After initially pleading not guilty, the woman who allegedly killed a beloved Mississippi teacher while driving drunk has changed her plea and is now expected to spend at least two decades in prison.
Jordan Leah Sullivan, 32, of Louisville, is alleged to have been under the influence when she was driving on the wrong side of Interstate 55 in Gluckstadt on June 22, 2024. Police from the scene said Sullivan crashed into another vehicle, killing Canton teacher Tyra Small-Jackson, 48. Sullivan was booked and found to have a blood alcohol level higher than the state’s legal limit at the time of the wreck.
After the incident, the Canton Public School District said Small-Jackson was a “loving and dedicated educator in the district who will be sorely missed in our community.” She had been teaching in the district for 23 years before her death and was honored as Nichols Middle School’s 2023-24 Teacher of the Year.
Sullivan was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated DUI in connection with the fatal crash, later being released on a $250,000 bond. In October, she pleaded not guilty to the crime that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. But on Jan. 2, she filed a petition to enter a guilty plea in the Madison County Circuit Court.
District Attorney Bubba Bramlett is recommending Sullivan be sentenced to 20 years behind bars with five years of post-release supervision to follow. As part of her guilty plea, Sullivan said she was aware the judge tasked with sentencing does not have to follow the DA’s recommendation.
The guilty plea comes a month before Sullivan was set to stand trial in February.
Before her latest arrest, one that resulted in a life being lost, Sullivan had a lengthy rap sheet. WLBT reported that she was arrested in June 2015 and charged with possession of meth and driving under the influence in her home county of Winston. After agreeing to enter a court-ordered drug program, she failed multiple drug tests and was once again found in possession of meth. In May 2016, she was sentenced to three years in prison but was granted parole after a little over a year behind bars.
