Covelo Homicide Suspect in Custody; MCSO Releases More Details on Yesterday’s Murder

A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post announced that Jameson Jackson, the suspect in yesterday’s Covelo homicide, is in custody after a manhunt lasting more that 24 hours.

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall said Round Valley Tribal Police were able to find him today and Mendocino County Sheriff deputies took him into custody.

Sheriff Kendall described the search including bloodhounds, helicopters, and ground crews combing the brush-filled, valley floor attempting to locate the Jackson.

The press release also described the capture of Shayla Guerrero, the female companion of Jackson, and her involvement as the driver of the vehicle speeding away from the scene of the homicide later caught by law enforcement after the pair ditched the vehicle.

 At the age of 15, Jackson was convicted for his involvement with the murder of Brooktrails store owner Joan LeaFeat. More recently, Jackson was arrested in March 2020 on charges related to domestic battery and second-degree robbery.

The following press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office describes the crime Jackson is connected to committing and the arrest of the female companion, Shayla Guerreo he was seen with during the commission of the crime. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:

On 8/17/2020 just after 11:00 the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) started receiving information from the Covelo area about possible shooting from a vehicle near the Round Valley Indian Health Center on Biggar Lane.  A short time later reports were coming in that one person was shot, just east of the Health Center on Shady Lane with a possible suspect vehicle, a red Ford pick up, seen leaving the area.  A short time later the vehicle was spotted by an Officer with the Round Valley Indian Tribal Police.  The vehicle was seen traveling west bound on Biggar Lane and continued across Highway 162, almost striking the Tribal Police Vehicle.  The vehicle then pulled into the Tribal Cemetery on the west side of Highway 162.  The Tribal Police Officer attempted to contact the female driver and male passenger but they fled into a wooded area where he lost sight of them.  

Another Tribal Police Officer responded to the east end of Shady Lane on a report of someone being shot there.  The Officer located two victims who appeared to have been shot.  An ambulance responded and it was determined one victim, an unidentified adult male, approximately 30 years of age, was confirmed deceased at the scene.  The second victim, a 38 year old adult male, suffered a minor gunshot wound and was treated by the ambulance crew and released.

The Mendocino County Detective Unit responded, as did the Mendocino Multi-Agency SWAT Team, the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The MCSO Marijuana Unit had been working the area with the California National Guard Counter Drug Team Helicopter which also responded to assist.  A “Shelter in Place” order was issued due to the armed and dangerous suspect loose in the area.  A MCSO trailing bloodhound was used to track the suspects from the vehicle into the Mill Creek drainage.  The adult female, Shayla Guerrero, who had been the driver of the vehicle was located in the creek just north of the cemetery and detained.  The bloodhound believed to follow the creek bed for approximately 1 mile west, until it lost the scent at the intersection of Refuge Road and Crawford Road.  A continued search of approximately 3 square miles was unable to locate the suspect and the shelter in place order was lifted at 7:30 PM.

The decedent was located in a very large marijuana growing operation encompassing approximately 15 acres.  A search warrant was drafted for the scene.  The second gunshot victim, was interviewed, and indicated his vehicle had been stolen the day before.  He and another party saw the vehicle pull into the the marijuana growing area where he waited while the other party left to locate Tribal Police.  While the first party waited, and third person, uninvolved with the vehicle issue, stood nearby.  At one point the suspect entered the vehicle to flee and the vehicle struck a large pole,  The suspect exited and fired one round from a handgun at the first party, striking him causing a minor wound.  The round was believed to have continued on, striking the second party, who ultimately succumbed to his injuries.  MCSO has not been able to make a positive identification of the decedent and next of kin have not been located. 

Detectives learned the shooting suspect was Jameson Jackson, a 34 year old while male out of Ukiah.  Several weeks early Jackson had fled from law enforcement in the Calpella area where deputies were seeking to arrest him on four outstanding warrants for his arrest. He currently has felony warrants for his arrest for making criminal threats, second degree robberty, cruelty to a child, disuading a victim by force, rape by force, failing to appear on charges, committing a felony while on bail for a felony.  He also has misdemeanor warrants for his arrest for cruelty to a child, battery, violation of a court order, and violation of probation.  

Shayla Guerrero was arrested for conspiracy and accessory and booked into the Mendocino County Jail.  She is being held on $100,000 bail.  An arrest alert has been issued for Jackson related to the homicide and the outstanding warrants.  If anyone has any information related to Jackson’s whereabouts please do not approach him, consider him armed and dangerous, and call 911 or MCSO Dispatch at 707-463-4086.

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