Kidnapping Attempt At JCES Results In Young Man’s Arrest

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By Linda Kor
    A young man is in custody after he allegedly tried to kidnap his girlfriend at gunpoint from Joseph City Elementary School, causing a lockdown of the Joseph City Schools for about 40 minutes last week.
    At approximately 9:43 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a 911 call from Colleen Claw, 19, who reported that her boyfriend, Jerdane Dixon, 19, had ac-costed her and attempted to kidnap her at gunpoint while she was dropping off a family member at the ele-mentary school.
    According to Chief Commander K.C. Clark of the Navajo County Major Crimes Apprehension Team, it is believed that Dixon was on foot when he approached the school and allegedly entered into the main entryway in search of Claw.
    Principal Daniel Hutchens passed by Dixon as he entered the building and asked him why he was at the campus. Dixon told the principal that he was with Claw and as she approached him, he allegedly pulled her to the side and showed her a revolver that he had hidden in the pocket of his sweatshirt. Dixon informed Claw that she was to go with him and stated that if she did not come with him he would shoot the individu-als she had arrived with who were in a waiting vehicle in the school parking lot.
    Claw exited the building with Dixon and told him that she would go with him, but asked that he allow her to inform the occupants of the waiting vehicle of her intentions. As she approached the vehicle, where three adults and two children were waiting inside, she quickly climbed into the vehicle and shouted to the driver to drive off and that Dixon had a gun. The driver left the campus and Claw then called 911 to report the incident.
    As Claw and her companions waited for officers at a nearby park, she saw Dixon approaching on foot in the distance. Upon seeing Dixon, they fled the park and went to Love’s Truck Stop off of Exit 277 and again called 911 to inform law enforcement of the situation. As officers arrived they noticed Dixon walking toward Love’s. Upon seeing the officers, Dixon fled across Interstate 40 as officers pursued him. Dixon climbed a fence and continued to run, so deputies used a Taser gun, which brought the suspect to the ground. It was then discovered that Dixon had what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound that extended across his neck.
    Deputies asked Dixon what weapons he had and discovered an 8½-inch knife and a Derringer style .22 caliber revolver that he had discarded in the pursuit.    
    Dixon was transported to the Little Colorado Medical Center in Winslow, where he was treated and released. He was then arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, and two counts of pos-session of a weapon by a prohibited possessor.  Dixon is currently on intensive probation for other felonies.
    According to Joseph City School Superintendent Hollis Merrell, the secretary at the front desk of the elementary school immediately notified officials when she observed an altercation was taking place be-tween Dixon and Claw.  
    Just following her notification, calls were received at both JCES and Joseph City High School from Dixon’s mother, warning school officials that her son was in the vicinity with a weapon and had threatened to harm not only Claw, but his brother and sister, who are students at the school. Both schools were imme-diately placed in lock-down, with students locked into classrooms and exterior doors locked until the school was notified by the NCSO that the suspect had been apprehended approximately 40 minutes later.
    “Everyone handled the situation extremely well. The scenario feels very different when it’s a real-life scenario and not just a practice, but the staff and students reacted exactly as they should in a situation such as this,” stated Merrell.
    “I met with the staff after the event and was very pleased at the timely response of everyone involved. The safety of the children on our campuses is a top priority for us,” he added.
    Dixon is currently being held on a $50,000 cash bond.
    Dixon and Claw are both residents of the Navajo Nation, and were former students of the Joseph City School District.