Earlier this month, admitted member of the Gilbert Goons, Jacob Pennington, pled guilty to two separate beatings that took place in late 2023. For one attack, on June 10 he was sentenced to three years probation, 120 days of deferred jail time, and gang terms (special directives for those guilty of gang-related crimes, such as not contacting members of the gang or rival gangs, not going to certain areas, etc.). For the other, on June 13 he was sentenced to three years of intensive supervised probation, 30 days of deferred jail time, and gang terms.
While Pennington has not been implicated in the murder of Preston Lord––he was out of town when his friends allegedly ganged up on Lord, beat him to death, celebrated over his body, and then bragged about it on social media––he and his associates have repeatedly attacked lone teenagers beating them to the point of serious injury.
In fact, the attacks mentioned above happened after Lord’s murder. Clearly that tragic event didn’t motivate Pennington to change his violent ways. One of Pennington’s victims said, “Thoughts of Preston Lord filled my mind as he had been killed just three weeks earlier under similar circumstances. I was filled with terror as I quickly realized the great danger I was in. My mind flooded with panic as I scanned a group of roughly 15 people and knew they were all about to attack me.”
Hearing a teenager describe being cornered like an animal about to fall victim to a wild pack is heartbreaking. It’s also something we’ve heard over and over when it comes to the Gilbert Goons, a hybrid gang operating out of the East Valley. They were allowed to get away with it repeatedly because parents, police, and schools didn’t want to get involved.
For instance, despite the video evidence of Pennington’s many assaults and the fact that he’s admitted to being a Goon, Pennington’s mother, Alisha Tidwell, said, “none of it is true,” “I’m not worried,” and “If I didn’t know who my kid was, I would be.” Considering the weather we’re having, I’m worried about Ms. Tidwell’s safety since her head is buried deep in the hot desert sand.
During Pennington’s June 13 sentencing, Judge Bruce Cohen told him, “Your path forward is clear…But you have to be the one that has the vision and the clarity to understand what that path is.”
Later that day, Pennington chose a path. The very night of his sentencing he was arrested on suspicion of underage drinking, a violation of his probation.
During Pennington’s June 10 sentencing, Judge Danielle Harris said, “If you’re not successful on probation, if you don’t follow the terms of the probation, then you will be going to jail.”
As previously stated in this column and covered here and here, parents ( Exhibit A: Alisha Tidwell), police, and schools have refused to hold the Goons accountable. Will one finally be forced to face the consequences of his actions? Only time will tell.
