Report: Rickea Jackson willing to testify against James Pearce Jr.

The charges continue to mount against Falcons star rookie James Pearce Jr. stemming from an incident over the weekend in which Pearce allegedly rammed his car into his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle during a dispute and then proceeded to evade arrest, reportedly striking a police officer with his vehicle in the process.

Pearce was issued nine traffic citations as a result of the arrest and has been charged with multiple felonies, including:

• Two counts aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
• Aggravated stalking
• Fleeing/Eluding the police

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The latest wrinkle in the story, as reported by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, is another discouraging sign for Pearce, as Jackson and her legal team have stated that the WNBA star is willing to testify against him if the case goes to trial.

“The victims’ rights notice points out that Jackson has the rights under Florida law to be notified of updates in the case and be present at all public proceedings, as well as a “right to be heard in any public proceeding.” In addition, it notes that Jackson has the right to confer with prosecutors about any plea deal and provide information about the impact the defendant has had on her and her family.

Jackson “remains cooperative and willing to testify at trial, if one is necessary,” the attorneys wrote. Jackson is being represented by Gary F. Celetti and Wendy A.L. Beswick.”

The Falcons released an initial statement saying they have no further comment at this time. On Wednesday, new head coach Kevin Stefanski and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich echoed those same sentiments when meeting with the media.

In his first season, James Pearce Jr. became the first rookie to record 10+ sacks since Micah Parsons, with 10 of those sacks coming in the Falcons’ final nine games. He looked like the answer to Atlanta’s longest-running problem, but some things are bigger than football. And the evidence — even dating back to the pre-draft process, when many teams removed him from their boards due to off-field concerns — continues to pile up.

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Photo: Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire

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