Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake woman charged earlier this year in a drug distribution investigation has been arrested again and accused of operating a crack house.
The woman's son at one time was suspected by police of being a drug ring leader.
Jessica Lynn Jacobs, 47, was arrested Wednesday for investigation of nearly a dozen crimes, including multiple counts of drug possession with intent to distribute.
Wednesday night, police say Jacobs was pulled over near 900 West and 400 North for having an illegal tinted license plate cover.
"The decision was made to impound the vehicle for failure to register and driving on a suspended driver's license. Officers conducted an inventory of the vehicle per department policy prior to impound where officers located a large amount of methamphetamine, crack cocaine ... marijuana dab and heroin" and approximately 800 blue pills with "M30" printed on them suspected to be fentanyl, according to a police booking affidavit.
A passenger in the Jeep, Braidon Cluff, 23, who police say was wanted by authorities and had drugs on him, was arrested for investigation of four counts of drug possession with intent to distribute.
As detectives were questioning Jacobs, she admitted to cooking crack cocaine at her residence, the affidavit states, and consented for her home to be searched.
"Inside (her) residence officers located a clandestine lab," including a "plate with white powder, small jar with water and hardened white substance at bottom. (Jacobs) explained how she is cooking crack cocaine and what method she uses and pointed out the supplies used and the microwave she cooks in," the affidavit alleges.
Police say two children, ages 8 and 16, also live in the house.
Jacobs' arrest comes less than four months after she was charged in 3rd District Court with three counts of drug possession with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony; and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.
In that case, the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force served a search warrant at Jacobs' home, 539 N. Bright Court, in the Salt Lake Fairpark neighborhood, on Sept. 26, 2022, after keeping surveillance on Jacobs and two others, and it seized multiple drugs, according to charging documents. Her next court hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Jacobs was also charged with obstruction of justice in 2019 and accused of interfering with an investigation into a large-scale drug ring that police say was headed up by her 19-year-old son.
N'twydamala Christian Cook was charged in 3rd District Court with being involved in a drug criminal enterprise and drug distribution following a 14-month investigation into a large-scale ring, in which Cook sold multiple types of narcotics, firearms and fraudulent driver's licenses, according to police.
Investigators alleged after Cook's arrest that he gave his mother constant instructions from jail to deliver to other members of the drug ring and had her log out of his social media accounts allegedly used to sell his products.
Jacobs has pleaded not guilty in that case. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 31.
Cook pleaded guilty to six of 11 charges and was sentenced to a year in jail in 2022 and placed on three years of probation. He served approximately eight months before being released. On Wednesday, a request was submitted to the court for his probation to be terminated more than two years early, according to court records.
Cook had been living at his mother's home and at least two other residences since being released, according to a progress report from Adult Probation and Parole dated Wednesday.
"In each case, these residences have undergone verification by probation agents, with Mr. Cook granting access for inspection. No violations have been observed at any of these residences," the report states.
On Friday, Adult Probation and Parole Director Dan Blanchard told KSL.com, in light of Jacobs' arrest and allegations and that she was producing crack cocaine in her home, his office is requesting the court hold off on terminating Cook's probation until agents can review the situation more thoroughly. According to Blanchard, since his office began supervising Cook in January, agents made 11 field visits to the three residences where he was living. The last visit to Cook's mother's house was Sept. 10.
