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Plea settlement possible in sex abuse case By JONEL ALECCIA Possible settlement negotiations have begun between the lawyer for a former Jackson County caseworker jailed on sex charges and the local district attorney's office. No agreement has been reached in the case of Robert Forrest Jackson, 63, who faces two July criminal trials on charges that he sexually abused seven developmentally disabled clients. Andy Vandergaw, Jackson's publicly appointed lawyer, confirmed Wednesday that discussions have begun, but he refused to release details, citing attorney-client privilege. "I'm not going to discuss the day-to-day blows of this case," he said. "It's a disservice to the county, it's a disservice to my client and I'm not going to do it." Potential settlement talks began at the suggestion of Judge Patricia Crain, who postponed April trial dates. Vandergaw, who required medical treatment, requested the action. "One of the things the judge asked us when we asked for a continuance was whether there had been talk of a settlement," Vandergaw said. "There had not been, so that's what we're doing now." Two separate trials to consider two dozen charges of first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse are now set for July 10 and July 24, court records show. Crain earlier had agreed to separate eight charges involving a single client from the case because assistant district attorney Terry Smith had once represented the alleged victim. Jennifer Martin, a lawyer with the state Attorney General's Office, is set to prosecute those charges; Smith will handle the remaining 16 charges involving six other adult clients. Jackson, a 13-year veteran of the county developmental disabilities program, was arrested in August. He remains lodged at the Jackson County Jail. Neither Smith nor District Attorney Mark Huddleston was available late Wednesday to discuss any potential settlement. Vandergaw declined to speculate on whether an agreement was likely. "If we reach some settlement short of trial," he said, "we'll let you know." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.