Whatever happened to . . . ? #24

Wilfred Bowens
2009-CF-008481-A-O
Attempted 1st Deg Murder (3cts); Arson of Dwelling
Defendant allegedly burned the home where he was renting a room when the owners asked him to leave after he allegedly made sexual advances toward their daughter.
Defendant was acquitted by a jury.

Bobby-Lamar Marquise Sims
2010-CF-008585-A-O
Possess Controlled Substance; Neglect of Child
Defendant allegedly left his 6-yr and 4-mo old children alone w/crack & razor blades within reach. Co-defendant Tiffany Lewis (the mother) is an Orange Co Corrections Officer.
No Information Notice was filed - case dropped/abandoned

Tiffany L Lewis
2010-CF-009342-A-O
Neglect of Child; Possess Cocaine w/Intent to Sell; Accessory After the Fact
Defendant allegedly left her 6-yr and 4-mo old children w/crack & razor blades within reach. Defendant is an Orange Co Corrections Officer.
No Information Notice was filed - case dropped/abandoned

Edwin Antonio-Rafael Cintron
2009-CF-017856-A-O (4/1/09)
Sexual Battery; L/L Molestation
Defendant allegedly raped a 13-yr old girl in the dugout at a baseball field
2009-CF-010302-A-O (7/1/08)
2009-CF-008804-A-O (4/15/09)
2009-CF-009034-A-O (6/19/09)
Lewd/Lascivious Molestation Victim 12-15 yrs old (3 counts); Lewd/Lascivious Molestation Victim<12 years old
Defendant allegedly molested several victims during sleepovers at the family home in Conway Oaks in the above cases
Defendant pled to one count in each case and was sentenced to a total of 12 years DOC + 13 years sex offender probation and was designated as a sex predator by the Court.

Albert T Brooks
2010-CF-007090-A-O
Aggravated Battery w/Deadly Weapon; Robbery; Robbery w/Weapon
Defendant allegedly tortured sexual predator (Albert Weisman) w/an aerosal can & cigarette lighter because he thought Weisman was an undercover law enforcement officer (Weisman was lured w/promises of a young prostitute).
Case was nolle prossed (dropped).

Lana Pauline White
2010-CF-001538-A-O
Aggravated Battery w/Deadly Weapon (DV)
Defendant allegedly shoved, threw a butter knife at, and hit another woman as she was packing to leave their apartment. The victim allegedly threatened the defendant with scissors and knives.
No Information Notice was filed - case dropped/abandoned

Somele Jean Calixte
2009-CF-011829-A-O
Aggravated Child Neglect; Possess Firearm by Convicted Felon; Culpable Negligence; Improper Exhibition of Firearm
Defendant allegedly shot his girlfriend's (Arkeisha Perez 2009MM13037) 5-yr old daugther accidentally - victim's mother initially claimed her 4-yr old was the shooter.
Defendant pled no contest to Aggravated Child Neglect & Culpable Negligence and was sentenced to 10 months jail w/credit for 277 days time served; 1 year probation; no weapons; no unsupervised contact with the victim. The victim's mother may not act as supervisor. Perez previously pled to Perjury and was sentenced to 6 months probation and ordered to complete a parenting class.

Victim Participation Does Make a Difference

After Thursday's bond hearing in this case, I'm left wondering why only the mothers are speaking out about their daughters' victimization by 18-yr old Edwin Cintron (see my earlier blog entry). Four mothers of the victims were in court for this brief hearing. I commend them for taking the time to attend. I believe that it does make a difference to the Court when victims are represented. Many important decisions regarding a defendant's prosecution are made in these pretrial hearings (particularly bond motions and motions to suppress). The stronger the State's case, the more leverage they have with respect to future plea negotiations. The presence of the victim does have an impact in these hearings, even when they don't address the Court.

Mr. Cintron’s bond was posted and his passport was surrendered subsequent to the June 26th hearing. However, his grandmother was unable to house him because her landlord would not permit it. Thursday's bond motion was to ask if Mr. Cintron could live with his uncle in Texas. Judge Bob LeBlanc denied his request. Since there is nowhere for him to go, he is still at the Orange County Correctional Facility.

As a sidenote, Mr. Cintron’s 13-yr old sister has been sent to another state, removed from her friends (the victims), to protect her brother. Removing her is tantamount to punishing her for the actions of her brother. This will likely cause her friends to feel guilty about their willingness to speak up and prosecute Mr. Cintron. She has essentially been exiled, which can only make their recovery more difficult.

Click here to see WFTV's coverage of the hearing. And here's what can happen to sex offenders who have no place to go. I wish I knew what the best solution is for a situation like this. At the moment, it appears to be jail.

Men Need to Speak Out Against Sexual Violence

State v. Edwin Antonio-Rafael Cintron Bond Motion (held Friday, 6/26/09)

Initially the defense was asking for a bond of $5000 and for Mr. Cintron to stay at his grandmother’s house.

Assistant State Attorney Natalie Stratis asked for “a bond of more substance” (when asked for a specific amount, she left that up to Judge Wallis to determine), electronic monitoring and/or home confinement, and relinquishing of his passport.

What the judge granted

• Bond in the amount of $15,000.
• Electronic monitoring - he may not leave Orange County.
• Must relinquish his passport to the court.
• No direct or indirect contact order with any/all of the victims and there families.

CourtWatch's observations

• None of the child victims were in court today.
• Unlike the news reported on Channel 9, Ms. Stratis made it clear that the State understood that Mr. Cintron's charges were eligible for bond, she was not debating that, it was the amount of bond that was in question.
• The mothers of the victims felt confident that money wasn’t as scarce as it was being made out to be.
• The mothers of the victims believed that he was a flight risk.
• The mothers of the victims expressed that the victims fear retaliation.
• The mothers of the victims were concerned about the close proximity of where he lives verses some of the victims.

CourtWatch believes that Judge Wallis heard their concerns and met their needs for this particular case at this particular time. It was clear that this case was just for one person, one victim, there are still more cases to come, more bond hearings to be held, this is just the beginning.

It was powerful to see the mothers bonding together, wanting to protect their children, to keep them safe from harm.

What was painful was to watch the mother and grandmother of Mr. Cintron. Before the hearing started, they sat behind the cameraman, then they literally hid crouched down on the floor behind the benches to hide from the camera, the deputy quickly confronted them and they said they didn’t want to be on camera because they own a business and they didn’t want to be filmed. The officer informed them that the courtroom is a public area, and they can’t be hiding on the floor behind the bench. So, her concern is her business? She is concerned about what he son does and how it affects her business? She hides he face in shame? Mr. Cintron has thus far admitted to what he has been accused of doing. He told the truth… that is a good thing. There is so much pain and suffering that the victims will not have to endure because he is telling the truth. The victims do not have to convince anyone. The truth is being told. Healing can begin for the victims and justice can be reached. Yet she hides her face because she is ashamed. Her son did something bad, but he has told the truth.

Still one must wonder who is most important, is it the 18 year old son who has admitted to the truth (note - he has previously been arrested two times before, one time being domestic violence), or his mother who covered her face because she was ashamed and didn’t want her business associates to see her on the news, or a grandmother who hid on the floor because she was ashamed, yet has volunteered to take in her grandson, or the 13 year old sister who is being, well, who knows…?

I think what concerns me the most (at least as it relates to the defendant's family) is the thirteen year old sister of Mr. Cintron. Does she feel responsible or guilty for allowing this to happen to her friends? Are others blaming her for her brother's actions, or does she seem to think this in her mind? Has she been a victim of incest? And if so, does she understand that the effects of incest are different for her from what her brother has done to her friends? If her mother is so ashamed of the entire situation, she might not understand that her daughter did nothing wrong. She should be able talk about it if she wants too. The Victim Service Center in Orange County offers counseling support to victims of sexual assualt. CourtWatch hopes that all the victims seek assistance as a step in their healing process.

Finally, I wonder, where are the fathers of these girls? There were two men there, but they stayed away from the women, they remained quiet. Sexual assault is a big deal. If these men were the victims' fathers, they missed an opportunity to speak to other men about stopping this type of crime. The TV camera was there. I hope next time the opportunity presents itself one or more of the men affected by this crime will step forward to speak.

For WFTV's report on this case, go to http://tinyurl.com/qhqhr5