Mister Jackson

Mister Jackson

(Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland police officer accused of biting his girlfriend during an October 2015 altercation accepted a plea deal from prosecutors that could allow him to keep his job.

Cuyahoga County prosecutors allowed Mister Jackson to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of attempted assault on Monday, the day he was set to begin a bench trial on charges of attempted felonious assault, abduction, aggravated menacing and criminal damaging.

Prosecutors offered Jackson the deal after the victim in the case did not show up to court for Jackson's trial, spokeswoman Kathleen Caffrey said.

Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams sentenced Jackson to court costs and fines.

Cleveland police arrested Jackson Oct. 10, 2015, and he was placed on unpaid administrative leave after Jackson's girlfriend said he attacked her at a Tate Avenue house where Jackson's second girlfriend lived.

Prosecutors said Jackson was living a "double life" with the two girlfriends. One girlfriend became enraged when she found out about the other woman and confronted Jackson at the woman's home, prosecutors said.

The woman Jackson was accused of biting told police that the attack left a red mark on the right side of her chest. Jackson was holding a gun at the time, according to court records.

The woman left the house and tried to get into her car. Jackson stood in front of the driver's side door and kept her from getting in the car, she told police.

She walked to the passenger side, got in the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Jackson also got in the car and grabbed the steering wheel as the woman tried to drive away, court records say. The car struck the house.

Prosecutors filed several motions leading up to trial seeking to use the injured woman's statements to investigators as evidence as her cooperation started to wane, prosecutors said.

On Monday, when she didn't show up to court, prosecutors offered Jackson the deal.

Jackson did not agree to resign his badge as part of the plea. Jackson's attorney, Henry Hilow, said he hoped the plea would allow Jackson to move on with his life and return back to work.

"We were confident all along that [Jackson] was not guilty with that he was charged with," Hilow said. "He's a good public servant."

Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia did not immediately return a call for comment.

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