A Lenoir man will serve an active prison sentence of 12 to 15 years after he was convicted of violent crimes during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
The Honorable Nathaniel J. Poovey, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence following Marquel James Jackson’s guilty plea to attempted first-degree murder, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and discharging weapon into occupied dwelling/moving vehicle.
The 30-year-old defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
The offenses occurred on February 3, 2025, at a hotel in Hickory when the defendant had interaction with a female victim in a parking lot. The victim was able to get Jackson out of her vehicle and tried to leave the area, but he fired two rounds from a firearm into the passenger side.
The victim told investigators that he tried to sell her drugs and when she refused, Jackson attempted to rob her of money. She was not injured in the incident.
The defendant left the scene before being picked up six days later in Caldwell County.
Richard Helderman led the investigation for Hickory Police Department Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Jordan Arney.