By Kelly Douglas
The six men arrested in connection with a string of robberies across Louisville, many of which occurred last semester near U of L’s Belknap Campus, were pre-tried Sept. 7.
The group members, who call themselves the “Click Tight Gang,” are allegedly linked to 142 robberies spanning from February through May of this year. Of those robberies, 25 occurred in the St. Joseph neighborhood, an area near the University of Louisville. University Park Apartments, where many students reside, was the site of 17 robberies and one shooting.
Louisville Metro Police Officer Larry Duncan, an officer of 18 years and lead detective in the case, said the pre-trial was a chance for the defense attorneys to get organized and discuss possible deals with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
The defendants are: Overson Jackson, 17, Averic Lyle Bizor, 19, Lewis Tyrone Clark, 18, DeShawn Moffett, 21, Donnie Lamar Nelson, 18, and Thomas R. Williams, 19.
All six men pled “not guilty” in their arraignments in early July.
“The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is making determinations, based on the severity of each offense, and what they would be willing to offer the defendants. The only defendant that’s not going to be offered anything, at least at this stage of the game, is Overson Jackson,” Duncan said.
Jackson, is the only minor of the group bus is considered the ringleader. Jackson is charged with the murder of 18 year old Brandon White in April and the attempted murder of Alfonso Johnson. In addition, Jackson is charged with 142 counts of robbery; 12 counts of burglary; two counts each of rape, sodomy, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence and one count of possession of a handgun by a minor.
Duncan can’t recall any other violent criminal activity to this extent during his career in Louisville
“This is probably the most wide-spread violent gang that we’ve ever had in the history of the city of Louisville,” he said.
Duncan said he believes when the men are tried, which may not happen for a few years, the sentencing will be harsh, especially for Jackson.
“I think it’s the feeling of every individual that’s participated in this case that the only just thing is for him to be in prison for the rest of his life,” Duncan said.
Major Kenneth Brown, assistant chief of police for the University of Louisville’s Department of Public Safety, said university police will continue to watch the case unfold to see what kind of sentencing the six men will receive.
“Although we didn’t have a robbery on campus, the university police department is following the case. Some of the robberies involved our students, so we have been monitoring the situation and we’ll be keeping an eye on the trial date,” Brown said.
The five adults are currently being held in the Metro Corrections jail while Jackson is being held in a juvenile facility.
