- NEWS RELEASE -

Date: July 20, 2006

Subject: Crack pusher gets 12 years for dealing in public housing

A 20-year-old Kansas City woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for selling crack in a Platte County public housing complex. Jacquelyn C. Claerhout received the sentence July 20 after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine in public housing, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and trafficking crack cocaine.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This case is part of our continuing effort to improve the safety of Platte County’s public housing. Children and families who need public assistance should be able to live safely away from crack dealers, addicts, and the violence associated with drugs.”

According to Zahnd, on January 5, undercover detectives with the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department Gang Unit worked with a confidential informant to buy crack and marijuana from Claerhout’s apartment at Englewood Apartments near I-29 and Waukomis Drive. Six days later, the officers executed a search warrant on her apartment and found crack, marijuana, packaging baggies, an electronic scale, more than $1000 in cash, and a loaded pistol. Claerhout’s two-year-old son was also in the apartment that day.

Prior to this case, Claerhout had only a misdemeanor criminal record, with prior felony drug and gun cases elsewhere having been pled down to misdemeanors. Missouri sentencing recommendations called for probation for Claerhout.

At sentencing, Claerhout’s criminal defense attorney argued that she wanted to change her life and had sought treatment for mental problems. Prosecutors argued that people living legitimately in the public housing cannot stand alone against crack dealers with guns.

Zahnd said, “This sentence sends a message to public housing residents that they can count on the police, prosecutors, and courts to catch and punish drug dealers in Platte County.”

In November 2003 and August 2005, Zahnd’s office worked with several state and federal agencies to conduct warrant sweeps at Englewood Apartments. The 12-year sentence obtained against Claerhout is the product of the Public Housing Safety Initiative, a state-federal partnership supervised by Matt Wolesky, who is an assistant Platte County prosecutor assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The Public Housing Safety Initiative focuses on reducing crime in targeted public housing areas, improving tenant conditions and improving interagency collaboration and communication on quality-of-life issues in public housing areas.

The case against Claerhout was prosecuted by Platte County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vanover, who primarily prosecutes drug cases in Platte County and also serves as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. After calculating the likely outcomes of federal and state prosecutions, Zahnd and federal prosecutors decided to proceed against Claerhout at the state level.