Teenage girl gets 20 year prison sentence for shootout with Florida deputies
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A 15-year-old who shot at deputies during a standoff in June 2021 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after accepting a plea deal, Florida's 7th Circuit court announced Friday.
Nicole Jackson-Maldonaldo, 15, pled no contest to attempted first-degree murder and will serve 20 years in prison followed by 40 years on probation, court documents state.
She was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and was offered a plea deal in July 2022 which she had turned down.
Jackson-Maldonaldo, who was 14 at the time, attacked a worker at the children’s home in Enterprise where she was being held, and then fled. She was followed by a 12-year-old boy and the two broke into a home in Deltona then armed themselves with the owner’s guns and vandalized the premises.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies on the scene said they were confronted by gunfire from the residence. Forensic and eyewitness testimony identified Jackson-Maldonado as the primary shooter and ringleader of the criminal episode.
Teenage girl accused in shootout with Florida deputies appears in court
A girl who is accused of firing at Volusia County sheriff's deputies during a standoff in June 2021 was in court on Wednesday. Nicole Jackson, 15, is charged with the first-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. She was offered a plea deal but turned it down and will now be tried as an adult.
After numerous efforts to persuade Jackson-Maldonado to exit the residence peacefully, she continued to fire, deputies said. Ultimately, Jackson-Maldonado exited the residence and fired a shotgun at the deputies while approaching them. Deputies were forced to return fire.
In March 2022, the boy entered a no-contest plea to the charges that included the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. A judge sentenced him to a maximum risk assessment program followed by conditional release, not to exceed his 21st birthday.
In a statement, Volusia County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Chitwood said,
"On behalf of the Volusia Sheriff's Office and the deputies who came under fire that night in June 2021, I want to thank State Attorney R.J. Larizza and his team of prosecutors for their handling of this case. I also want to reiterate my respect and appreciation for each one of those deputies, who I believe are the reason Nicole Jackson is still alive today. They never hesitated – they rushed in and rendered aid to her in seconds, giving her a second chance at life."