Virgil “Lee” Jackson is the perfect example of why Missouri should not allow convicted felons to possess a state bail bond license. Jackson continues to be detained by the federal authorities after his federal arrest last October. Jackson was arrested after the ATF discovered his alleged participation in a murder-for-hire scheme. Jackson sought to hire a hit-man to murder his long-time rival Gerald Cox. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jackson has a string of convictions: burglary in 1959, burglary in 1967, forcibly breaking into a post office in 1971, and first-degree robbery in 1984. Even so, he received a license from the Missouri Department of Insurance in 1996 to act as a bondsman.
The Department of Insurance responded to Jackson's arrest by filing a complaint with the Administrative Hearing Commission seeking to discipline Jackson. That hearing will be heard later this summer.
Missouri should not allow convicted felons to post bail in our courts. It is a tremendous responsibility to have the power to grant or revoke the personal freedom of another human being. This responsibility should not be granted to those with the propensity to abuse it.
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