Sheriffs Offices Pursuing Petty Offenses
In the past few months, Florida Sheriff’s Offices are looking for low-hanging fruit by going after some very petty offenses. Volusia County issued a press release today announcing the arrest of “76 Volusia County Sex Offenders and Predators”, but when you dig into the details, you will find that very few – just a few – were arrested for a new sex offense. Most were for technical registration violations or some pretty petty crimes. One of the 76, for example, was charged with having a caged racoon.
According to a Sheriff’s office spokesperson, the operation (called “Operation Neptune”) was said to last three-months! That’s a lot of time! The U.S. Marshals Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted in the operation. That’s a lot of resources!
What most stories don’t promote is that hundreds (representing more than 9/10ths) of the checks they did, were completely compliant.
A few months ago, in Polk County, “Operation Karma” yielded 26 arrests, most were for failure to register a co-habitant’s vehicle. A violation of a law that many arrested had no clue about. Sheriff Grady Judd told WFTV, “The big question I have is why are these people not reporting these cars or their online identities? They are apparently up to no good and we are going to hold them accountable.” It seems nobody was caught being “up to no good”, they were just trapped by some confusing registration requirements.
And here’s a worst and one that we intend to follow up on… Earlier this month, Steven Williams, a homeless registrant from Brevard County was arrested for eating breakfast at a Burger King – a benign act, but the Burger King was apparently within 1000 feet of a tennis court! If anyone has access to this individual, please contact [email protected].
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Gail, either this or your weekly update letter needs to be sent to every newspaper and TV station in the state.
We NEED VOLUNTEERS to help us with these projects. If it’s the same few people doing all this work there’s no way we can accomplish this.
How can I help?
Please contact [email protected] and let her know you would like to volunteer in our media committee.
Thanks!!!!
Done
Not to sound odd but the newspapers do not want our side they want to hear what big mean scary predators that peek out the windows at the kids, we are. Sensationalism sells newspapers not the truth
What I meant to say is how do you get a fair trial when the jury knows your a convicted offender in these tech violations normally you wouldn’t take the stand so they wouldn’t know your past but in these cases which is say failed to disclose email as a SO your basically gonna be found guilty through biased opinion. With even the sheriff out to get you just think what the jury’s gonna do. This has to be a major flaw in the system and fines only like tickets if anything. Please discuss.
If a person required to register, used an unregistered email address to communicate with someone, then it may not matter how the sheriff or jury feel about it, since the legislature has already deemed it a felony.
I was giving an example but here’s another. If you take them say blink1982@ email and they put blink182 and you sign the paper you obviously were up to no good trying to manipulate the Sherriff right. If anyone on here thanks the SO task force is gonna here your excuse and not file charges you aren’t up to date. First offense is jail time or prison deal or goto trial and get 5. I used to think they weren’t after me as long as I did good and registered but I’ve looked again. 20 plus on this shit!
What is funny is if you chose to go to trial, the cost to the courts for a jury and other cost would be in the high thousands. I have seen cities and counties prosecute a red light ticket dispute that was worth $120 and they spend thousands to make sure you do not get out of it. If you win they have to have many more tickets to make up for what it cost them.
On the other hand my house was broken into and law enforcement refused to write a report saying there was nothing they could do. I called a Watch commander and soon after a report was being written and a crime scene tech came out.
Be polite but know your rights as a tax payer and who to ask for
Having just looked at Steven Williams’ arrest report, how would Deputy Ouellette know that Mr. Williams was having breakfast at this particular Burger King? He had to have been off probation by now and no longer wearing an ankle GPS, or am I wrong?
**on a more positive note, the judge terminated my probation yesterday, so now the real fun begins lol….
…and I would highly encourage everyone to move to North FL, especially the Jacksonville area. While its not perfect, we just dont seem to have these silly issues and compliance operations they have down south. The detectives here have bigger issues to worry about. Jax has exceeded its homicide total by a lot from 2018. I think we’ve had 70 homicides this year so far. Toss in all the drug problems we have here and worrying about RSO technicals is the last thing on their mind. It’s been bearable here so far. Fingers crossed and hands folded in prayer….
Depends on your lifestyle. Have children? Duval county wont let you decorate for Halloween, charges fees for registration, frisks you when you register, require you to register internet identifiers above and beyond what’s required by the State… While it might not be Polk County, it’s certainly not paradise either.
True enough. I’m single, and religious so I could care less about Halloween. But the stupid ordinance also includes Christmas which really, that ordinance needs to be challenged in court but it’s small potatoes compared to other issues that need to be fixed. And yeah all that other crap goes on but hey, the detectives don’t harass you or intimidate you when you go there. I literally get asked the usual questions with no grief given to me. Treated like a human being and out the door in no more than 10 minutes. What else can you ask for in our situation? And yes Sarah, I’ve heard good things about Clay as well. Nassau is the only one that’s ridiculous. They do 2500ft for every category and that includes busstops. Well a bus stop could literally be someone’s driveway in that rural cesspool they have up there. I wouldn’t wanna live there anyway. But Duval and Clay and St John’s too I think are more tolerable than most.
Don’t forget the 2,500 foot “predator” rule. Aside from that and the atrocious “Holdiay” ordinance, it’s not too bad, especially if you live east of the St. Johns river.
Yesterday’s paper said that Jacksonville has now hit 100 homicides this year. I wonder what would happen in Jacksonville if all of the resources used in the Volusia operation had been used to help stop all of the gun violence in Jacksonville that is killing so many innocent people, including children?
From what I am finding out on municode.com, Clay County is also a good county. Clay County, Orange Park, Green Cove Springs, and Keystone Heights all have no separate ordinances. They follow the state statutes only. (I forgot to check on Penney Farms.) That, of course, is always subject to change.
I was arrested last week at Jacksonville registration for technicals. I am an ex post facto SO so I’m hoping to delay until we can get the Supremes to rule.
There is nothing pending in the supremes.
How are you disposed to have an in biased jury on these violations I mean damn May as well take the stand right??
Funny how they got us they nab you and offer you a year for some dumb ass violation or goto trial and get 5 years this is crazy.
How do they catch people on these technicalities?
Ive been off probation for many years. They visit twice per year (like clockwork) just to look at my ID and leave. I re-register twice per year and all it is, is “do you have any updates?” Granted, I am probably one of their “best” SO’s – if that is even a thing – because of where I live, my appearance, etc. My probation officer said it from day 1.
Unless you’re communicating with an officer, how do they know you have an email or social account not registered? Or family members who refuse to have their cars registered?
Do people get caught by talking too much? Doing something stupid? Or are they spying on us, viewing our internet records, etc.?
Offense 23 years ago federal in ny no time probation completed 17 years ago. Level 1 not on nys site Made mistake of coming to fl. On for life. Local pd comes by every month or sometimes not. They harass ask for id when im
Not there they torment my wife into signing something. Dont understand im always in sheriffs office every month as i always travel to my out of state address. Always updating. I just dont get what else they want from me. No state res restrictions as per printout from sheriff office: no special circumstances (no minors under 16 etc) no possession no viewing no creating : interstate transport of a single image. Proven image wasnt mine but i allowed it to be transported (1996 internet was a different thing)
Arrested for failure to register but the charges went to no info: essentially nothing filed. Not just dropped totally not filed as i had the proof of no intent.
What else can they possibly want from me?
I gave back so much during those years and was productive and succesful. It NEVER stopped me even didnt show on bg checks. Still doesnt but my florida registry does. How is that even fair? Take a productive member of society and just turn them into a big nothing with a family to support somehow?
Dude read “Rule of Lenity” I’ve beat one post conviction with it.
Is this what you are referring to?
http://leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0775/Sections/0775.021.html
According to Wikipedia, it is Floriduh’s codification of “The Rule.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_lenity
The answer is YES they are spying on you, in a sense. If you have a facebook account, twitter, etc etc they have an internet task force that trolls these sites. Not sure if the sites are cooperating with them or what.
Additionally when you pay your property taxes, get a new drivers license etc, they will often ask for an email address . If you have ever gotten a ticket, applied for a county permit IE: Had any work done at your home that required a building permit ( They will have your email address )
Beyond that I do not know
I am interested in this same question because they never enter my home during the checks . how did 79 people get arrested? were they on probation and the probation officer told on them or maybe a disgruntled roommate or family member?