Whatever happened to. . . .? #28

Several cases of interest have been resolved during my lengthy absence from the blog website here. Some of these were covered in the media when they were sentenced, but most were not. More to follow in coming days.

William Osvaldo Ferrer
2010-MM-010796-A-O
Leaving Child Unattended/Unsupervised

Defendant allegedly left his 17-mo old child locked in a truck while he went into a bar where witnesses claim he drank 2 beers during 30-45min time inside. A passerby called police at 1am.

Defendant pled guilty and was sentenced to 60 days jail with credit 1 day time served; 59 days were suspended if he successfully completes 180 days of probation, parenting class, and substance abuse evaluation.

Jeremy Adams
2010-CF-011138-A-O
Felony Battery; False Imprisonment; Petit Theft; Tampering w/ Witness to Hinder Comm to LEO; Cruelty to Animals; Petit Theft
Defendant allegedly choked his girlfriend, took her phone & debit card, and kicked & threw her two dogs around the apartment
Defendant pled to Felony Battery and was sentenced to 2 days jail with credit 2 days time served; 363 days probation; 50 hours of community service; complete Batterer's Intervention Program; and have no contact with the victim.

Lawrence G Smith
2010-CF-010257-A-O
Felony Battery; Shoot/Throw Missile Into Dwelling; Agg Assault w/Deadly Weapon; Improper Exhibition of Weapon 
Defendant allegedly pointed a gun at his wife and after firing several 'warning' shots, fired a round that struck her in the left hand.
Defendant pled to counts 1&3 and was sentenced to 52 days jail w/credit for 52 days time served; 4 years probation; restitution; BIP; no hostile contact with victim.

Christian Andrew Rizk
2010-CF-010136-A-O
Battery; ROWOV; Battery DV; Cruelty to Animals; ROWV; ROWOV; Assault DV
Defendant allegedly strangled a cat and beat up his girlfriend after he claimed to see demons
Defendant pled to counts 1&2 and was sentenced to 48 days with credit 48 days time served; 317 days probation; anger management; and 50 hours community service.

Rosalinda Norma Vargas (a/k/a Boyd)
2009-CF-015714-A-O
2nd Degree Murder
Defendant allegedly stabbed her boyfriend during an argument in their home - Defendant has a long history of being abused by victim, Jozel Laster, and in other previous relationships.
Defendant pled no contest and was sentenced to 180 months in DOC with credit for 1 year 39 days time served.

Kamlesh Babulal Agrawal
1999-CF-009988-A-O
1st Degree Murder
Defendant was extradited 7/08 from India for the slaying of his female cousin, with whom he shared an apartment while attending UCF. Her body was found in an apartment closet after he fled.
Defendant pled and was sentenced to 25 years in DOC w/credit for 10 years 154 days time served.

Jesus Noel Ortiz
2010-CF-008501-A-O
Kidnap w/Intent to Inflict Harm/Terror w/Weapon; Battery; Possess Drug Para
Defendant allegedly forced his girlfriend into a car at the Coalition for the Homeless and drove her away from there.
Defendant pled to False Imprisonment and was sentenced to 185 days jail w/credit for 185 days time served; 54 months probation; and ordered to have no contact with the victim.

Laquanda Tamel King 2010-CF-009831-A-O

Michele Lavett Bell 2010-CF-009830-A-O

Laquanda Michele Hill 2010-CF-009858-A-O

Neglect of Child w/o Great Harm (13cts)

Co-defendants were employees at a daycare who allegedly walked off the job they were employed after a dispute w/the owner, leaving 12 small children in the care of a 9-yr old.

The State dropped the charges for all three co-defendants.

Carlos L Irizarry

2010-CF-007471-A-O
Aggravated Assault
Defendant was an Osceola County Commissioner when he allegedly brandished a gun in an argument w/his estranged wife.
Defendant pled to improper exhibition of a firearm and was sentenced to 30 days jail with credit for 2 days time served; 1 year probation; and BIP.

Another DV Murder Suspect Out on Bond - Part 2

As I blogged earlier this week, Cedric Harp was granted a $5,000 bond in the case where he is charged with the 2nd degree murder of his wife.

Judge Walter Komanski is the judge who granted the bond on January 5th. The defendant posted his 10% (or $500) and walked out of jail the following day.

I found no other conditions (like GPS monitoring or home confinement, etc.) on the Court's Order. The motion filed by defense counsel indicated that the State stipulated to the amount of $5000 plus home confinement. There is no metion of home confinement on the Order, nor is it on the bond paperwork in the Clerk's file.

It makes me wonder if Judge Komanski read the Order when he signed it.

That same day, Administrative Judge Reginald Whitehead transferred the case from Komanski's division to another judge. No reason for the transfer was indicated in the file.

All of this causes me to ask a couple of other questions. The following defendants, also accused of 2nd degree murder, are still in jail. Take a look at their photos and tell me why their bond amounts are as noted:

Michelle Wheeler
2009-CF-000808-A-O
No Bond
Arrested 1/16/09

Ocoee police identify man who was stabbed to death by girlfriend

Sarah Lundy
Sentinel Staff Writer
January 18, 2009


OCOEE - Ocoee police late Saturday released the name of a man who was fatally stabbed early Friday.

Jerry Cisco, 37, died after he was taken to Health Central hospital.

Investigators arrested Michelle D. Wheeler, 44, his girlfriend of four years, and charged her with second-degree murder. She remained in the Orange County Jail on Saturday night without bail.

A third party called officers about 1 a.m. Friday to report a domestic incident at the Floral Street residence. They found Cisco stabbed in the upper left side of the chest, police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.



Rosalinda Norma Vargas a/k/a Rosalinda Norma Boyd
2009-CF-015714-A-O
No Bond
Arrested 10/26/09

Woman accused of killing boyfriend ordered held without bond
Bianca Prieto Sentinel Staff Writer
8:59 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2009

Murder suspect Rosalinda Vargas is in jail, but family members say she needs to be in a mental hospital.

Vargas is accused of stabbing her boyfriend of two years, Jozel Laster, in the chest during an argument in their apartment early Monday. Laster, 51, died at the hospital after Orlando police officers at the scene could not revive him. A judge on Tuesday ordered Vargas, 51, held without bail at the Orange County Jail on a second-degree murder charge. Vargas, who also goes by Rosalinda Boyd, said little during the short hearing.

Three of her six living children -- Sandra Rivera, Olivia Betanco, 30, and Nancy Vargas, 34 -- attended the hearing and were audibly upset to learn that their mother would remain behind bars rather than get into a mental-health program.

"This is not my mama," Rivera, 23, said after the hearing. "This escalated from this man beating on my mama and she just got tired."

Police have not disclosed what they think led to the fatal stabbing, but court records document a violent relationship between the two that often left Vargas bloody and bruised.

Court records show that in July 2008 Laster arrived at their motel room possibly drunk and on drugs about 3:30 a.m. and demanded to have sex with Vargas. When she refused him, he forced himself on her and then punched her in the face, reports show.

She was able to run from the room and flag down an Orange County deputy for help. The deputy noted "a large swollen area" near Vargas' eye and cheek bone and that blood had started appear on her eyeball. Vargas later declined to press charges against her boyfriend for the sexual attack.

Laster was arrested for battery, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia -- the deputy found a crack pipe in his pocket. He later pleaded guilty to resisting arrest.

In January Eatonville officers arrested Laster after Vargas called police to report he'd been beating her, reports show. The two were arguing when Laster began punching Vargas in the face and ribs, report show. She ran to a neighbor’s house to call police. Officers found a crack pipe in Laster's pocket. He was charged with domestic violence battery and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In June he pleaded no contest and sentenced to 131 days in jail, time served and placed on one year of probation, records show. Laster had an extensive criminal history that spans 30 years and includes drug, theft and battery charges, records show.

The beatings were no surprise to Vargas' daughters, who said they knew their mother was abused but said she could not leave Laster because he "brainwashed" her. They claim Laster threatened to kill Vargas if she left him, and he isolated her from her family.

This was not the first time Vargas had suffered abuse, her daughters said. The 51-year-old Chicago native was beaten and raped as a teen, sexually abused by an uncle and had been homeless. She was suicidal, often suffered from illusions and thought her dead husband and a dead former boyfriend "hunted" her at night, Rivera said.

It's also not the first time Vargas stabbed someone. In 2005, Vargas was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery in the stabbing of her boyfriend of 19 years with a kitchen knife, reports show. The victim, Wesley Contrad Stewart, was asleep on the couch when Vargas attacked him for calling her a bad name, records show. Betanco witnessed the stabbing and said the relationship between her mom and Stewart was never violent before then.

In January 2006, Vargas pleaded no contest to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She was sentenced to a year in jail with time served. She also was ordered on probation for 18 months and was told to avoid places where alcohol is the "primary source of revenue."

Stewart died of cancer in April 2007, Rivera said. Shortly after that, she met Laster and the beatings began, her daughters said.

"We love her and we're not giving up on her," Nancy Vargas said. "We don't want her to feel like she is by herself."

All three defendants have criminal histories. Both women have lengthy histories of being victimized by their partners. The man is out of jail after 3 weeks. Wheeler has been in jail for a year. Vargas, nearly 3 months. Why the disparity?