A teenage girl who, along with a younger boy, engaged in a shootout with Florida deputies from a home they had broken into in 2021 was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison after reaching a plea deal.
During a hearing, 15-year-old Nicole Jackson-Maldonado pleaded no contest to attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, burglary of a dwelling while armed with a weapon, and criminal mischief, among other charges, according to prosecutors. A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing.
In addition to the 20 years of incarceration, she faces 40 years of probation, the Office of the State Attorney in Daytona Beach said in a news release.
Jackson-Maldonado and a 12-year-old boy left the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home near Deltona in June 2021 and broke into a house where they found guns and ammunition. They began firing on Volusia County sheriff’s deputies who were searching for them. Deputies finally shot and wounded Jackson-Maldonado after she approached them while firing a shotgun, ending the standoff, authorities said.
Jackson-Maldonado's case was placed in adult court, while the boy's case stayed in juvenile court. He reached a plea bargain last year and could be released from a juvenile facility within several years. Prosecutors say the boy surrendered to deputies without firing at the time, unlike Jackson-Maldonado.
