VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 15-year-old girl accused of shooting at Volusia County deputies rejected a plea deal Thursday.
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In court, the judge offered Nicole Jackson a plea deal of 20 years in prison and restitution, but she declined the deal.
Read: Girl, 14, accused of getting into shootout with Volusia deputies to remain in custody
Jackson had also tried to convince the judge to remove her counsel, but the judge denied her request.
“If they did not tell you what your potential exposure would be, then they wouldn’t have been doing their job,” the judge said. “So it sounds like they’re actually doing what they need to do.
Her lawyers had encouraged her to take the plea deal and Jackson said she felt like she was being pushed to take it.
“They’re kind of pressuring me,” she said.
Deputies said Jackson, then 14 years old, and a 12-year-old boy ran off from an Enterprise children’s home in June 2021, broke into a house and shot at deputies.
Because the bullets were fired at deputies, Jackson is facing charges in Volusia County with a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, and up to two consecutive life sentences.
Prosecutors offered her a second chance and a 20-year sentence for all charges she faced in both Volusia and Flagler Counties in exchange for pleading guilty.
Jackson is due back in court for a hearing Feb. 6.
Read: Teen accused of breaking into home, shooting at deputies also facing arson charges
Jury selection in Jackson’s trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 27.
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