Preston Jackson of Mattapan, who allegedly kept robbing stores even after video of him was featured prominently on local TV stations, was today indicted on enough armed-robbery counts to send him away for life if convicted, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
When finally arrested on Jan. 3 after a clerk at a Mass. Ave. candy store scared him off, Jackson was initially charged with six holdups. The indictment, however, charges him with two additional pre-Christmas stickups. In total, Jackson only made a bit more than $2,000 for his spree through the Back Bay and Fenway (officials do not know the exact amount he got in the Fenway Starbucks robbery that led to his brief career as a YouTube star).
"From every source - whether it's witness testimony, surveillance video, or the assailant's own notes - the evidence paints this defendant as a one-man crime wave," [DA Dan] Conley said.
A pattern became clear when looking at the robberies, Conley said. Jackson apparently selected retail stores and cafes with large, plate glass windows facing the street. Each cashier at the victimized establishment was in his or her mid-20s or younger, and each location was robbed after dark. While inside the establishments, Conley said, Jackson was scrupulous in not touching anything.
Map showing Jackson's alleged hits, prepared by the Suffolk County DA's office:
Innocent, etc.
