Laurel man finds himself in more legal trouble

HARTINGTON - A Laurel man faces additional stalking and protection order violation charges after he allegedly interacted with a family against a court order and his bond conditions.

Jackson Metheny, 26, Laurel, faces the new charges following an incident Sunday. According to court documents, Metheny sent a social media friend request to an individual who had a valid protection order against him. He also allegedly was sitting in a vehicle near the family’s residence which violated his bond conditions on other cases.

His criminal charges extend back to August 2022 in which he entered into the same family’s rural Laurel home without permission and was located in a young woman’s bedroom. While at the Cedar County Jail for those crimes, he assaulted a jailer and deputy, and escaped the facility. He stole an ATV as a getaway vehicle.

As part of a plea agreement earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to some charges while others were dismissed. A joint recommendation will be for a total of five years in prison, however, the judge is not bound to follow the recommendation at his April 24 sentencing.

No bond or court dates have been set on the new stalking and violation of a protection order charges stemming from Sunday’s incident.