BLAKE A. JENNINGS FOUND GUILTY BY A JACKSON COUNTY JURY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          

Contact: Joseph A. Cervantez, Jackson County State’s Attorney

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

BLAKE A. JENNINGS FOUND GUILTY BY A JACKSON COUNTY JURY

Joseph A. Cervantez, Jackson County State’s Attorney, announced today that Blake A. Jennings, 36, of DeSoto, was found guilty by a Jackson County jury of Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon, Aggravated Battery, and Resisting a Peace Officer.

On May 26, 2024, Jennings was arrested by the Carbondale Police Department after officers were dispatched to 1200 E. Grand, regarding a white male, wearing a black hoodie, banging on people’s doors and acting disorderly. Officers learned from the reporting parties that Jennings had struck a male, resulting in injury. The reporting parties provided a description, and Carbondale Officers located an individual matching that description in the area. Jennings, a convicted felon, was approached by officers and ordered to stop, to which he resisted arrest. Subsequent to his arrest, knives were located on his person.

State’s Attorney Cervantez stated, “I am grateful for the work performed by the Carbondale Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, in order to bring this case to a successful conclusion. I am also thankful to the staff and attorneys in my office for successfully prosecuting this offender.”

The Carbondale Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant State’s Attorney Sophia M. Allen led the office in the prosecution.

A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice, and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence. Except for statements that are necessary to inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s action and that serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, by Supreme Court Rule, the State’s Attorney is not allowed to make statements about pending cases or investigations which would pose a serious and imminent threat to the fairness of the proceeding. Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. For a list of certain subjects which have been determined to pose such a threat to the fairness of the proceedings and for a list of subjects which do not, please see Rule 3.6 Trial Publicity. For any press release involving a case which has not yet been tried, please note that: a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of the jury.