Daughter speaks out against potential plea deal for officer charged with sexual abuse

Sean Jackman, a former Lieutenant with the department, is accused of sexually abusing his adopted daughter throughout her childhood.    

Author: Heather Fountaine

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- A retired Louisville Metro Police Officer charged with sexual abuse is expected to take a plea deal next week.

Sean Jackman, a former Lieutenant with the department, is accused of sexually abusing his adopted daughter throughout her childhood.

“This is my father. I put my trust in him to protect me and love me as his daughter and not only that, but he's a police officer and he has sworn to protect our community,” said his daughter, Samantha Killary.

Jackman was charged with first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse. That could mean a 50-year sentence if convicted, but a potential plea deal means he could serve as little as three years if granted parole.

“I don't think I'll ever get a full night's sleep until he's behind bars, and even then, the thought of knowing that in just a few short years he may be out, again, is terrifying to me,” Killary said.

The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office declined to comment until the plea deal was official, but Killary said she had no say in any decisions.

“Sending your father to prison is definitely not something that a daughter ever imagines having to do, but putting all of that aside, I feel heartbroken,” she explained. “We're perpetuating the cycle of abuse by allowing these criminals to get such a light sentence.”

Killary said her mother married Jackman when she was a toddler, and the abuse started when she was in middle school after her parents separated.

“It lasted for years, and it wasn't just a onetime thing where it was something happened and then it stopped, this was an every night, every other week when he had custody of me.”

She told WHAS11 News she did speak up when she was younger, but no one listened. She would eventually file a police report. Now years later, she wants her voice to be heard.

The next hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 10, where the court expects to hear the plea, but nothing is official right now.

Jackman is currently out on bail.