100-YEARTERM ORDERED IN RAPE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A 31-year-old Lake Los Angeles man has been sentenced to 100 years to life in prison for kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl in the desert.

John Jackson had driven the girl and two friends to Saddleback Market, where he dropped two of them off and said he and the third girl were going to pick up some pizza, Deputy District Attorney Rouman Ebrahim said.

``He starts driving toward the pizza place and keeps driving. He goes into the desert and comes back three hours later,'' Ebrahim said. ``He drops the victim off where he had picked her up originally in Lake Los Angeles in front of the house where the kids were playing. The police are waiting for him.''

Jackson was sentenced Wednesday after being convicted in November of kidnapping to commit rape, forcible rape, two counts of forcible oral copulation and one count of forcible lewd acts with a child in the May 6 incident, Ebrahim said.

Also found true were allegations as to four of the charges that the defendant kidnapped the victim and that moving her substantially increased the risk of harm to her, Ebrahim said. Those allegations enhanced the sentence to 25 years to life on each of four counts.

Ebrahim said Jackson maintained that his car broke down although he later got it running again, that he tried to find a ride and that he did nothing to the girl.

At his sentencing, Jackson maintained his innocence.

``He denied that he committed any of the acts and felt that since there were other people who have been found not guilty or acquitted with DNA evidence, he should be found not guilty because no DNA evidence was presented,'' Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim said there was not enough DNA material gathered in a sexual assault examination.

Jackson's attorney did not return telephone calls for comment.

The mother of the victim, now 13, said she favored a life sentence for the defendant.

``She said when the incident happened, the defendant gave the victim a life sentence by doing this to her. It was only appropriate that he get a life sentence,'' Ebrahim said.

The victim did not know Jackson, but her friends knew his cousin from school, Ebrahim said.

When Jackson did not return for the two girls, 13 and 11, whom he dropped off at the market, they got a ride to one's home, Ebrahim said. After further waiting, the older sister of one of the girls called sheriff's deputies to report Jackson and the 12-year-old girl missing, Ebrahim said.

Authorities were there when Jackson and the victim returned. ``They get out of the car,'' Ebrahim said. ``As soon as the victim walks from the defendant, she starts crying and telling the police what happened.''

Authorities said Jackson cleaned repossessed homes. He also said he was a certified mechanic for stock racing cars, Ebrahim said.