Well-known local agriculturist arrested, charged with cruelty to children

Laymon "Jon" Jackson might be the most well-known current resident of Baldwin County. He's been on primetime network TV, and he's been the subject of a full-length documentary, which is available for free on many streaming services...

Jackson, who founded Comfort Farms on Horace Veal Road back in 2016, more recently was named Conservationist of the Year by the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts.

There's that.

Then, there's the Baldwin County Crime Facebook page and Georgia Gazette, a mug-shot media outlet based in Savannah. It has a large following in Milledgeville, even if many people won't admit that they click on it, because many people don't like to admit to being nosey.

There's that.

So, when Jackson's mugshot appeared in the Georgia Gazette and its Baldwin County Crime Facebook page, many people saw it and wondered what happened. Jackson was arrested on Saturday, April 21 and released two days later. His charge was one count of first degree cruelty to children.

The details surrounding Jackson's arrest could spark a larger conversation about child discipline and corporal punishment in the 21st century. Not too long ago, of course, corporal punishment was a common discipline tool for parents in Baldwin County, whether it was a switch from a tree in the backyard or a belt. It wasn't just parents, however. Paddling at school was very common, with some principals and teachers more legendary than others. Times change, however, and so do societal norms.

Essentially, Jackson is accused of "whipping his son with a belt," something which he admitted to deputies, according to a Baldwin County Sheriff's incident report. The incident resulted in marks and bruising to the child's "left hip and both buttocks." Jackson became upset after finding out that his son had gotten into trouble for stealing a keychain from another student at school, according to the report. 

Added the deputy's narrative in the incident report: "I made contact with (the complainant) and (the child). (The complainant) stated (the child) had gotten into trouble at school...(The complainant) stated she told her husband, Laymon Jackson, about the incident and was going to let Laymon talk to (the child). (The complainant) stated she realized Laymon and (the child) left the residence and later found out that they had gone to another property at 347 Horace Veal Road. (The complainant) stated that after Laymon and (the child) arrived (back home), she was told Laymon whipped (the child) as punishment.

"The complainant stated she asked (the child) to show her where he had been whipped. (The complainant) stated that there were marks on (the child's) left hip and both buttocks. (The complainant) stated she confronted Laymon and told him he went too far and that he shouldn't have hit (the child) that hard. (The complainant) stated Laymon replied that (the child) needed to have been whipped with the belt. (The complainant) stated Laymon said that if he needed to go to jail to possibly stop his son from growing up and going to jail in the future, he would."

A pair of deputies then viewed several photographs of the child's injuries, as well as audio of the incident. 

The two deputies then drove to the family's home on Myrick Road, where Jackson was standing in the driveway. Jackson relayed to the deputies that his son "needed to learn a lesson" and "needed to feel it." Jackson was handcuffed and transported to the county jail on Old Monticello Road witout incident.

Comfort Farms is a 38-acre working farm where "veterans from all over have found...a safe haven that helps them get back on their feet and reintegrate into family, society and economy." Jackson was an Army Ranger who did six combat tours in the Middle East.

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