Prison Time Extended 9 Months for Actress Saldana’s Assailant

Arthur Jackson, the mentally deranged drifter who attempted to murder actress Theresa Saldana, will remain in prison for at least another nine months, state officials ruled Tuesday.

Jackson, who has threatened to complete his “divine mission” to kill Saldana, was scheduled to be released from prison Thursday after serving seven years of his 12-year sentence.

Following protests from Saldana and thousands of citizens, the state Board of Prison Terms delayed his parole for 270 days on the grounds that he engaged in an April “rampage” at the Vacaville prison, breaking windows and resisting efforts by guards to subdue him.

Saldana, who barely survived Jackson’s 1982 attack with a hunting knife, expressed relief over the delay in her assailant’s release.

“This means my husband and I can have our baby and not be affected by Arthur Jackson and his release,” said the actress, who is six months pregnant.

When the 53-year-old Jackson is eventually released from prison, he will face two new parole conditions: that he not contact Saldana and that he stay out of Los Angeles County.

The brutal stabbing of Saldana and her recovery received nationwide attention and spawned a variety of legislative efforts designed to keep Jackson and other mentally disordered offenders in prison after their normally scheduled release dates.

However, one measure that would have required Jackson to commit himself to a mental hospital upon his parole from prison, has been declared unconstitutional.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner announced last week that he will file eight felony counts against Jackson, charging that he made threats against Saldana from his prison cell.

While in prison, Jackson wrote letters to Saldana and others in which he called himself “the benevolent angel of death” and talked of joining her in heaven.

Earlier this year, prison officials had warned the actress that Jackson would be released from prison on June 15. He received nearly five years off his sentence because of his good behavior as a prisoner.

Press Charges

But recently, authorities decided to press charges against Jackson for his window-breaking spree two months ago.

On the evening of April 14, Jackson began resisting an attempt by prison guards to move him to a new cell, according to Tip Kindel, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections. When Jackson was put into his new cell, he picked up a broom handle and broke the cell’s nine windows. He then resisted an attempt by two prison guards to handcuff and subdue him.

The incident resulted in the filing of three charges against Jackson: two counts of resisting prison guards and one count of destruction of state property. The Board of Prison Terms treated the charges as misdemeanors and added the maximum amount of 90 days to his sentence for each count.

Richard Shore, Jackson’s attorney, said the 270-day extension was longer than he expected but added that he did not believe that Jackson was being treated any differently than other inmates.

“I don’t think he was singled out,” Shore said. Shore also said Jackson was prepared to agree to the conditions of parole that he not enter Los Angeles County or contact Saldana.

Technically on Parole

Technically, Jackson is on parole, although he was never actually released from prison. Last December, his parole was revoked for six months because he refused the requirement--imposed under the law later found unconstitutional--that he commit himself to a mental hospital. The decision by the Board of Prison Terms officially was to extend the revocation of his parole for another 270 days.

Prison officials said that it may not be possible to keep Jackson in prison after his new scheduled release date of March 15, 1990. However, Jackson will face trial on the charges of threatening Saldana filed by Reiner in Los Angeles, which could result in a new sentence.

Once Jackson has served his time, he is slated to be deported to England because he entered this country illegally. Jackson, who has confessed to committing a murder during a bank robbery in Britain, may face prosecution there after his deportation.