I am always nervous when doing an interview from jail. I have now done a total of three and the most recent happened this week. You walk into a county jail or prison and you are ushered into a little room. Then you wait. The inmate you are interviewing finally walks in - wearing handcuffs and then you start. It’s a strange feeling sitting next to someone in a jumpsuit, socks with flip-flops and a guard watching over their shoulder. Once the interview starts I can take a deep breath.

This week I interviewed a woman by the name of Jennifer Jacobi. She was once a substitute teacher in Floyd County. She was originally charged with possessing child pornography in Harrison County. Those charges were dropped recently when she pleaded guilty to child molestation and arranging for an adult to molest a child. She was sentenced to 66 years in prison. Police say she met a man over the internet and he convinced her to molest children in her family and then he came to town and molested the kids.

Jacobi was married at the time she met this man online. But she said she was lonely and this man on the internet gave her the attention she needed. She says before she knew it she was doing the unthinkable – child molestation. She was remorseful and devastated by her actions during our interview. She understood what she did – but can you understand why? She says she was a vulnerable woman and she simply was caught up in the attention of man she thought she loved. I have heard this before covering other stories. People who otherwise are law abiding citizens suddenly do strange criminal acts under the influence of someone else. You might be shaking your head saying to yourself “no way could that happen to me!” For many of you it might not. But when you have extremely low self esteem you are susceptible to many things you never thought possible.

There are no excuses in this case. Jacobi says she eventually knew what she was doing was wrong. We always love to ask people why did you it? Why did you commit this crime? Rarely is there an answer that satisfies everybody. But her answer makes you think about the unimaginable.

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.