Articles Posted in Crime News

Marcello Church, a football player for FSU, was arrested and charged with sex with a minor. The alleged victim had wrote a succinct and heart-felt letter which lawyers say impacted the sentencing of Church in a lenient fashion. The two page letter claimed that she “wasn’t a victim by any definition and she in fact was the ‘aggressor.’ ” The victim in this case was seventeen at the date of the incident, qualifying for sex with a minor given Church’s age.

Florida Statute 794.05 defines “unlawful sexual activity with certain minors” as:

(1) A person 24 years of age or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years of age commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. As used in this section, “sexual activity” means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another; however, sexual activity does not include an act done for a bona fide medical purpose.

Continue reading →

James Defalco, 48, was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in connection with a hit-and-run incident that occurred in the area of Longwood near Orlando. Police say he rear-ended a vehicle with reckless abandon and fled the scene. 24 year old Megan Chywski was the victim of the incident. Her vehicle was impacted in the rear left corner, resulting in her car spinning around into the median and flipping. Chywski was treated for minor injuries, amazingly. Florida Highway Patrol state that following the collision, Defalco was found on I-4 and arrested immediately.

Continue reading →

A 12 year old child from Tampa is being held in jail for murder. Allegedly he killed his 5 week old cousin while remaining in a vehicle for a few minutes as the mother of the boy went into a store briefly. The 22 year old mother came back and saw that the baby was unresponsive. The baby was officially pronounced dead at the hospital soon after. Autopsy reports show the baby died of blunt force trauma, something that startled police and the boy’s mother. The unnamed minor is being held at Cobb county youth detention center. The charges the young individual will face are murder and cruelty to children.

Homicides can be classified as manslaughter or murder. It is very fact-specific. If you are convicted of a criminal homicide, the consequences of a conviction for this charge can include life in prison or even the death penalty. Homicide is often used synonymously with murder. However, there are many different types of homicide charges. Murder, which is the unlawful taking of another human life, can be committed under various circumstances, which affect the nature of the crime and the severity of its punishment.

Continue reading →

Reanna Lynn McElhinny, 29, and John Thomas McElhinny, 32, were arrested following a search of their home following lawful police protocol. The woman was about 8 months pregnant, police say. Her husband faces the same charges as her, being possession of oxycodone and drug paraphernalia. John McElhinny had additional charges of violation of probation (VOP) in connection with a grand theft charge. In addition to those aforementioned charges for Reanna McElhinny, she had another violation of probation charge in connection for a prior cocaine possession conviction. Police say they saw open track marks on the woman’s arms. Reanna McElhinny is being held without bail on the premise of her being a threat to her unborn child’s safety.

Florida statute makes it a crime for anyone to distribute or possess drugs/controlled substances. Punishment for drug possession can depend on the amount of drugs involved. A first degree misdemeanor: includes a fine of up to $1000 and up to one year in prison. A first degree felony: includes a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 30 years in prison. Drug trafficking: can include up to life in prison and a fine of up to $500,000.

Continue reading →

Robert Chester Double, 51, was caught by authorities in Orlando after being identified as the man who has been groping girls in the water. Aside from the “Chester the Molester” jokes, Chester Double actually was a molester in this case. He allegedly would collide with girls in the water, by using the rolling waves, to pull their suits aside and grope them. Disney security eventually located the man, but investigators said it was difficult to make a positive identification on him due to the crowds and busyness. Orange County Sheriff’s Department has a video of the man in the criminal act thus making some conclusive evidence that will very likely hold up in court. Double was formally charged with lewd and lascivious conduct while being held on a $5000 bail.

Continue reading →

Seth Jerchower, 47, was charged with soliciting sex with a minor. Jerchower was caught in an undercover operation online chat. He believed he was talking with the mother of 2 children, age 9 and 11, who were being made available for sexual relations. Sentencing for Jerchower took place at the Gainesville federal courthouse two years after his December 2007 arrest. The University of Florida had not renewed Jerchower’s contract by the February deadline. The main organizations taking credit for this arrest are the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police, and the FBI. Child Predator CyberCrimes Unit was the main central command being led by the attorney general in Jerchower’s apprehension as well as other child sex offenders across the U.S.

Continue reading →

Aaron Lamar Howard, 21, took a child under the age of 12 at knifepoint and sexually assaulted her. Howard gained entry into the home by use of a key and kidnapped the child. While maintaining a knife to her throat, he kidnapped her into his truck and drove away from the home of the child. She was then raped in the backseat after being punched in the face and bound down. Howard was a family friend, the victim’s family claims. Yet they were uncertain how he obtained a key to the domicile. Howard was arrested later, after releasing the young girl immediately and threatening her not to tell anyone. He was charged with marijuana and cocaine possession, as well.

Continue reading →

Palm Bay Police Department conducted a seatbelt checkpoint stop recently. During the checkpoint, officers apprehended Travis Lee Brown, 22, for possession of cocaine, possession of controlled substance, and resisting arrest. Brown fled the stop and had to be tasered down to the ground in order to be taken into custody. While in the station he became “irate” and had to be bound in restraints in order to protect himself. Police found cocaine and oxycodone on Brown prior being taken downtown to the station. Bond was set at $4500, as well as orders for his transport back to Richmond County, GA.

Florida Statute 843.01 defines “resisting arrest with violence” as a third degree felony with up to 5 years in a state prison. The other portion of Chapter 843, “resisting officer without violence” is a first degree misdemeanor with a maximum of 1 year in a county jail or detention center. This crime is defined by the state as “whoever shall resist, obstruct, or oppose any officer … in the lawful execution of any legal duty without offering or doing violence.”

Continue reading →

After the death of John Waldo, 42, in Gainesville, FL, fiancé Monica Kraft has pushed for tougher laws regarding ticketed cars and vehicle inspections. Back in February, Waldo was found dead in the backseat of his vehicle parked on a residential road. The BMW was ticketed a whopping seven times but no one had found the body until Waldo had been missing for twelve days. A University of Florida student ended up discovering the body after closely looking in through the car window. No foul play has been detected and police are still investigating for evidence of murder.

Kraft has met with numerous city officials including the Gainesville Police’s Captain Ed Book in an effort to see what can be done to prevent this from happening again. Currently under way in city government is the enactment of an ordinance that would would require city employees to visually inspect the inside of any vehicle after being accruing three consecutive unclaimed tickets. This law would be known as the Waldo Law. The exact design of the law would be to require law enforcement agencies to run the tag number of an abandoned vehicle that is receiving any ticket.

Continue reading →

Cameron Jefferson, 38, was arrested for possession of cocaine and cannabis in Tallahassee. While he was at the drive-thru teller window of a bank, he decided it would be a clever idea to throw in some drugs with the $200 dollar deposit. Needless to say, his prank wasn’t taken lightly and officials were called in immediately. Further investigation of Jefferson’s car led to the discovery of three marijuana cigarettes. $3000 in bail was posted by Jefferson after his arrest.

Cocaine possession of any amount is always going to be a felony. Marijuana can range from a misdemeanor to a felony, depending on the amount. Sometimes a small fine will be cited to the offender and handled just like a speeding ticket. The amount was not totally specified in the article, but given the cost of the bond the amount of drugs was most likely not too large. Jefferson was arrested for possession, but a variety of other charges may come about from a drug-related incident. Some of these charges may be cultivation/growth of a narcotic, delivery of illegal drugs, fraudulent sale or possession of a prescription drug, or possession of drugs with intent to sell.

Continue reading →