson again robbed a gas station. He went to the station on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland. He pointed a gun at an employee, demanded everything and then told the employee he would die if he did not comply. Jackson stole cash from the register and tried to steal a lottery box before running away.

On Jan. 4, 2019, Jackson robbed a convenience store at gunpoint on Spring Road in Cleveland. He again pointed a gun at an employee, threatened his life and then stole cigars and $300 before running off, court documents showed.

Finally, on Sept. 22, Jackson and another man broke into a home on Essen Avenue in Parma. The resident was asleep when the two broke through a window, pistol-whipped him, punched him in the head, and threatened to kill him. They pointed a gun at him and then forced him out of his bedroom, naked, while ordering him to run out of the house, prosecutors said. Jackson and his partner stole $2,000 from the home and then drove away.

Cleveland and Parma police used DNA evidence and eyewitness testimony to link Jackson to the crimes. He then pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and burglary. He was sentenced to 20 to 23 years in prison on Tuesday.