It Takes Courage: Walk for Awareness

The Orange County Domestic Violence Task Force kicks off Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a Walk at Lake Eola on Saturday, October 1st from 9:00 am until 10:30 am at the amphitheater. 

Please join us and learn more about the efforts in our community to eliminate DV, honor its victims, and connect with Task Force member agencies.

Here is a list of the 13 adults and 6 children who have lost their lives since last year's event:

10/6/2010

Alfonso Angelo Tapia (8 wks)

Perpetrator: father

Weapon: not disclosed

10/9/2010

Jill Morris

Perpetrator: boyfriend

Weapon: gun

10/11/2010

Jacob Carmichael

Perpetrator: romantic rival

Weapon: gun

11/15/2010

Christobal Escontrias

Perpetrator: girlfriend

Weapon: stabbed

11/17/2010

Malloree Tatum (6 mo)

Perpetrator: mother's boyfriend

Weapon: shaken baby

11/19/2010

Jaliya Rivera (4 mo)

Perpetrator: father

Weapon: shaken baby

2/2/2011

Jason Rodriguez

Perpetrator: romantic rival

Weapon: gun

3/3/2011

Thelma Carter

Perpetrator: Husband

Weapon: gun

3/3/2011

Noah Fake (3 yrs)

Perpetrators: mother & mother's BF

Weapon: blunt force trauma

3/16/2011

Fabiana Romero

Perpetrator: Estranged husband

Weapon: gun

4/3/2011

Rosa Barrientos Isalgue

Perpetrator: estranged husband

&

Raymond Treasure

Perpetrator: romantic rival

Weapon: gun

4/9/2011

Ruth Owino

Perpetrator: fiancé

Weapon: hand weight

5/28/2011

Tramaine Griffin

Perpetrator: romantic rival

Weapon: gun

6/30/2011

Carry Dorcelus

Perpetrator: children’s father

Weapon: gun

7/19/2011

Pamela Carr

Perpetrator: Husband

Weapon: gun

7/27/2011

Phillip Peatross

Perpetrator: girfriend

Weapon: gun

7/29/2011

Isaiah Shade (2 yrs)

Perpetrator: Mother's boyfriend

Weapon: blunt force trauma

8/29/2011

Bonnie Marie Caban-Pearce (5 mos)

Perpetrator: under investigation

Weapon: not disclosed

A trio of fatalities in 24 hours

Domestic Violence Awareness Month begins in less than two weeks. If you're not aware of DV in our community after this weekend, you must be living under a rock (either that, or you've been on jury duty for the Bob Ward murder case and therefore not allowed to view any news media).

Most people think that domestic violence only happens to lower income, uneducated people. Think again. The past two days in Central Florida should forever dissuade us from that notion.

Early morning, Sunday, September 18, 2011

Victim: Beatrice "Bea" Dickey, 44, murdered at home in Plant City
Alleged Perpetrator: Lawrence Douglas Dickey, husband
Weapon: baseball bat

Click here for the Lakeland Ledger's coverage

Bea Dickey's murder is perhaps what most of us think of when we hear a story about a domestic fatality. I wonder, though, did anyone at the Polk County Sheriff's Office suspect she might be a victim? 

Even though she was surrounded by law enforcement personnel at work, did she feel safe to disclose what was happening at home? Do the people she worked with know how to recognize domestic violence "warning signs" and how to refer their friend & co-worker to get assistance? Does the Sheriff's Department have a standard policy for dealing with domestic violence amongst its employees?
It is highly unlikely that we'll ever know the answers to most of these questions. But I hope that Ms. Dickey's death will make those closest to her ask them and formulate solutions to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Sunday morning, September 18, 2011

Victim: Theresa Fogle, 56, murdered at home in Lakeland

Alleged perpetrator: Jeremiah Fogle, husband, subsequently opened fire and wounded two pastors at the couple's former church nearby

Weapon: gun

Orlando Sentinel's coverage dated  9/18/11 and 9/19/11

It has been reported that Mr. Fogle pled to manslaughter in the death of another wife, Diane, 25 years ago and was only sentenced to probation for that crime. 

This tragedy highlights

• Abusers come from "good" families.
• There are abusers in religious institutions, often in prominent positions (Fogle was a deacon in his church).
• Abusers usually have many victims in their past (Fogle was married 7 times).
• The court system is often ineffective in how it handles perpetrator accountability, particularly in domestic violence cases.
• Domestic violence doesn't happen only in private. The church members who witnessed Mr. Fogle's shooting rampage were undoubtedly traumatized by his actions.
• Churches, like businesses, need policies in place for dealing with domestic violence.

Approximately 10:00 AM, Monday, September 19, 2011

Victim: Heidi Shelmire, 38, murdered at Burger King, her place of employment, in Debary

Alleged Perpetrator: Jesus Morales, ex-boyfriend

Weapon: gun

Click here for the Daytona Beach News Journal report on this case
Click here for WFTV's report

This tragedy highlights several "cracks" in the system:

• An injunction is not bulletproof. It only works if the respondent respects the law and is afraid of going to jail.
• Just because an injunction prohibits the respondent from having a firearm, it doesn't mean he or she will comply.
• Victims of dating/domestic violence need a safety plan when leaving a relationship. For some, an injunction might not be advisable. They need to seek assistance from trained advocates at their local DV shelter.
• Domestic/Dating violence doesn't happen only in private. Ms. Shelmire's co-workers and the patrons at the store were undoubtedly traumatized by Morales' actions.
• Employers need a comprehensive DV policy for the workplace. 
• For whatever reason, the perpetrator was not arrested for violating the injunction on previous occasions. If the victim called for help when he violated the injunction, I hope law enforcement takes a long, hard look at why the court order was not enforced.

Do you suspect someone at your workplace, school, church or neighborhood might be a victim of domestic violence? Don't  know how to help? 


Start the conversation with "I'm concerned about your safety" and help them get connected with a trained advocate to do a safety plan. Victims tend to feel completely isolated and embarrassed about their situation. Tell them it's not their fault and that there are people who can help.


You might just save a life.

Whatever happened to. . . ? #30

The following cases were all dismissed, dropped or nolle prossed.

Orange County

David Michael Huffman
2010-CF-018047-A-O
L/L Exhibition (2cts)
Defendant, a homeless sex offender, allegedly flashed a girl <12 yrs old at the Dollar Tree in Apopka


John Earl Huntt
2010-CF-018041-A-O
Possess Material Depicting Sexual Performance by Child (11cts) 
Defendant has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years


Karen D Cerezo
2010-MM-002717-B-O
Battery DV 
Defendant and her friend, former Deputy Belinda Mills, allegedly assaulted defendant's ex-husband. Mills was accepted in pretrial diversion; Defendant was rejected from pretrial diversion program


Melissa Ann Scivoletti
2010-CF-011725-A-O
Kidnapping; False Imprisonment; Force/Coerce Another to Prostitution 
Defendant allegedly befriended the victim online, offered her a job at Wal-Mart, brought her to Pennsylvania and then Orlando with another co-conspirator where victim was forced to comply w/their demands


Neil Abraham Ramroop
2010-CF-014687-A-O
Kidnapping; Robbery; Battery DV; Tamper w/Witness Hinder Comm w/LEO 
Defendant allegedly kidnapped the mother of his children from VCC, threatened to kill her family, and assaulted her. See earlier blog regarding this case.


Michael Wilson
2010-CF-010245-A-O
Sexual Battery (Coerces Victim) 3cts 
Defendant allegedly raped a woman in a field behind a fire station near Heritage Park


Michael Reichert
2007-CF-010491-A-O
Possess Material Depicting Sexual Performance by Child (114 counts) 
Defendant is a former UCF professor who claims a  virus downloaded images onto his computer


Rosa Marie Pou
2010-CF-017909-A-O
Neglect Elderly/Disabled Adult w/o Great Harm; Resist Officer w/o Violence
Defendant allegedly abandoned her disabled teenaged son at Sea World's play area for 2+ hours


Marc W Blazejowski
2010-CF-005167-A-O
Aggravated Battery; Felony Battery 
Defendant, a police officer in CT, is charged with choking his pregnant fiancee at Disney


Robert Jonathan Walyus
2010-CF-017915-A-O
Agg Stalking of Minor
Defendant was a janitor at McDonalds in Oviedo and allegedly exposed himself to a teen at the restaurant


Leon Chisholm
2011-MM-004010-A-O
Battery DV
Defendant's girlfriend, Melissa Johnson (2011CF5835) was allegedly attempting to get away from defendant before he was released from custody for this charge. Johnson's 14-yr old daughter was killed in a DWI crash.


Michael Thomas Henderson
2011-CF-006109-A-O
L/L Molestation Victim 12-15yrs; Video Voyeurism; Solicitation of Minor via Computer
Defendant allegedly used his volunteer position in his church's puppet ministry to meet and have inappropriate contact with his victim


Luis Gonzalez-Santiago
2010-CF-016010-A-O
Attempted Sexual Battery; Burglary of Dwelling w/Assault or Battery; Attempted Armed Burglary of Occupied Dwelling; Attempted Burglary Occupied Conveyance; Stalking; False Imprisonment; Battery DV  
Defendant allegedly attacked a woman he used to live with after she drove him to meet his probation officer




Seminole County


Durand Brown
2010 CF 004144A
Neglect of Child
Defendant, a teacher at Eustis Middle School, was arrested after his 1-yr old son was found wandering alone wearing only a soiled diaper


Jeremy Decker
2010 CF 005223A
Kidnap / False Imprisonment; Possess Marijuana; Sexual Battery; Possess Drug Paraphernalia
Defendant & co-defendant Sarah Hand allegedly picked up a distraught woman, took her to their home, and sexually assaulted her


Sarah Hand
2010 CF 005223B
Kidnap / False Imprisonment; Possess Marijuana; Sexual Battery; Possess Drug Paraphernalia
Defendant & co-def Jeremy Decker allegedly picked up a distraught woman, took her to their home, and sexually assaulted her


Ronald Jackson
2010 CF 004994C
Lewd/Lascivious Battery Victim 12-15yrs old 
Defendant & co-defs Joshua Gibson & Tracy Johnson allegedly gave a 14-yr old girl alcohol & marijuana, then sexually assaulted her


Aaron Floyd
2011 CF 002263A
Sexual Battery
Defendant, a student at UCF, allegedly assaulted a woman he met online at match.com & forced her to go to a pharmacy &  take a 'morning after' pill


Timothy Cash
2011 MM 001091A
Assault DV
Defendant, a Windermere police officer with a history of misconduct while employed by OCSO & Kissimmee PD, allegedly threatened to kill his wife after drinking heavily.

Whatever happened to. . . ? #29

Marco E Brown
2009-CF-016110-A-O
Attempted 1st Degree Murder; Criminal Mischief, Aggravated Battery; Domestic Battery by Strangulation; Battery
Defendant allegedly assaulted his wife, poured gasoline on her & tried to set her on fire.
Defendant pled to Criminal Mischief, Felony Battery, Battery and was sentenced to 21.23 months in DOC with credit for 74 days time served.

Oscar Lee Davis
2003-CF-002031-A-O
Murder; Sexual Battery WDW; Burglary of Dwelling
Defendant allegedly raped and murdered a 78-yr old woman in 1988 and subsequently gouged out his own eyes while in custody - def has been hospitalized for psych issues for several years. Defendant sued Orange Co jail in 1998 claiming his blindness could have been prevented w/proper care.
Defendant pled to counts 1 & 2, Burglary count was nolle prossed. Defendant was sentenced to LIFE in DOC with credit for time served.

Victor Van Vilchez
2008-CF-002755-A-O
Attempted 1st Degree Murder; Shoot Missile Into Vehicle; Discharge Firearm From Vehicle; Aggravated Child Abuse
Defendant allegedly got into a road rage shootout with Louis Davis (2008CF2754) while driving his vehicle. Children were present in Davis' vehicle during incident.
Case was dismissed. Davis' case was nolle prossed 12/08.

Albert Caulie Taylor
2010-CF-001511-A-O
1st Degree Murder 
Defendant was arrested as a result of new DNA testing for the 1995 cold case murder of Angela Gary, a known prostitute with whom the defendant had sex just prior to her death.
Defendant was found guilty after jury trial and sentenced to LIFE in DOC.

Monique R Scott
2010-CF-006752-A-O
1st Degree Murder w/Weapon 
Defendant allegedly stabbed her husband to death at their home after first attempting to shoot him with a gun she didn't know how to operate - victim was packing his belongings to leave
Defendant was found guilty by jury and sentenced to 25 years DOC.

Demarcus Reddick
2009-CF-016599-A-O
Attempted 1st Degree Murder; Aggravated Battery w/Deadly Weapon (2cts) 
Defendant allegedly conspired to have a romantic rival shot in the face. The alleged shooter was Kyle Grayson 2009CF16486 whose case was dropped. Defendant was subsequently arrested for violating PTR conditions in Seminole County, claiming his dog bit his GPS device off his ankle and eluding police for 2 days.
Defendant was acquitted by jury in this case.

Cedric Lajuan King
2010-CF-009948-A-O
1st Degree Murder
Defendant allegedly shot his uncle to death
Defendant was found guilty by jury trial and sentenced to LIFE in DOC.

James Hataway
Seminole County 2009 CF 002737A
Attempted 1st Deg Murder; Burglary of Conveyance w/Battery; False Imprisonment; Robbery 
Defendant allegedly tried to strangle a woman who gave him a ride home from a party in 8/08. Def is a suspect in the disappearance of Tracy Ocasio.
Defendant was found guilty by jury and sentenced to LIFE in DOC

Jurors need our protection

If I had served on the Casey Anthony jury, I would be terrified about having my name released to the public. After giving several weeks of my life to the case, and making a decision that one of my fellow jurors, in a statement to the media, made us "sick to our stomachs," I would want to be protected by Judge Belvin Perry.

Watch his comments at this motion where media outlets were arguing to know who the jurors were.

This case created a maelstrom of publicity and public opinion. There is no doubt in my mind that some members of the public might feel as though they need to seek justice for Caylee and feel entitled to impose their own kind of vigilante justice upon the good citizens who did their job. There are people out there who could conceivably stalk, terrorize, or even assault the people who served our community for nearly 2 months, all in the name of "Justice for Caylee."

In spite of all the arguments for "transparency" and "justice," there is no good reason to divulge the jurors names to anyone. If they choose to step forward and do interviews, that's their choice. Not the choice of some media hounds or psychopathic citizens.

Judge Perry is rightly concerned with what previous case law says on the subject. But this issue is important enough to make new case law. It's tough enough to get people to answer their jury summonses. Why hamper the System's ability to seat a jury in high profile cases, or other less publicized but potentially threatening to juror cases?

With the abundance of personal information that's available to anyone with an internet connection, our Courts need to protect jurors from those who might be unhappy with their verdict - whether it's a high profile case or one that never made the news.

See also this interview with the jury foreman, who wishes to remain anonymous.