Flock Alert Leads to Arrest, Conviction of Man for Beating, Robbing Woman Who Refused Sex After He Gave Her Money

NORFOLK, Va. — Marvin Keith Jackson, 58, was convicted following a bench trial on Wednesday of robbery by force after he beat a woman — whom he picked up and gave money to for sexual services that she declined to perform — and took her belongings earlier this year. Norfolk Police detectives were able to identify Mr. Jackson after the woman, who did not know Mr. Jackson’s name, provided his partial license plate information that resulted in a Flock hit on his vehicle the following day.

On the evening of March 19, the victim had been walking down North Military Highway toward Interstate 264 when Mr. Jackson saw her and offered her a ride in his truck. After some time of driving around, Mr. Jackson took the victim to a lot off Cromwell Drive, offered her $40, then propositioned the victim for sex after she accepted the cash. The victim asserted that she was not a prostitute and got out of Mr. Jackson’s truck. Mr. Jackson followed the victim and demanded his money back, but the victim refused to give it back, and Mr. Jackson began grabbing at the victim’s bag of personal items that she had been carrying. The victim tried to fight Mr. Jackson off, but Mr. Jackson punched her in her head repeatedly, forcibly took the cash that she had put in her pants pocket, took her bag of belongings, and fled in his truck.

The victim called Norfolk Police to report the robbery and was transported to a hospital for treatment of her head injuries, including two black eyes and a concussion. At the hospital, the victim provided detectives with a physical description of Mr. Jackson and his truck, including a partial recollection of his license plate number. Detectives then submitted the vehicle information she provided to the Flock license plate recognition system. The Flock system alerted officers the following day to Mr. Jackson’s vehicle while it was being driven in the Fairmont Park area, officers located the vehicle parked outside what turned out to be Mr. Jackson’s home, and detectives identified and detained Mr. Jackson.

On Wednesday, Mr. Jackson pleaded not guilty to his charge of robbery by force and requested to be tried by a judge. During his trial, Mr. Jackson testified to believing the victim to be a prostitute, propositioning her for sex, physically fighting the victim, and forcibly taking her personal belongings and the cash he had offered her. Judge Mary Jane Hall found Mr. Jackson guilty as charged and set his sentencing hearing on Oct. 11.

“Once again, judicious use of the Flock system has led to the identification, arrest, and conviction of an individual whose identity may never have otherwise come to light,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Regardless of what Mr. Jackson’s understanding was of his interaction with the victim, he had no right to assault her and take her personal belongings by force. That is robbery.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting Mr. Jackson’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Patrick A. Garvey led the investigation.

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