On May 29th, 44-year-old Cory Jackson, a man tied to a string of high-tension armed robberies in Multnomah County, entered a plea of guilty to six counts of Robbery in the First Degree with a Firearm. His conviction trails a series of crimes targeting five marijuana dispensaries and a bar, leaving the perpetrators facing hefty consequences. According to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, the court is slated to sentence Jackson on July 9, 2025, with a prescribed minimum prison term of 20 years.
In a series of heists that tested the mettle of local business employees and proprietors, Jackson and his accomplice, 45-year-old Melissa Ann Maxwell, managed to swiftly and repeatedly terrorize. Maxwell has already begun her 20-year prison sentence upon a guilty plea entered back in April of 2025. Jackson's guilty plea was not confined to his offenses in Multnomah County; he still faces charges in other counties, including Washington and Clackamas, as well as federal charges. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Chris Shull, who spearheaded the prosecution, expressed relief in a statement gained by the prosecution office, "No employee should go to work and face the barrel of a gun in a robbery. Cory Jackson and Melissa Maxwell, however, traumatized numerous hard working Portlanders by doing just that, over and over again."
The arrests and ensuing conviction of Jackson and Maxwell were the result of collaborative efforts between various agencies. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office extended gratitude towards the diligent work of Portland Police Bureau Detectives Rachel Baer and Michael Greenlee, assistance from the Oregon State Police Crime Lab and the Vancouver Police Department in Jackson's peaceful apprehension, and the MCDA Victim Advocates for their attentive care to the victims involved.
Jackson's 2024 arrest stemmed from an inter-agency communication, with the Vancouver Police Department notifying the Portland Police Bureau of the suspect crossing state lines. Officers, already engaged in a Stolen Vehicle Operation, coordinated to locate and apprehend Jackson, resulting in his peaceful surrender after they were able to convince him to step outside a business he had walked into. This display of inter-departmental cooperation and strategy is a stark reminder of the resolute nature of law enforcement in the face of such threats to public safety. The series of armed robberies perpetrated by Jackson in 2023 and his approaches to avoid capture, like using wigs and the HOME SICK tattoo on his knuckles, are chronicled in his criminal record and the annals of the Portland Police Bureau's calls for public assistance.
