A man and his daughter are now facing charges of incest after DNA tests reportedly confirmed that the man is the biological father of his daughter’s infant son. Detectives Charles Norris and Ethan Core from the Erwin Police Department have been actively investigating the case since May 9, 2024, conducting interviews with witnesses and collecting evidence.
The investigation began when Mackenzie Elizabeth Hicks, who was 18 at the time, went to the police station and accused her father, Julius Grant Jackson, of sexually assaulting her multiple times, starting when she was around 13 years old. Hicks initially mentioned that Jackson was aware of the assaults but did not report them. She expressed reluctance to pursue the case further as it would implicate her father as well.
In September 2024, Danielle Hicks, Mackenzie’s biological mother, informed Detective Core that her daughter was pregnant as a result of abuse by Jackson. She also mentioned suspicions of consensual encounters between her daughter and Jackson. Subsequently, a search warrant was obtained and executed by Detective Norris on September 25 to collect DNA samples from Jackson and Hicks, along with potential evidentiary items related to the case.
DNA analysis by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation confirmed Jackson’s paternity of the child. Jackson attempted to flee with an accomplice in his truck when police tried to arrest him, leading to a short pursuit and their eventual apprehension. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement discovered several loaded firearms.
Jackson, now 40 and residing in Erwin, is facing multiple charges including felony incest, committing a felony crime against nature, fleeing to elude arrest with a vehicle, hit and run, resisting an officer, possessing a fictitious driver’s license, and disobeying traffic signals. Hicks, now 20 and living at the same address, has been given a bail of £1 million and is charged with felony incest and committing a felony crime against nature.