In light of Thursday's developments with the Seymour shooting, Fact Finder investigated why suspect Justin Jacob was released early from an 11-year prison sentence for vehicular homicide.
By Matt Buhrman
Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 4:07 p.m.
Read more: Local
OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Justin Jacob, the suspect in Thursday's high speed chase and shooting in the City of Seymour, was convicted of vehicular homicide after a similar high speed chase in 2003.
Over six years ago, police were pursuing Justin Jacob who was driving south on Highway 63. Davis County Deputy Dennis McElderry was killed after placing road spikes in an attempt to stop Jacob's car just north of Bloomfield. As Jacob sped past, McElderry was struck by a patrol car.
Jacob was sentenced to 11 years for vehicular homicide in that case, but was discharged in 2008.
Viewers wondered why he was released early, so we put our Fact Finder Team to work.
Fred Scaletta, the Public and Media Relations Director for the Iowa Department of Corrections, told Fact Finder that according to Iowa Statute 903A, a sentence can be reduced when there is not a mandatory minimum required by the statute for which a person is convicted of. In Jacob's case, vehicular homicide and operating while intoxicated.
"The sentence, as soon as someone walks in the door, the sentence reduces by 1.2 days for each day they are here," Scaletta said. "In this particular case it ended up to be right about five years, and then there was a little bit shorter time and that may have been because there may have been some jail credit in the beginning which would also reduce the length of the sentence by 1.2 days as well."
Scaletta told Fact Finder about a work release that Justin Jacob received during his time in prison.
"There was a work release that happened in June of 2007 and then it was revoked for some reason, I'm not sure what those reasons are, in September of 2007. He came back to prison and [officials] ended up discharging the sentence on January 31, 2008. So essentially that was very close to five years," Scaletta said.
Jacob remains hospitalized in Des Moines for injuries sustained during Thursday's shooting in Seymour.
