Innocent & Free After 30 Years

On August 24, Georgia’s Superior Court of Newton County dismissed all charges against Ron Jacobsen, and he was fully exonerated for a 1990 crime he did not commit. Born and raised in New York, Ron was wrongly convicted in Georgia and spent over thirty years locked away in prisons a thousand miles away from his loved ones. Since his release, he came back home and has helped his sister— who turned 80 the day he returned to New York— on home improvement from landscaping her yard to re-tiling her bathroom floors (which he taught himself to do on YouTube!).  

The Innocence Project started working on Ron’s case in 2013 along with the Georgia Innocence Project and helped get the DNA that cleared him.  His conviction was finally overturned in 2019. However, he remained in jail— instead of dismissing the charges fully, the District Attorney’s Office offered Ron his immediate freedom only if he would plead guilty. Ron refused to admit to a crime he did not commit to get out of prison, and because he insisted on his innocence the court set bail at $500,000 and he remained stuck in jail.  Thanks to generous donations from the Innocence community, Mr. Jacobsen and his family raised the $55,000 needed to pay the non-refundable bonds company’s fee so he could fight the case from the outside.  

For the next ten months, he was “free” but forced to wear a GPS ankle monitor. Ron made the most of his situation— connecting with fellow exonerees, speaking out against wrongful convictions, feeding local wildlife, and growing a garden in his backyard. On August 24, 2021, Ron won the 30-year battle against the justice system!  

Ron is working to rebuild his life and is focused on his livelihood.  He’s taking his lawn work on the road and is starting his own business: Ron’s Lawn Services. Ron would be grateful for your support as he works to rebuild his life and kickstart his business.