Department of Juvenile Justice refuses to accept 15-year-old charged with possession of child pornography
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly announced “Sex Offenders and deviants in this area who think they’re going to operate with impunity have got another thing coming” as they arrested and charged a 15 year old boy with five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of manufacturing child pornography.
The Flagler County operation was done in conjunction with Volusia County (Sheriff Chitwood – you can read more about him here)
When the boy was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Daytona Beach, they refused to accept him and released him to the custody of his guardians.
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……..” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Our Major Case Unit, and especially with our new proactive Cybercrimes Unit, are not going to let up.
This statement from the SOURCE article is right in line with the weekly update just received with the “theory that Florida loves sex offenders” and why they seem so “valuable”.
Sheriff Staly is most likely getting federal and state grants for his “new proactive cybercrimes unit” and to justify that money, they are going to find people to prosecute to keep that money flowing in for new cars, additional staff, adding a few new Captain and Major ranks, etc.
It’s not about solving a problem, it’s about money, plain and simple.
Lets look closely at whom the real “deviant” truly is?
To use this slang word shows his bias toward the crimes he is supposed to be acting on. He is setting up elaborate web based stings that coax unsuspecting young people into sex crimes they normally would have no interest in.
That in itself is a “deviant” violation of constitutional law worsened by the fact this Sheriff wants to jail the underage as adults.
Florida remains full of crazy redneck cops just looking for an excuse to rid their county’s of Sex Offenders.
My question here is; just whom is the real so called “deviant”
JEV – True Confessions
“Sex Offenders and deviants in this area who think they’re going to operate with impunity have got another thing coming,” Sheriff Rick Staly said
WTF!!?? The kid is 15 fucking years old!! He’s coming of age and of course he’s NATURALLY interested in sex (omg!). They also failed to elaborate on exactly what his “production of child pornography” was. Was it photos of himself?
We are so worried about protecting children from predatory ADULTS that we fail to recognize that kids assume that they can do it because they’re kids. This jackass of a Sheriff is speaking as if he arrested a 50 yr old rather than the 15 yr old that he’d be referring to as a “victim” if an older person touched him in a sexual way. What in the actual fuck is going on in this country???!!!!
I seriously do wish that the teenage children of these LEA’s would get caught up in this type of thing. I want to see/hear cops referring to their own children as the sexual deviants they call everyone else. Bastards!
Not going to happen. When their kids gets caught up in something, it is covered up. I know it has been a Longgggg time since I worked in law enforcement but most agencies have a “Code of silence” where they cover each other’s backs.
All the evidence would be destroyed and any victims families would be told it would be take care of or blackmailed or threatened. I saw so many cover ups during my time I could write a book.
I cannot think of one thing I did during my time on the force that I am ashamed of other than not turning some of those bastards in. However that would have been the quick end of my career.
Thin blue line
Yeah, Cops have what is called a ‘Blue Code’ which if they see another officer committing a crime during a ‘bust’ they keep their mouth shut.
Also, I was told by a retired deputy sheriff that at times they had a ‘drop gun’, so that if the suspect was shot unarmed they could place a gun near the suspect to cover the shooting of an unarmed individual.
Article penned by sheriff’s office PR, directly and explicitly.
Is this part of a new trend, with the thinning of local newspaper reporting?
Isn’t the Palm Coast Observer a little embarrassed not to have had a reporter to investigate the story, or have they always done it this way?
We often accuse local news outlets of serving as a mouthpiece for the sheriff, but this seems like another boundary crossed.
Dear Jacob,
You raise a great point about the media being highly influenced by LE. Has anyone else noticed that many so called “reporters” are now spokesmen/women for various LE and other government agencies? Case in point: Jane Watrel was a reporter for WFTV (scumbags) in the past. Now she works as a spokeswoman for Orange County S.O. where Rick Staley was a Deputy and Undersheriff before being elected to the high sheriff in Flagler County. Also, Cocoa Police Public Information Officer Yvonne Martinez used to be a reporter at WFTV and WKMG. So, they are all linked in one way or another, not independent of each other!
That is illuminating info. I thought I was aware of the ways in which local news outlet and sheriffs use each other— the sheriff can get their message out while the outlet can get a sensational story without much effort.
What I was NOT aware of was this additional factor of a revolving door between news outlets and sheriffs departments. Apparently certain reporters don’t want to jeopardize their employment prospects with the sheriff.
Which makes me extra-thankful for true journalists such as Ben Conarck and Jim Defede who aren’t afraid to follow the truth wherever it leads. Better to follow their stuff, than WFTV or Palm Coast Observer.
The last sentence doesn’t make sense. No explanation on why they refused him but seems a good thing he was able to go to his guardians.
He was most likely texting someone pics of his privates and that is what got him busted. Far from being a sex offender if that is all he did. Stupid to do but not worth getting a record over. However a lot of times the judge will use the excuse ” I am sorry young man but the law is clear and my hands are tied” and send them away ruining their lives.
More “facts” from the Flagler County Sheriff via WESH News alleging that the boy produced CP from an identified victim, not from selfies.
https://www.wesh.com/article/flagler-county-15-year-old-accused-of-creating-selling-child-porn/31121400
We don’t know the facts and circumstances for sure because the police report was heavily redacted. It was apparently a lot worse than what you suggested, he was not uploading pictures of himself.
Regardless, the questions this present are (1) how culpable do we want to hold a 15 year old boy? Do we charge him with possession of CP and register him for life so that he will never be able to complete schooling, keep a decent job, raise his own kids and when he’s 55 years old, people can look him up and it looks like he was a dirty old man looking at pictures of kids or do we want to assign a punishment that accounts for his undeveloped judgment skills, but lets him learn his lesson and not ruin his life? (2) Why did the department of juvenile justice turn him away? Did they refuse to prosecute the case because they saw it for what it was or is there plans to allow the state attorneys office to prosecute him as an adult? (3) What is the ultimate goal when dealing with juvenile offenders? Is it punishment or is it rehabilitation? Can you re-direct the life of a kid who made a bad choice or do we throw away a life?
Thank you for your response. Well written and gives a bit more insight into the matter. Some great points made as well.
My personal opinion is that we remind the courts and the lawmakers that the registry was started for psychopaths like the man who kidnapped, raped and murdered 7 yr old Megan Kanka and NOT for kids being naturally interested in sex and sexuality like WE ALL WERE at that age.
A kid at 15 cannot consent to sex with a person over 2 years older because apparently they’re not developed yet to make such a decision. So how is it that he’s supposed to understand that HIS actions are the same as a consenting adult’s?
This sex offender hysteria has gone too far and seriously need to be shut down.
FAC, your comment would make for a great text in an opinion piece on this subject.
please feel free to use it.
The more hands on deck submitting these to papers, the better. I have my hands full working this site.
Registration remains in Florida 25 years for possession of CP conviction or not. Not sure about manufacturing which probably gets thrown out.
INCORRECT – Registration in Florida is for LIFE – You can petition for removal only after 25 years pursuant to 943.0435(11). Manufacturing DOES NOT get thrown out – production is worse than possession.
I took a plea deal in 1993 because I was scared and also I was a minor, I had to do two years arrest and 4 years probation. The judge (Perry) told me I had to complete 100 hours community service and complete a sex offender treatment program, never once did I have to submit a photo online for everyone to see. Had I known this was going to happen I would of took it to trial. There should be changes made since the state is always adding something new to make peoples lives worth not living. They should give people who have done their time and haven’t been in any trouble at all a new beginning at life by removing some offenders off the internet.
William, is your case in FL?
If you were adjudicated in 1993 and had 6 years of sanctions, you would have completed all sanctions in 1999. If you have no subsequent arrests you MIGHT be eligible to petition for removal under 943.0435(11).
Yes my case was here in Tampa, Fl the sad part is the judge didn’t require me to register as a S/O and my charges were 2 counts of Lewd and Lascivious. I didn’t know I could petition it and figured I was always going to have this monkey on my back. Who or where do I go to petition this to? I haven’t even had so much as a speeding ticket since I was finished with probation in 1999. Everything began in September 28th 1993 and I finished it all in September 28th 1999 All I really want is to just live a quiet life and not be near anyone except nature.
I would call Ron Kliener. Hes on the attourney page on the FAC page. That’s who I used. The guy is top notch and will not screw you around.
This case shows the competing interests of different agencies operating within our so called criminal justice system. Prosecutors and LE define all child porn as crimes of violence. Yet, the Dept of Juvenile Justice (ie corrections in the adult world) refused to accept this suspect by not defining any child pornography as crimes of violence. Put simply, Rick Staley and Mike Chitwood and their ilk speak with forked tongues!