The State Attorney Sidebar

V O L U M E

SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
A message
from the
State Attorney
Recent SAO
trial victories
Featured
SAO employee
July 4th safety tips
New building
update

2 ,

I S S U E

J U N E

2 0 1 4

A Message From the State Attorney

As the Fourth of July holiday nears, please remember the true meaning behind the day independence and freedom! I am
so proud to live in this
great community and to
fight for justice for those in
Duval, Clay and Nassau
counties.
As we celebrate this
great countrys independ-

ence, do not lose sight of

the fact that freedom is not
free! It should never be
taken for granted!
The entire SAO staff
wishes you all a safe and
happy Fourth of July. And
remember - We will never
stop fighting for freedom!
We will never stop fighting
for justice!
God bless ~ Angela

Pulled From The Headlines

The SAO has some great
news to share! The SAO 4th
ranks number one in the state
for sending Sexually Violent
Predators (SVP) to indefinite
civil commitment at the Florida
Civil Commitment Center in
Arcadia, Florida. The rankings were compiled by the
Florida Civil Commitment
Center or FCCC.
The FCCC is a
secure treatment
facility designed
for those who have
been deemed
SVPs. As a sexual offender approaches their release from prison,
a full evaluation is
conducted to determine whether or
not the offender
would be a danger
to others if released. If it is
found that the of-

fender should participate in the

Sexually Violent Predator Program (SVPP), a recommendation is passed to the State Attorney, who then decides
whether or not to file a petition
seeking commitment. Ultimately, the decision to commit
a SVP is left up to the jury or
judge.
Currently, there are 575

SVPs committed to the

FCCC 57 of those cases
are from the Fourth Circuit.
This circuit also has 15 detainees (respondents awaiting trial), which is the highest
number in the state.
The statistics show the
Fourth Judicial Circuit is responsible for 10% of SVPs
committed to the FCCC. Orlando is responsible for 8% of
the SVPs. Miami
has sent 7% to
the FCCC.
Tampas circuit
is responsible
for 3% of the
population. We
are proud of the
work the SAOs
SVP Division
has done and
continues to do
in the Fourth
Judicial Circuit.

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7

PAGE 2

Justice Promised, Justice Delivered

Detarsha C. Bradley was

found guilty of PFCF, Agg.
Assault, Violation of Injunction for Protection Against
Domestic Violence, and
Leaving the Scene of an
Accident Involving Unattended Property. ~ASAs
John Cannizzaro and Brittany Mauerberger
Rodney C. Maxwell was
convicted of Kidnapping
and Sexual Battery. ~ASA
Alan Mizrahi

Chris L. Thomas was

found guilty of Agg. Assault
and PFCF. ~ASAs Matt Polimeni and Collins Cooper

Greg Mattox was convict-

Murder in the First Degree.

~ASAs Brian Brady and
Brooke Padgett

ed of two counts of Armed

Robbery. ~ASA Michael
Kennedy

Kevin L. Elliot was convicted of Sexual Battery. ~ASAs

Stacie French and Anna Hixon

Raytaurus E. Armstrong
was found guilty of PFCF.
~ASAs Avery Sander and
Rich Giglio

Corey L. Grier was convicted of PFCF, Poss. Of Less

than 20 grams of Cannabis,
and Resisting Without Violence. ~ASA Peter Overstreet

Pamela J. Wilson was

found guilty of Attempted

Michael D. Johnson, Jr.

was convicted of Attempted
Murder in the Second Degree. ~ASAs Matt Polimeni
and Chyna Makarowski

Julian Belizaire was found

guilty of Sexual Battery.
~ASA Alan Mizrahi

April R. Wynn and Jose

A. Velez were both convicted of Knowingly Participating in an Intentional motor Vehicle Crash and four
counts of False Insurance
Claims. ~ASAs Joe Licandro
and Leigh Rosenbloom

Hearings and Cheerings

Senior Division Chief London Kite was recently recognized as one of the newest board members selected to serve on the Florida Coastal School of Laws Coastal Law Foundation.
The Coastal Law Foundation is responsible for raising, managing and
investing funds for charitable and educational programs to help benefit
the students of Florida Coastal School of Law and their community.
London has been part of the SAO since 2002. In addition to prosecuting complicated murder cases, London is responsible for overseeing other Assistant State Attorneys as the Senior Division Chief of the Homicide/ Major Crimes Division. She is also part of the SAOs Senior Management team and the hiring committee.
Since 2010, London has served as an Adjunct Professor and Mock
Trial Coach for the Florida Coastal School of Law, where she educates
young lawyers on case management, trial preparation and trial practice
skills. She is also the recipient of numerous awards including the SAOs
Sr.DivisionChiefLondon
Outstanding New Felony Prosecutor Award and the Jury Trial Award.
Kite

PAGE 3

Special Acknowledgement Opportunity

MarcusBodenschatz
hasbeenworkingatthe
SAOforthelast10years.
InJune2004,Marcus
washiredasanOPS

MarcusBodenschatz

Through all of
the blood,
sweat, and
bruises, Christi
completed the
course and
accomplished
something she
had long
desired.

ClerkinFileControl.Ayear
later,hebecameafull
timeClerkinFileControl,
whereheorganizedand
maintainedtheoffices
casefiles.

SinceJuly2012,Marcus
hasworkedasaComputer
OperatorintheSAOsCom
puterDivision.

Behind The Badge

For years, Christi Petrie
dreamed of becoming a certified law enforcement officer.
Now, after nine long months
of training, we are excited to
say that she has accomplished this decades long
goal! Recently, Christi successfully completed the Saint
Johns River Colleges
(SJRC) police academy and
is now the SAOs newest investigator.
Christi got her start in the
criminal justice system in
1976 working as an investigator for the Public Defenders
Office. During that time, she
tried to go through the police
academy, but being a petite
woman, Christi was told that
she was too little to complete such a rigorous program.
After leaving the Public Defenders office, Christi became a mother and spent her
time raising her children, vol-

unteering, and coaching cheerleading. Then, in 2009, she

joined the SAO as an Investigative Support Specialist.
Christi saw this as a second
chance to prove that she had
what it took to become a law
enforcement officer.
Christi spent her own money
and hours of her personal time
each night going to train at the
academy, after having worked
an 8-hour day. Standing just 5
feet tall, Christi had to work
extra hard to prove that she
was just as capable as one of
the guys. She endured some of
the most physically and mentally demanding tasks that she
had ever faced in her entire
life, including defensive tactics
training, timed firearms courses, and driving exercises.
Many people dont realize how
much it takes to become a law
enforcement officer, she says.
I have the upmost respect for
our boys in blue.

On The Move

We are excited to report that progress is being made on the new

building!
Since our last update,
work is nearing completion on the walkover and
the interior is really starting to take shape. Walls

are going up, tile is being

installed and the wood
has been restored to its
original beauty. The historic courtroom and law
library are also close to
completion.
In the next month or so,
we will begin taking group

Through all of the blood,

sweat, and bruises, Christi
completed the course and
accomplished something she
had long desired. It was with
her determination and support from her friends and
family that allowed Christi to
persevere.
Now as a law enforcement
officer, Christi hopes to be
able to better assist in proactive investigations that help
get guns and drugs off the
streets of Jacksonville.

trips over to look at the

new building to become
familiar with the space
and to assist in getting
ready for the move.
The move-in date is
still planned for December 2014.

PAGE 4

SafetyZone
Safety psfortheJuly4thholiday

Thesafestwaytoenjoyfireworksistoa endapublicshowconductedbyprofessionals.Ifyoudecide
toputonyourownfireworksshow,makesureyoutakeextremesafetymeasureslikewearingeyepro
tec onwhenligh ngfireworksandkeepingasupplyofwatercloseby.

Donotaimfireworksatpeople,animals,vehicles,orotherobjects.Also,remembertolightonlyone
fireworkata me,andneverrelightadud.

Whenbarbequing,alwayssupervisethegrillwheninuse.Bemindfulofyoursurroundingsandmake
surethegrillisinanopenareaawayfromdecks,treebranches,oranyotherobjectsthatmaycatchfire.

Ifyouplantospendyourholidayweekendatthebeach,beawareoftheweathercondi ons.Lookfor
warningsignsorflagsregardinghazardouswatercondi ons.

Remembertopayclosea en ontochildrenandadultswhileatthebeach.Eventhemostexperienced
swimmercangetcaughtinaripcurrentorknockeddownbyawave.

Limityourexposuretodirectsunlight,whichisbetweenthehoursof10:00a.m.and4:00p.m.Besure
toapplybroadspectrumsunscreenandstayhydratedbydrinkingplentyofwater.

Employees of the Quarter

Congratulations are in order for two
employees at the SAO! Bobbi Bacon
in the Duval County office and Elizabeth Anderson from the Nassau
County office are the SAOs Employees of the First and Second Quarters
of 2014! These two employees are
examples of individuals who are willing to go the extra mile in order to
make the SAO better and to help out
their colleagues.
Bobbi Bacon, the SAOs Employee
of the First Quarter, is based in the
Duval County office. She started as a
Secretary in Diversion back in December
2012. Since that
time, Bobbi has
made stops on
several floors helping out wherever
she can. In the
BobbiBacon last year, Bobbi
has been promoted

from Secretary to Legal Assistant,

and now she is a Paralegal Specialist
in Circuit Court. She was tasked with
managing cases typically assigned to
two people; Bobbi managed to do the
work alone. All that hard work and
determination have not gone unnoticed! Bobbi is very reliable and efficient. She is a very conscientious
employee that has a strong desire to
excel, said Jackie Bevel, the Support Staff Supervisor.
The SAOs Employee of the Second Quarter takes us to our Nassau
County office. Elizabeth Anderson
joined the SAO in December 2009.
She started out as a Secretary in
Nassau County and in 2011 was promoted to Intake Clerk. She is currently the Secretary for the County
Court Division. Those who work
closely with her describe Elizabeth
as the best of the best receptive to
learning new things, organized and
always willing to help her co-workers.

www.sao4th.com

Shes the total package, everything

we could hope for from a member of
the SAO family, and were blessed to
have her with us. Im grateful beyond
words for all she does to make my
job easier, said Assistant State Attorney Shelley Boney Forte. Elizabeth
comes to work with a great attitude
and a smile. She is constantly striving to do her best and to find ways to
use her skills and talents to her full
potential.
And those are just some of the reasons why Bobbi
and Elizabeth are
the Employees of
the First and Second Quarter. Congrats to both! We
appreciate all of
the hard work they
do for this office!

Elizabeth
Anderson