Pottstown man charged after burning car found in driveway

By Caroline Sweeney
casweeney@pottsmerc.com 

Courtesy of Jeanette Wade

POTTSTOWN — A Pottstown man is accused of abusing a woman, setting her car on fire, then sending threatening text messages to her family.
Jonathan Jackson, 23, will face several felony counts including robbery, aggravated assault, and reckless burning or exploding as well as simple assault and harassment. All of his charges stem from a Feb. 26 incident where Jackson allegedly set a car on fire in a driveway.
According to police, Jackson allegedly attacked a woman who lives in the 200 block of King Street around 5 p.m.
The victim told responding officers that Jackson was outside her home and allegedly assaulted her. Jackson allegedly punched the victim several times in the face, slammed her head into the ground, then grabbed her ponytail and pulled her through the snow and down the sidewalk.
Police said Jackson allegedly stole the victim’s cellphone and the keys to her Saturn Ion. Jackson allegedly took the car, found an unknown accelerant, and drove through the alley between 2nd and 3rd streets west of Johnson Street, police said.
Jackson then allegedly stopped the car behind a house on Third Street before pouring accelerant on the car and setting it on fire, police said.
After an investigation, police found Jackson allegedly sent a text message to the victim’s sister telling her the car was on fire, that he was looking for a mutual acquaintance, that he was “not done yet.” Police also said the text message listed the address for the victim’s mother and Jackson allegedly said he was coming for her.
Jackson was arraigned on Feb. 27 by District Judge Edward C. Kropp Sr. His bail was set at $500,000 and he is confined to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of his bail.
He is expected in court again on March 10 at 8:30 a.m., court documents said.