We received an email from an attorney requesting we remove a certain post from our website. The post concerned Broward Sex Crimes Prosecutor Stacey Honowitz’s arrest for shoplifting at a Publix Supermarket in 2018. The removal request appears below:
Good Day,
I hope this message finds you well in these trying times. I am writing on behalf of Stacey Honowitz to kindly request the removal of the article published to the above-copied link. The incident, a misunderstanding, is a most embarrassing blemish on Ms. Honowitz’s otherwise pristine record and career. The charge was readily nolle prossed (please see attached). As you can certainly appreciate, the continued publication has caused and continues to cause Ms. Honowitz great distress and damage to her reputation.
Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. We thank you in advance for your time dedicated to this sensitive matter.
Cordially Yours,
Vanessa McGill
Stacey Honowitz is a sex crimes prosecutor and an advocate for harsher sex offender restrictions. To quote Ms. Honowitz, “Tougher laws [are] needed to protect our kids from sex offenders.”
While we agree with Ms. Honowitz that sexual abuse needs to be prevented, we strongly disagree that tougher laws are needed to protect anyone from persons forced to register as “sex offenders”. The overwhelming majority (95%+) of people on the registry will not re-offend and are trying to live productive lives, yet the continued publication of their information on a public registry prevents them from obtaining employment, housing and other basic needs for themselves and their families.
For most registrants, their crime was a one-time offense and a complete aberration in an otherwise law abiding life. Surely most were guilty, but many were not. Some were wrongfully accused, baited and switched in a sting, or a misunderstanding for which they took a plea decades ago out of convenience and to avoid the risk of jail time without knowing what was to come as far as the registry. Arguably their incidents are also a “most embarrassing blemish” in an “otherwise pristine record” and “the continued publication” of their information on a sex offender registry “has caused and continues to cause” them “great distress and damage”.
So what to do about this request to remove the article? Since the letter came from an attorney who lists one of her areas of practice as defamation cases, the implication is that if we chose not to take down the article we might face a lawsuit. However, the Miami Herald’s story, Veteran Sex-Crimes Prosecutor Accused of Shoplifting is still up. So is the Sun-Sentinel’s coverage. The surveillance footage of her sticking the cosmetic items in her purse and leaving the store has not been taken down. So why should we remove our post?
We did update the story to state that the charges were nolle prossed, but do we need to take down the entire article? Even if the shoplifting incident was unintentional and she simply forgot to pay for the items or mindlessly put them in her purse without realizing, she prosecutes people who unknowingly or unintentionally violate a technical registration rule all the time and even if decades have passed without incident, her office still vigorously opposes petitions for removal from the registry.
It’s very possible that the arrest has given Ms. Honowitz a different perspective and greater empathy for people who “as [she] can certainly appreciate” are suffering great distress and damage from their continued publication on the registry. Or, it’s possible she could care less. We’d like to see where she stands in light of the fact that she’s “kindly requesting” we take down a post.
Frankly we’re impressed that our little forum would even concern her enough to retain an attorney to contact us. But, before we act on the request, we’d really like to hear the thoughts of our membership, so please feel free to share them in the comments below. We’d also love to hear from Ms.Honowitz herself, given the ironic nature of her request. If she would like to be a guest on a future member call, consider this a public invitation.
Leave the bloomin post up there for all to see. Maybe a taste of her own medicine will give her a change of heart. Probably not, but worth a shot.
Cherokee Jack:
One thing you can do today is help other registrants with these petitions. Apparently, Florida is removing some persons from the registry. If you help these people filing their petitions you get a better grasp of the mechanics of the process and increase the odds that you will be removed when the time comes.
That vast majority of registrants I talk to are unaware of Michigan’s 406 petition. I would bet the same is true of Florida’s petition for removal. You could form a committee with FAC to assist in these petitions. You cannot create documents yourself to file in court but you can work under the supervision of an attorney.
The creation of the petition is a very time consuming task. Filing the petition is a simple formality that requires little time. Many attorneys charge about $200 to file simple preprinted forms. Anyone with an average IQ can develop these forms. All the attorney has to do is review and file it. You could charge $300, $200 for the attorney and $100 for you. This would be very cost-effective for registrants. The attorney would make $200+ an hour and you would pick up $10 to $20 an hour for your part-time work.
Cherokee Jack:
You most likely are eligible to be removed from the registry in Michigan. You don’t need an attorney to file a 406 petition. You read the various cases finding different aspects of the Michigan registry unconstitutional and explain to the judge why you are not required to register in Michigan. The advantage you have in Michigan is if the judge denies your request, not only do you have the right to appeal, but you can file a complaint with the Judicial Tenure Commission if the judge fails to follow the law. As a general rule, most judges in Michigan follow the law.
If you can get off of the registry in Michigan, this will bolster your argument to be removed from the registry in Florida. If you do get off the registry in Michigan, you can work in Michigan and return to Florida in the winter until you are removed from the registry in Florida.
You should consider spending a summer in Michigan and giving it a try.
When I was released from probation two years ago…eleven years early…I was removed from the Virginia registry automatically. Virginia may not be a perfect state but it does exercise common sense in many of its actions. I have a friend in Virginia who had his voting rights restored automatically without his having to apply for restoration. I know I’m asking a lot, but it’s time for Florida to start making decisions based on common sense and not fear of a myth.
Capt
Just wondering then why you didn’t stay or move to Virginia then?
I owned a home in Virginia where my offense took place. My parents lived in Florida and needed help with their home…my dad was in poor health…so I moved to Florida and built my retirement home here. The home in Virginia had sad memories for me following my wife’s death. Strange enough, with the exception of the registry and inability to vote, I like living in Florida. I have made numerous friends and have lots of activities to keep me busy. Mom and Dad have both gone on to their reward. I live in a great neighborhood and get along quite well with my neighbors. I visit Virginia ever so often to put flowers and a flag on my wife’s grave site. She was retired Navy. My next move will be to Virginia…to be alongside my wife at Rosewood Memorial Park. Having spent 29 years in the Navy I have learned to make the best of any situation. My son and daughter and their families now live close by here in Florida and we see each other often. I have faith that my situation has a purpose and I wake up each day looking forward to the day. Strange enough my son did the sound at my first probation officer’s funeral. He was the tech director at the church.
Capt
Thanks for the response. We were stationed in Virginia beach, Norfolk and D.C when Dad was in Vietnam in the Navy. Have some fond memories from my boyhood there and some not so fond.
Moving from school to school and always being the new kid is tough.
I graduated from Granby HS in Norfolk. I enlisted in the Navy at Norfolk. From there I went to the Naval Academy and then all over. I ended up back in Virginia Beach as the assistant aircraft maintenance officer at Oceana before I went on to be the aircraft maintenance officer on the Ike. From there I went to the admiral’s staff at AirLant. My wife and I had our dream home built in Virginia Beach where we intended to retire one day. Folks used to say it looked like a ski lodge. I retired in 1991 from the Naval Air Systems Command in DC and my wife retired in 1993. Three years later she was dead and my interest in the home left me. I had a few bad years and it took incarceration to get me back to reality. The day I was released the guys lined up at the door to wish me well. It broke me of my belief that all people in prison are bad. I met some very good people there who taught me some valuable lessons. That experience has made me a better person. I know what forgiveness and restoration is about. I recovered my faith in God. Life can be what we make it. I chose to make it a wonderful experience. God bless you and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
This post brings up a very obvious character in Human Nature. Do we keep up the post and potentially Hurt or Embarrass this prosecutor. Or take it down? So we have self determined that because she is a prosecutor she deserved this punishment or embarrassing press. And I understand she’s hurt us specifically. But my point is this. Possibly get some revenge and you have close to 140 posts. People are ready to pounce. Talk about raising funds or ideas to help out.. And you might get 10 comments. Beleive me I understand. But are we being guilty of doing the same thing they are doing but on a smaller scale?
Just thinking out loud here.
To answer your question, they (the system, including her) have decided to do the same things many psychopath political figures have done for centuries. That is to find a source (such as registered offenders, the poor, or minorities) to increase their own selfish agendas (whatever that agenda may be, money, politics, power, etc).
In a sence those priviledged crooks have declared War against people.
If this or the previous post in any way has “harmed her reputation, or her families or others” so be it.
There is an old saying which states, be carefull for the War you choose, or choose your Wars wisely.
There are no rules or boundaries in a War, thus everyone and everything is fair game.
Tough SHIT.
Sorry, Pariah, but no one said she had to shoplift. She should have known the consequences before she took those actions. Isn’t that what they say to us?? Who says that this is intended for the purpose of punishment or embarrassment?
Just like the Registries, this is merely for information purposes. Why should she get treated any differently from the rest of us??? After all, the publicly available, all-over-the-internet Registries aren’t punishment, right???
She is just one person – but there are now more than a million of us on the Registries. You think we should really feel sorry for her when a million of us and our families and friends are suffering as people like her continue to defend the registries???? 😡
Feel free to be a “conscientious objector”, but get out of my way while I fight!! 😡
In my own opinion, we are not doing the same. Matter of fact, I think what we are doing is demanding equal treatment, which is not what we have. We are seperated from the other criminals, and additional punishments are unnecessarily applied to us that are not applied to any other crimes. Many people in here have never touched a single person and yet they are serving longer sentances (lifetime on the registry) than criminals who have physically harmed others.
The system is unbalanced towards registered citizens, and if that is not bad enough, you have the hippocrisy of those same people who harm us where they steal and drive drunk and leave scenes of accidents and feel like they are exempt from the law. They get away with their crimes and then immediately go back to adding on the already unbearable load of the slanted legal system.
The massive outcry we see here in this thread is not one of revenge (at leaast as a whole), but the result of continually being beaten down by those no better than us, and then watching them commit crimes and walk away with sometimes less than a hand slap.
But I do not see this as us doing the same, its actually us wanting equal treatment.
All valid points. But my initial observatiin stands true. You have a post here about something that provokes a powerful emotion and the comments fly in. Iv seen other far more helpful posts on here. and its mostly crickets.
But thats just my two cents. And that’s probalay what my opinion worth lol.
Pariah
2 cents? Come on now, you and me can combine our collective opinions and they have to be worth at least a nickel lol
Are you actually suggesting that the reason she got off easy is because she’s Jewish?
Is there any surveillance video showing her taking any products out of the store?
Thanks Jacob – I deleted his antisemitic comment
I thought my professional life was over when the audiologist told me I was tone deaf! Now I know there’s hope for me as an attorney!
C
You owe me a new keyboard. I just spit my coffee out LOL.
Thanks for the laugh.
Cherokee Jack:
If your case was in 1991, check out Michigan’s 406 petition.
I agree with you. If the registry existed when you pled, anyone with brains would have taken their case to trial.
Detroit
Thanks for your help
I am in Florida so not sure a Michigan case is going to help me. Plus, I did not get off probation until 2013 so have 2 more years before I can even try the 20 year get off registry plea.
PLUS, I do not work so couldn’t pay a lawyer anyway. If it was a sure thing I would ask my parents for the money and pay them back with the good job I could get if I was not on the registry.
Also, even with the best case possible, I have learned the hard way and lots of lost money, the judge you get matters more than even the law. I went before two different judges to get my probation dismissed. The first was the original judge who sentence me who sent my lawyer away with his tail between his legs and made my Mother cry.
The same lawyer but a different judge two years later threw out the entire remaining probation, otherwise I might still be on probation 30 years later.
Hmmmm…
It sounds like she should read her attorney’s attempt at getting this taken down…over and over and over again until she realizes that is exactly how she is treating other people!
the incident, a misunderstandingmost embarrassing blemishotherwise pristine record and careercaused and continues to cause Ms. Honowitz great distress and damage to her reputation*
I find all of those words interesting. Ms. Honowitz, isn’t this what you are doing to people EVERY SINGLE DAY?!?! It sounds like karma to me.
The Public Has a Right To Know!
Daphne
That is because shoplifters never ever re-offend and the scary sex offenders offend 1000 times a year (Sarcasm)
And I know we cannot even begin to compare shoplifting to a sex crime but what happened to you do your time and rebuild your life and become a responsible citizen in society? How is that even possible with totalitarian government rule that we are governed under as registered citizens ?
They (The law) state what we experience is not punitive but no other group of people can get 25 years in prison for forgetting to report an email address you have not used in 3 years. I would hate to live next to someone who lies about their email, I would have to move.
The key question is if there was a probable cause hearing. Once a hearing is held to make a determination of probable cause, it’s fairly safe to post an arrest record.
The galling thing about her case is it appears that she did receive special treatment because she’s a prosecutor. If it were someone with limited education or funds, they would have had the pleasure of experiencing all the amenities that the Broward jail has to offer.
Detroit
You are correct. When I worked in Law enforcement, if a cop got arrested and he/she was a union member, they got bail posted by the union ASAP. If you were not a union member, you were on your own.
You hit the nail on its head. To whom much is given, much is required. If the average person who made such a “mistake” would have suffered the consequences so should see. Rather, if she is shown mercy, so should the average person be given the benefit of mercy.
sjnmom
Unfortunately, that is not how things work. The old saying “It is who you know” rings true. And sometime WHO you are, or what title you hold. How many times has a cop been pulled over for a DUI and once they find out they are an officer, they call a family member to come get them. You or me would be hauled off to jail. I know this because I use to work in law enforcement and I saw it all the time.
Rules for thee but not for me huh??? Piss on her reputation and let her wear that mark as she has branded so many others..
I’ll just drop a link to the video just in case anyone wants to see a thief in actin..
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.local10.com/news/2018/09/19/surveillance-video-shows-prosecutor-shoplifting-in-publix-police-say/%3foutputType=amp
Dan
I probably shouldn’t say this but with the Criminal justice degree and experience In law enforcement in Florida I have here are my legal thoughts from the video.
#1 Her lawyer says the items would fall through the cart if put there (A jury is certainly going to buy that as it was demonstrated)
and the biggy
#2 In the state of Florida, you have to actually leave the store to be accused of shop lifting. From the video she appeared to have been stopped between the main store and the entryway but it was hard to see.
Anyway somehow, someway she will get it dropped or thrown out as the courts are not going to want to spend money on a trial for an iffy first time offense.
Not at ALL sticking up for her. The good news is it lets her feel what we go through, puts a tarnish on her reputation, and the news stories never go away and are able to be accessed forever in archives. So anyone searching for her name, like for a new job can take that into consideration.
Dan
I think it is more a “Walk a mile in my shoes” sort of thing instead of revenge. I think if she gets a taste of her own medicine, maybe it would open her eyes to not only what we go through but what our families go through.
I was in my 20s when arrested and now in my 50s. When I got arrested my Mother had a nervous breakdown. Yes I caused my main actions but none of us asked for our families to be harassed.
Ms. Honowitz’s story will fade away into the archives eventually but our story is on the registry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for anyone to copy and paste and forward and protest etc.
I am a Christian and believe in forgiveness. This is not about forgiveness this is about showing someone in power how they do not get a pass while the rest of us rot. We cannot find or hold onto jobs, are not allowed to attended our grandkids plays at school and 1000 other daily things we are prohibited from doing, that Frankly, when I was on probation I actually could do.
(My Opinion) she is sorry, sorry that she got caught. We all sometimes need an eye opener to slap us back into reality and this may very well be hers.
Dan, could we please emblazon this on her driver’s license?? Oh, and be sure to put it on her passport as well, so when she visits other countries, they can be advised that there’s a thief in their midst?
Though Nolle Prosequi is not a conviction and her case has been dismissed, it still remains on the electronic court (public) record revealing the arrest. It should be expected of her too immediately file for expungement.
As for the implied threat of defamation, posting of archived information of an arrest shouldn’t be consider defamatory.
BTW, I have friends who own small convenient stores, these people are really a tight knit network, They do have flyers (behind the counters) of those arrested for shoplifting. Profit margins are very thin and they always look out for those who use their purse as shopping carts and “forget” to pay.
PAUL, CHIEF OF POLICE, LOUISVILLE,
ET AL.v. DAVIS.
Respondent appeared on the flyer because on June 14, 1971, he had been arrested in Louisville on a charge of shoplifting. He had been arraigned on this charge in September 1971, and, upon his plea of not guilty, the charge had been “filed away with leave [to reinstate],” a disposition which left the charge outstanding. Thus, at the time petitioners caused the flyer to be prepared and circulated respondent had been charged with shoplifting but his guilt or innocence of that offense had never been resolved. Shortly after circulation of the flyer the charge against respondent was finally dismissed by a judge of the Louisville Police Court.
Respondent’s due process claim is grounded upon his assertion that the flyer, and in particular the phrase “Active Shoplifters” appearing at the head of the page upon which his name and photograph appear, impermissibly deprived him of some “liberty” protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. His complaint asserted that the “active shoplifter” designation would inhibit him from entering business establishments for fear of being suspected of shoplifting and possibly apprehended, and would seriously impair his future employment opportunities. Accepting that such consequences may flow from the flyer in question, respondent’s complaint would appear to state a classical claim for defamation actionable in the courts of virtually every State. Imputing criminal behavior to an individual is generally considered defamatory per se, and actionable without proof of special damages.
Respondent brought his action, however, not in the state courts of Kentucky, but in a United States District Court for that State. He asserted not a claim for defamation under the laws of Kentucky, but a claim that he had been deprived of rights secured to him by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Concededly if the same allegations had been made about respondent by a private individual, he would have nothing more than a claim for defamation under state law. But, he contends, since petitioners are respectively an official of city and of county government, his action is thereby transmuted into one for deprivation by the State of rights secured under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Respondent’s claim is far afield from this line of decisions. He claims constitutional protection against the disclosure of the fact of his arrest on a shoplifting charge. His claim is based, not upon any challenge to the State’s ability to restrict his freedom of action in a sphere contended to be “private,” but instead on a claim that the State may not publicize a record of an official act such as an arrest. None of our substantive privacy decisions hold this or anything like this, and we decline to enlarge them in this manner.
None of respondent’s theories of recovery were based upon rights secured to him by the Fourteenth Amendment Petitioners therefore were not liable to him under § 1983. The judgment of the Court of Appeals holding otherwise is Reversed.
So couldn’t those same (Paul, Chief of Police, Louisville et al. v. Davis) arguments be used against the Registries?? 🤔
They have been and is why they have been found to be non-punitive. A more interesting case was Wisconsin V Constantineau.
The Act allowed designated persons to forbid sale or gift of liquor to persons who “by excessive drinking” demonstrated traits that rendered them possibly “dangerous to the community,” and the chief of police posted notices about the Appellee without any prior notice.
Justice Rehnquist held that defendant police Chiefs interference merely with Davis’ in reputation alone was not actionable under section 1983 and fourteenth amendment. At most, in the courts view, plaintiff Davis’ had alleged a claim, under State law, of tortious defamation by State officials. Section 1983 and the fourteenth amendment did not make every tort by state officials a deprivation of the rights secured under the fourteenth amendment.
The court had distinguished Wisconsin V Constantineau on the ground that more had been at stake in that case than mere reputation. Not only had Constantineau been “posted” as an excessive drinker, but the fact of the posting made it unlawful for proprietors of liquor stores and taverns who had notice of the posting to sell liquor to her.
Whatever the merits of the courts decision in Davis’, the decision in Constantineau obviously has important implications for the posted sex offender denied housing opportunities.
But than I’m just another jail house lawyer
Miami Dade County, retroactively and without any prior notice, made it unlawful for proprietors of rental units to rent to the “Posted” sex offender within a designated exclusionary zone under penalty of law.
Not only has DOE been “Posted” as a sex offender but the fact of the posting made it unlawful for proprietors of rental units to rent to him.
So, you can take away my housing but not my drink. Got it
It’s not a “defamation of character”. A defamation of character would be to make up a story that she did something and have no evidence to prove she did it. In this case, she DID SOME-THING and as a result of the SOME-THING she did, she landed in court before a judge. So all FAC is doing is re-reporting an already published report. With other publications sharing the same story about her “short comings”, there is no way a judge would see this as a “defamation of character”. Keep the story posted. Let her get a taste of her own medicine.
See Time inc V Firestone.
I want to say I think she should be prayed for.. How many of us want our pictures off the internet too? I suggest reaching out to that attorney and explaining to that person Having a picture on the internet is not punishment but a way to inform the public of events.. after all the internet is a public square and there is a 1st Amendment Right to freedom of expression after all reprinting an article does not warrant deframement ; there were stores cameras who caught the event..
I know a lot of people who are woman who use a shopping cart instead of purse.. and while her purse was open to pay for the items she did have the chance to pay for the items she put in there those items would have been on top.
My suggestion is reaching out to her and explain the facts if she feels upset about her picture on internet perhaps she would change the law after all she did get vacation instead of going to jail.. Let us pray for her
Even Saul found the LORD on the road to Damascus after killing and procute his fellow people.
Correct me if I am wrong FAC, but at least since I have been active with FAC forums, I have never seen a story/post with as many ongoing comments as this story?
For sure this one hits a nerve for all of us, and we are showing how passionate we feel about the subject. Also, this one we CAN do something about by letting it sink in to Stacey Honowitz what we go through every day of our lives.
Additionally, as much as her family is embarrassed by this, think of what our families go through. I doubt her family faces death threats, slashed tires, eggs thrown at their house, nasty stares and the list goes on.
Her family? Hah.
These prosecutors get letters from defendants families constantly. Agonizing letters begging for mercy for the accused that would break the heart of anyone who had one.
Prosecutors get these letters, scroll for anything incriminating, have a little chuckle, wipe their behind with them, and throw them away.
She has sentenced countless families to lifetimes of torment.
Screw her, and screw her family.
It makes me wonder now just how many people who are authority figures of all types come into this forum on a regular basis just to see what FAC posts and what we say on here as well… Hmm. . .
Debra
Probably she just googled her story and all things related to the case came up or she paid someone to search for any mentions of the arrests. Just my opinion but doubt she spends her time reading what we are talking about unless it is about her in this instance.
@CherokeeJack
Possibly.
But I think those that work in the sex crimes “business” ; i.e. Prosecutors, Law Enforcement, The Books family, even those who take matters into their on hands like vigilantes. etc. etc. often times (once in a while ) come on here and see what is going on and who is posting here and about what. I would also think those who have our best interests of course; ie, defense attorneys, activists, family members, and friends.
Just a gut feeling. That’s all. Call it women’s intuition I guess.
Debra
You are correct. I was shocked once when FAC allowed someone to come on here and state we should all be killed. I realize now why they let it stay up. It shows the crap we face everyday and the threats against are VERY real and sometimes not just words.
I don’t really see a defamation lawsuit here. I’m not a lawyer or experience in law but I still do not see a defamation of character lawsuit. Two wrongs don’t make a right. However, maybe this can bring her to an understanding especially since her run in with the law was only a misdemeanor and doesn’t require her to register where the registry requirements have a detrimental and huge impact of not only your own life but of family and friends as well. Like the article mentions about the fact if we forget just 1 registry item it can result in a 3rd Felony charge. Nothing near a petty theft misdemeanor charge. Especially for someone like me who plead guilty but due the circumstances of the crime committed etc. Adjudication was withheld for the sex offense. After forgetting to update my driver license I am now a convicted felon due to the registry not to mention how difficult it’s made life on places to live, finding employment or finding affordable housing. So this is very Ironic and definitely frustrates me to no end that she would try a guilt trip on how the article has a negative impact on her reputation. I could go on and on about this. Me personally I say no to taking it down, if in fact there can be no defamation of character lawsuit.
I agree with those before me. She knew she did wrong and yet, her “privilege” of being a prosecutor shouldn’t be her ticket out. Especially, if she is so radical in pressing the law without mercy; therefore, no mercy should be afforded her.
Interesting set of facts. I admire your position to keep the documents posted, despite what you interpret as a demand to remove it from a lawyer who advertises for defamation cases. Then, no doubt the lawyer is aware that in defamation cases, an important factor is that the statement, if that’s what it is, must be false. Evidently and obviously that is not the case here. Keep us informed.Thanks.
Getting ahead is part of human nature. Some take shortcuts. A five finger discount stretches the hard earned dollars.
#staceyhornybitchisonlyhuman
“THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW!!!”
…Stacey Honowitz
Detroit
Guess those words are coming back to bite her in backside.
Definition- Noun
Hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
Leave it up. Let her enjoy the same liberty she allows us.
” Frankly we’re impressed that our little forum would even concern her enough to retain an attorney to contact us ”
I admire your modesty. But FAC has come a long way in the last decade and has been a huge influence ever since – fighting with persistence and determination. I won’t be surprise if in no time, FAC will be a force not to be reckoned with. Little forum with a huge fighting spirit.
Honowitz is no registry advocate.
She does not claim that the registry promotes safety or is non-punitive. She does not waste our tax dollars prosecuting registration failures, public urination, or so-called stings.
Instead, she prosecutes hard-to-solve sex crimes such as serial child molestation and rape by persons close to the victim— exactly what we would expect from a legitimate sex crimes prosecutor, and where our law-enforcement resources would be better deployed when it comes to sex crimes.
Prove me wrong, but that’s what I glean from a google search.
If, in fact, I’m wrong, and she’s made inane registry-promoting statements such as “the public has the right to know,” “the public has a right to feel safe in their community,” then those statements are fair game and I take my words back. But before we pile onto Honowitz much further, I’d prefer a better idea of who we’re actually dealing with when it comes to registry issues.
Jacob, I always respect your opinion so I completely respectfully completely disagree. She heads up a division that ALWAYS opposes removal petitions with a vengeance and has been very vocal about making the registry tougher. Here are some personal quotes from her:
“Tougher laws [are] needed to protect our kids from sex offenders.” (her Facebook page)
“Let me tell you something, you would want to know if a sex offender was coming into your neighborhood. Man, woman, whatever it is, so to say that these registries are no good is ridiculous. These people have to be watched, they have to be monitored. I don‘t care what kind of sex it was, and I don‘t care what gender it was.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9503331)
(As to family that harbors a registrant) “They should be in jail for obstruction of justice. And right now, what the new legislation is trying to be passed is saying that, if these people knew that he was a registered sex offender and they harbored him, that they should be charged and they should go to jail and there is no reason why they shouldn‘t be out. So, we‘re hoping that this new law of charging them and making it a crime to harbor these sexual predators is going to pass.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7476589)
FAC commentary is clear proof that some of these anti-registered citizen lawyers are clueless. They have been watching too many movies and TV soap operas. As a registered citizen I will gladly put my character up to compare with her’s or anyone else of her ilk. She gives lawyers a bad name. Not all agree with her.
That’s good info and paints a more complete picture. An advocate of state surveillance and cruelty, appealing to our fears. And a nemesis as long as she espouses such nonsense.
Anything that helps the public assess her credibility, should remain public.
That psycho is a really sick individual.
But let me tell you folks my experience. As a prior contractor to most county courthouses in Florida, and often being around those folks who have peoples lives on their hands, there were times I was even affraid for my own safety after hearing them speak in chambers, so she is not the only psycho that thinks that people out of their priviledged groups are their enemies.
I worked as a contractor for Brevard, Volusia, Broward, Polk, Sarasota, Orange, Lake, and Miami-Dade Counties.
My last contract was in Miami, and as soon as I decided to quit I was set up. The Florida system often sets contractors up who want to get out of their program.
I was obligated to even leave the country, and DENIED evidence or reviews by just about every court that I wanted to expose their activities.
If that doesn’t give you an idea of how corrupt Florida is, I don’t know how else to explain it.
The only reason I haven’t exposed them is because I still live near the US, but as soon as I can move into a country that provides asylum, you all will hear the most corrupt and disgusting truths about the Florida corrupt system.
I just need to be far away to do this.
Anonimous
I concur,
I use to be a homicide detective with a major law enforcement department. Not say ALL but many times I would overhear conversations by officers, detectives and rank holding officials that scared me more than the people we were going to arrest.
There were times when the evidence was not all that solid so they would “Set” someone up with planted evidence, lie in court, use false witnesses etc.
I am may not be an Angel myself but I never once crossed the line while with the department and after some soul searching, my mental, spiritual and physical heath could no longer keep silent. Did I snitch on them? no. But I resigned in good standing.
I tried moving to another police department but found out regardless if it is a agency with 15 officers or 1500, that element of power hungry bullies will always exist. AND not all of them were bosses or senior officers. I think some of them that got away with so much BS maybe had some dirt on the chief or something and that is why they never got fired.
And I never joined the union while there but can tell you, union lawyers are vicious if you go after one of their own.
CherokeeJack
The craziest thing is how there are “laws” for the general public NOT to record inside PUBLIC BLDGs, yet the Chief Judges in many jurisdictions have found a way to manipulate the recordings previously done by stenographers.
Now many courthouses have microphones in places the general public is unaware of, and the recordings go to a general remote recording location, where the Judges have the availability to manipulate the recordings to benefit the State.
So, while the general public is not authorized to record posible lies and faults of their accusers, the States are able to manipulate and even delete anything that can place them in a bind.
A guy once said something like his,
“When Exposing a Crime is Treated as Committing a Crime, You Are Ruled By Criminals.”
From my decades as a contractor throughout the US, Florida ranks #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 out of 10 for being the most corrupt and criminal system in the nation.
Far worst than even McAllen Texas, Nuevo Laredo, or Mexico.
My son’s prosecutor said “actions have consequences – deal with it”. I suggest she do the same. At least she’s not banished from her home due to residency restrictions!! No sympathy!!!!
After mulling this over for a day, I am convinced that FAC is literally the only place Stacey Honowitz has sent this request to, because she hates being laughed at by the people she hates most.
We already know the Ron and Lauren Book Crime Family hate us, but I think this mental disease goes beyond just the Books. The entire state of FloriDUH, and particularly the southern tip, have reveled in passing laws designed to cause extreme pain to everyone forced to register.
That’s why I enjoy seeing these folks given even a few hours of the pain they inflict on us regularly.
But this case merely exposes another problem– here we see a separate standard of justice. Here’s a person CAUGHT IN THE ACT plain as day with theft, and there was no prosecution. Yet, another person can be arrested and extradicted from halfway across the nation to face theft charges simply because a cop thinks he might look like a thief, and that person has to spend time and money defending himself.
I’m not sure it can be assumed that FAC is being singled out. I’ve found a few broken links. Here’s a notable one:
https://patch.com/florida/miami/prominent-florida-prosecutor-arrested-shoplifting
Leave it. Though she was able to convince her friends on the Court that she regularly engages in the “acceptable” act of using her purse as a shopping bag, such an excuse is simply not believable to the average intelligent adult. She now, has to deal with a fact of law that we deal with on a regular basis: just because you weren’t convicted doesn’t mean you are innocent and public notification is as a result of the act itself, regardless of its punitive effects. If the fair treatment of those in power happened more often, maybe our justice system wouldn’t be so obsessed on revenge and so unwilling to forgive. Finally, our overly punitive justice system also likes to claim that when people are caught it automatically assumes that there were many times that they weren’t so I say touche to Prosecutor Honowitz. How many times has a person who shoplifted claimed, “I meant to pay for it” but were convicted anyway?
Isn’t what they say about sex offenders…once a sex offender, always a sex offended. Can we not apply the same to a thief? Even if that thief is a politician or lawyer. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Not that I am into getting even, but some of the politicians and lawyers need to get a taste of their own medicine.
From: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions/53E88E381F0705428525658D004D9AD2
Ask her attorney to supply evidence why her arrest records are too sensitive to make public.
Ask the attorney to provide explicit detail of each time she has she has shoplifted in the past and not gotten caught. The rate of recidivism among shoplifters is frightening and high (Certainly we can declare that without actual proof too).
Ask her attorney to supply her current address and all other identifying information now and when any of it changes so the posting can be updated.
Ask her attorney and her to sign on to a petition to start a shoplifter arrest registry. Certainly people have a right to know if their neighbors are crooks so they can protect themselves and their property.
I say keep the post up and post the video.
She is one of those politicians who expect mercy but won’t give an inch in handing it out. She needs to feel the pain of public scrutiny long after her crime has been exonerated. Maybe then she can start to understand.
Sorry Staci. I do not for one second believe you put those items in your purse accidentally. You already got a pass because you are a prosecutor. You really should have been disbarred and jailed. You don’t have to worry about your reputation due to your conscious actions being posted in this forum – pretty much anyone who views it already views you negatively, anyway. Why don’t you go after the other places that still have this information available? Or, better yet, pursue a lawsuit. Then, the other venues that have it published will probably help with the defense in order to preserve the First Amendment and help to bring the truth about you to the light.
There are two words the prosecutor needs to become acquainted with:
“Strict Liability”
She better get down on her knees and thank whatever deity she prays to that the law doesn’t apparently apply that standard to her conduct.
She should also carefully consider why she supports and defends the application of that same standard of strict liability on others, whose non-criminal conduct while incurring administrative violations of a supposedly civil code end up leaving those persons with new felony convictions and potentially lifelong consequences.
Has she imposed strict liability on others? Does she prosecute registration violations?
Yes she does.
How little does a lawyer make that they have to steal? when I was in college getting my law degree (Law enforcement not attorney law)
we learned some people who steal have plenty of money to pay but it is either a “Thrill to steal” rush or a mental disorder.
BUT, the point is, she is living by a double standard, she wants mercy, which is understandable as we have all been there (Many of us) but she offers none in return.
Like the old saying “Let them eat cake”.
It’s important to note that the other news outlets didn’t recieve the same request. Because it doesn’t deal with those who live life with one eye watching out. If we fold on giving into this lawyer demands, then we lose our freedom to speech. I would recommend the response to the following constitutional right, we didn’t violate her rights, the police arrested her and the state choice to handle it in a different matter. We did do a follow up on this mater.
It’s interesting when the shoe of life is on the other foot.
How do you know others didn’t?
She wants mercy but offers none in return. We could take the higher road, but we give and give and give (So do our suffering families who did nothing wrong except be related to us) and yet we are put through a living Hell for cases that can span 3 decades or more.
The courts, law enforcement, D.O.C, D.O.J, Probation, and even some lawyers leave us high and dry. We are treated like leapers but there are people walking around free with 15 to 20 arrests on their record who have no restrictions at all other than they can’t own a gun. When they get re-arrested they cop to a plea deal for probation so the courts can spend more resources on the scary registered sheep who they claim have a 1000000000% re-offense rate.
If it doesn’t cause legal problems for FAC I say, by all means, leave the article up. Theft (of any type) is the most committed crime in the world. It also has the highest recidivism rate of any crime in the world. There is no threat of defamation here because – regardless of the outcome of the incident – the article stands true. Defamation only occurs if it’s a lie. Yes, she is experiencing what registered citizens experience only on a much smaller scale. I say let it stand in all its infinite glory. Vindictive…? Yes, and it’s an ugly feeling but so is worrying about the future of my son every waking moment of every day.
Karen, I would contribute to FAC’s legal defense of a lawsuit. Of course the woman is too smart to initiate one. That would just be tickling the public relations dragon. Since the incident is in the public record, she has no leg to stand on regarding libel, and I suspect FAC would do all it could to raise public awareness of any lawsuit. I say GO FOR IT Stacey!!
As an aside, I think she should also have been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for teaching a child to steal.
Veritas.
ED C
If it were John Q public, they would have had their child sent to Dept of children and families. We all know (Ok assume) she got special treatment (Darn it she did).
I am surprised the cops didn’t haul her away then as soon as they got outside told her to go home and ripped up the police reports.
AND like all of us, she does deserve legal defense. Any judge she knows should recuse themselves as a conflict of interest.
Those who believe she should have some “come to Jesus” heartfelt conversation with SO advocates are agonizingly naiive on the psychology of the prosecutorial mind. These prosecutors are mostly psychotic predators who get off on exercising their power over others and living in a self-made superhero fantasy where the world is black and white and they are always the heroes. In 1940s Germany, these people would be the concentration camp officers who gleefully reveled in their duties. The fact that she even had the audacity to send this letter is damning evidence of her self-righteous hypocrisy. Escalate this to national media! Parade her though every possible public domain. Call to notify all her employers of her misdeeds. Burn her reputation to the ground and dance in the flames. Truth is an absolute defense to libel. For many here, this will be your only shot at getting some justice in the world. Don’t let it go.
She might be a kleptomaniac. If so, it is a matter of time before this happens again.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
OK I just watched the news coverage of the incident here’s my thoughts
Well damn I guess the only time alagations are true and to be believed is if its a sex charge and your not someone well known like her or ron book then its give every Ben if it of the doubt. Even it the proof is evident.
3.let’s see she puts stuff in her buggy then in her purse then in the buggy again then at the check out she gets in her purse to pay for the stuff in the buggy ? Am I the only one that asks ” if you get in your purse in which you placed these items to pay for items in the buggy and did not take these items out to pay for them how can you say it was an accident ?
You had to see them and possibly even move them to get your money out !!!”
4. if she’s a thief she should lose her job. If she’s so absent minded as to forget she put stuff in her purse and didn’t pay for it . she should lose her job , I mean how can she be trusted she’s either a hypocritical criminal or she’s losing her mind either way can she EVER be trusted to make good sound decisions ? Sound a little familiar ?welcome to our world.
Lastly would they have treated one of our family members so kindly ? The police waited to give the news the video footage until after they blotted out the face of her family member that was with her if it was us they would have charged them as an accessorie which is the final thought why didn’t this family member say something or remind her the stuff was in her purse ? Sounds like either it was predicted or this was normal behavior and the family member expected her to do it. Just my thoughts
I say she should keep the blemish. Many of us have scars, not mere blemishes, from charges that were later dropped. Even though they may have been totally bogus or not prosecuted, they still show up on our Record of Arrest and Prosecution (RAP) sheets. Her accusation is in the public record. So be it.
Veritas.
Stacey Honowitz in a retail store, took merchandise off the shelve, put it into her pocketbook and walked out of the store without paying for it. Poor, poor Stacey. What a tragic little life. I will never, ever forget this story.
Oh, I got the facts wrong??She hadn’t yet left the perimeter of store? We don’t care about the facts either. Forever to the grave with this disgust ms stacey. I’m a ruthless prosecutor too, sorry not sorry. Keep it posted please.
Anonymous
Not sticking up for her but, When I worked at a LARGE retailer (Not walmart) and worked in Security, they told us we could not do anything until they left the store. If you are still in the store it is NOT going to stick.
I do not know all the details of her case but it seems she has more to lose from the publicity than the incident itself. I am a forgiving person but her going through this is a saying I hate but am going to use it because it annoys me. “This is a teachable moment”.
I do not mean teachable moment about being honest and not stealing. A teachable moment in how she is treating us and she seems to have double standards.
Also, a lawyer I once spoke with (Free consultation) told me he really did care about his clients no matter what they did. He said if something bothered him that much he just would not take their case. He ended up being my lawyer when I got arrested.
How do I know he cared about me? When I got sentenced to prison, he started crying and went out into the hallway and vomited into a trash can.
My point here is, the lawyer you hire should care about you and believe in you. Yes they money you pay them in important but if they are ONLY in it for the money and nothing else, well you might still win but you want someone who is going to FIGHT for you.
Cherokeejack, you are so right. My Florida lawyer reviewed my case, saw that it was so wrong, and went to battle for me in a way that only a lawyer can. He got my life and family restored. I was released from probation eleven years early. I owe him such a debt of gratitude. I may ‘bad mouth’ lawyers at times but there are some out there who really do care about justice. They are such a blessing in a society that is so quick to condemn.
Keep the information up, it is public information, just as is the registry.
Actually, the registry exceeds public information at the time of the conviction because new addresses for all other people convicted of anything other than those on the registry are not made public.
I’m actually thinking of posting this on my website….sex offender one stop resource….and let it go out to all the 4000 people I have signed up on my website just in FL…alone… she needs to definitely know how it feels to have our lives completely F***ed because of people like her. I think its F’n karma!
Don’t remove it. She needs to experience what registered citizens face for the rest of their life.
If she were anyone else, her vacation time would have been spent in the Broward County jail.
#floridacorroption
Definitely keep the post up.
My 2 cents…
Offer her a “Bargain” or a Plea Deal…
The deal is for her to be a “Guest” on one of the monthly call-ins that FAC hosts along with another guest of a scholarly nature such as one of the more recent authors noting why the Registry is doing far more harm than good? This can be utilized for the benefit of many.
.
Meh Son…A Plea Bargain? WTF
Until Google Removes it and Removes ‘Every Person Forced to Register” from ‘Their Registry”, well she is Fckin STUCK!
Her Problem, Like OUR PROBLEM…wake up MEH SON!
FAC, you state,
“we may face a lawsuit”
For What could she sue FAC? FAC has NOT Defamed her!
It is public information that was reported factually and professionally!
She has NO STANDING in a court of law to sue FAC!
Truth
What is the difference when the news shows police officers getting arrested and the news posting the story.
There is “Freedom of the press” and in some ways, FAC to me is a Press / news site as well as stories of legal matters and other stories are posted.
It is not like FAC drove by her house taking photos of her family and posting them, then that might be crossing the line. Threatening to sue FAC just shows how spoiled and privileged she either is or THINKS she is.
Also, the story was (REPOSTED) so if she doesn’t like the story, go after the main source, not a re-poster. AND he legal defense is probably free as one of her lawyer friends will probably take it pro Sonny Bono
I hope my comment is read by Ms. Honowitz:
You and I have a few things in common. We both have a college degree, a pristine record and career, except for a victimless blemish. This most embarrassing blemish has caused me to lose job offers, restrict me from providing for my family, and caused many, many, many other inconveniences.
I am very sorry you are having difficulty in erasing a blemish from the public internet. But I am also going through this problem, worse even. If you can resolve my problem, I will help in what I can with yours.
Sincerely,
Another human that was squeaky clean until he/she made a one-time mistake
Anonymous: As I was reading the above I laughed at her ‘dilemma’ and then your summation. I think she needs lipstick thief therapy and three yummy meals, one containing what is described as smelling like it’s gone bad. Oh and go to sleep early as breakfast comes at 3AMish. She’ll need plenty of money on her account but the high dollar cosmetics is no comparison to the commissary costs for simple things. A prosecutor should weigh things like the food, commissary, the gangs, deplorable cells, and other things she has surely heard over her put’em away days but she didn’t and now wants to be treated with respect, forgiveness, and restoration. Welcome to the lives of our citizens required to register and their families. Vicki Henry – Women Against Registry
Amen
Largest double standard case I have seen since I was born. She is all uptight in her nether regions about us stating the truth and fact of public record but is tough as *uck on anyone accused of a sex crime?
I usually do not use bad words but this incident takes the cake for me. We COULD be the better ones and take it down but I think she is getting a taste of her own medicine on how we feel on, NOT just a single incident, BUT every day of our lives when we wake up each day realizing we are still on the registry.
I would think less of FAC and if you took it down. It means that you bow to pressure when the pressure gets tough. If a judge allowed defamation of FAC for publishing public records, then we should counter sue her for her defamation of us on a daily basis.