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SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
A message
from the
State Attorney
Recent SAO
trial victories
About the
Families of
Slain Children victims

1 ,

I S S U E

SAO prosecutor
Signs that
your child
may be a victim of bullying

N O V E M B E R

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A Message From the State Attorney

It is this time of year that we
find ourselves reflecting on all
of our blessings. We have so
much for which to be thankful
- not just one day out of the
year, but every single day!
We live in a wonderful
country which allows us to
express our faith and beliefs
freely.
I am so thankful for the
great relationship the State
Attorneys Office has with law
enforcement here in the

Fourth Judicial Circuit. It is

that working relationship
which allows us to keep this
community safe.
And I am thankful for the
wonderful support of my
friends, family, and SAO family.
I look forward to spending
time with my loved ones this
Thanksgiving. I hope your
holiday is filled with special
moments and wonderful
blessings too! ~Angela

The Rebuttal

organization
Featured

If you have an opportunity to

visit Juvenile Court for even just
one day, you should. Everyday,
juvenile courtrooms are full of
concerning and heartbreaking
situations. You will see children
who respect no one - not a parent, not even a judge. You will
also find children who come from
loving homes that for some unknown reason have taken the
wrong path in life.
Prosecutors see cases daily
where a child has threatened to
stab their mom or dad, a child has
committed not one but two carjackings, and children who have
broken the law with a fully loaded
gun.
There are so many questions to
this troubling puzzle - where did
the weapon come from and why
would a child want to commit a
crime?
Recently, Judge Henry Davis
spoke out to the media about

these young criminals and how they

are affecting the community at large
as well as our public school classrooms. Judge Davis noted his concerns about the violence he sees
happening in Duval County classrooms. He knows about the violence because he meets the juvenile
offenders every day while at work.
Judge Davis sees firsthand the danger lurking in the community that the
public may never realize exists.
State Attorney Corey and the
SAO agrees with Judge Davis
stance on this issue. We have a
duty to protect the public from harm.
I can tell you, I see harm in my community every day and many times
those crimes are committed by
youthful offenders. I have seen it
start off with a minor offense, like the
stealing of a candy bar, and then
graduate to serious, violent crimes
like murder, says Corey.
One trend we have noticedthe
increase in juvenile females commit-

ting crimes. We have seen young

girls bring razors to school and
slash classmates in the classroom.
Another disturbing trend - repeat
offenders. In 2005, the SAO issued
a Civil Citation to a 13-year-old boy
for disrupting a school function.
Three years later the then-15-yearold committed an aggravated assault. He was also found in possession of cannabis and a firearm.
He was arrested again in 2009 for
battery on a detention faculty staff
member. In 2010, one month after
being released from juvenile custody, the 18-year-old committed murder.
The SAO is committed to helping
rehabilitate and divert non-violent
offenders, but each crime must be
reviewed on a case by case basis.
We believe the solution to this
growing problem starts at home.
Parents need to teach their children
to be accountable for their actions!

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5

PAGE 2

Justice Promised, Justice Delivered

Eugenio Valeriano was convicted and sentenced to two life
terms for two counts of Sexual
Battery . He also was sentenced
to five years for Possession of
Photographs/Sexual Performance
by a Child. ~ASAs Donna Thurson and Beverly Collins

Rondle L. Snodgrass III was

guilty on three counts of Aggravated Assault, one count of Carrying a

Concealed Firearm and one count
of Discharging a Firearm in Public.
~ASAs Brittany Mauerberger and
Peter Overstreet

Adriano Reis was convicted of

Child Abuse and Kidnapping. ~ASA
Alan Mizrahi

found guilty of Murder in the First Larry A. Gibbs Jr. was sentenced
Degree. ~ASAs David Thompson
to four life terms for three counts
and Erin Perry
of Sexual Battery and one of Lewd
or Lascivious Molestation. ~ASAs
Alexander J. Silvers was senDonna Thurson and Beverly Collins
tenced to 15 years in prison for
two counts of Unlawful Sexual
Activity with Certain Minors.
~ASAs Catherine Licandro and
Chris Bracken

Dominique B. Kelsey was found

guilty of Armed Robbery and Kidnapping. ~ASAs Jessica Narducci
and Joel Cooper

Vonice C. Green was convicted Brian J. Foster was convicted of

of Manslaughter. ~ASAs Katie
Deal and Alexis Sykes

Bernard J. Moore was found

Armed Burglary. ~ASAs Matt Polimeni and Mark Hulsey

Stephen E. Drakus was sentenced to three life terms for three

counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. ~ASAs Donna Thurson
and Beverly Collins

Tevin J. Reed was convicted of

Murder in the First Degree, Armed
Robbery and Att. Armed Robbery.
~ASAs David Thompson and Pam
Hazel

Christopher R. Berryhill was

found guilty of Carjacking. ~ASA
Sandra Rosendale

Ismet Sijamhodzic was sentenced to 12 years in prison for

Vehicular Homicide. ~ASA Lee
Smith

Montre D. Richardson was sentenced to life in prison for his Second Degree Murder conviction.
~ASAs Alan Mizrahi and Brooke
Padgett

Hearings and Cheerings

Recently,StateA orneyAngelaCoreyvisitedourna onscapitaltopar cipateinaroundtablediscussionwithfellowprosecutorsfromotherlargejurisdic ons.ProsecutorsfromAtlanta,Boston,Detroit,NewYork,Sea leandmanyotherlargeci esallmettodiscussissuessuchascrimepreven on
andprosecu ontechnology,communityprosecu onmodels,publictrustandcriminalrecidivism.
TheAssocia onofProsecu ngA orneyshostedtheday-longeventinordertostudytheuniquenessofprosecu onsinlargejurisdic onsandhighlightthebestprac ceswithineachcommunity.The
par cipa ngprosecutorsagreedtoholdbiannualmee ngsinordertofurtherthemission
ofprosecu nga orneysandtodevelopnew
andinnova vetechniquestohelpfightcrime
andkeepourcommuni essafe.

PAGE 3

Special Acknowledgement Opportunity

Steve Nelson has been
part of the Fourth Judicial
Circuit since 2009.
Prior to joining our office, Steve served as an
Assistant State Attorney
in the Seventh Circuit for
over 25 years. He prose-

AssistantStateAttorney
SteveNelson

Rather
than
allowing
this tragedy
to ruin her
life, Beverly
chose to
use the
experience
in a positive
way.

cuted all levels of cases

from misdemeanors to felonies. He also served as supervisor for the Flagler
County office until 2008.
In January 2009, Steve
joined the Fourth Circuit
and was assigned to our

Clay County office. In

June 2012, he was promoted to Director of Clay
County, which is the position he currently holds.
Steve has served over
33 years as an attorney
with the state.

Victims Voice
Families of Slain Children, Inc.
(FOSCI) is a victims organization that works closely with the
State Attorneys Office to help
provide support to families who
have tragically lost a child.
FOSCI was founded by Beverly McClain, a Jacksonville
mother of four. In 2005, Beverly
received the most devastating
news a mother could receive her son Andre was killed and
found dead in the Ribault River.
She reached out for comfort
and support, but the despair
she felt from losing her son and
best friend was unbearable.
Eventually, Beverly realized
she couldnt sit around and cry
any longer; she needed to be
strong not only for herself, but
also for her family and for others who have experienced simi-

lar tragedies. A friend suggested that she reach out to

people in the community who
had also suffered the loss of
a child. Beverly received an
overwhelming amount of
feedback, which prompted
her to begin the Families of
Slain Children organization.
Today, FOSCI is a nonprofit organization whose
mission is to serve as the
support system that encourages the emotional and physical well-being of families of
slain children. They offer services such as grief counseling, victim advocacy, support
group meetings and home
and hospital visitation.
Rather than allowing this
tragedy to ruin her life, Beverly chose to use the experi-

ence in a positive way, which

has allowed her to make a
positive impact on the lives
of victims within our community. FOSCI hopes that one
day we will live in a city
where there are no more
traumatic deaths. Until then,
Beverly and FOSCI will be
there to offer support to all
those in need.

Beverly McClain and

her son Andre

Off The Record

ASABrookeBrady,BrianPepitone
andStateAttorneyAngelaCorey

Recently,AngelaCorey
andotherelectedocials
teamedupwithstaers
fromAMIkidstobreak
groundattheAMI
schoolsnewcampus.
Whatpreviouslyserved
astheschoolsoldcampus,isnowbeingreno-

vatedtobecomeitsnew
campus.Over$359,000
hasalreadybeenraised
fortheschool,whichwill
helpbenefityouthsinour
community.
AMIkidsisana onallyrecognized,non-profitor-

ganiza onthatworks
withkidsthatfacechallengessuchasfamilydysfunc on,violenceand
drugandalcoholuseby
providingthemopportuni estohelpbecomeresponsibleyoungadults.

PAGE 4

SafetyZone
Signsthatyourchildmaybeavic mofbullying
Yourchildmaybeavic mofbullyingif:

Heorshemakesexcusesnottogotoschool.

Iso enangry,sad/depressed,withdrawn,self-loathingand/oremo onallyerra c.

Frequentlyhurtorpickedonbyapar cularpersonorgroupofpeople.

Theirbelongingsareo enstolenortaken.

Mistakestheymakeareo enturnedintoabigdeal.

Ifyourchildisbeingbullied,encouragethemto:

Beconfident.Dontbeafraidtotellabullytoleavethemalone.

Workondevelopingaleastonegoodrela onshipwithsomeonetheycantrust.

Walk/runawayifabullytriestohurthimorher.

www.sao4th.com

Setting the Record Straight

PRR - do you know what that
stands for? It means Public Records
Request. Here at the SAO, PRRs are
received on a daily basis. In fact, the
number of requests has more than
tripled since 2009.
Due to that
growth, State Attorney Corey created
the Public Records Division, which is
currently managed by Assistant State
Attorney Lisa DiFranza.
On average, we receive 1,500
requests a year, says DiFranza. In
2009, the number of requests was just
over 500. Last year, that number
reached 1,564.
You probably have seen stories in
the media regarding our cases. Many
times, those reports are based on
public records the media request from
our office.
While we strive to preserve the
integrity of every case, Florida has a

very broad public records law. The

law forces the SAO to release information we would prefer to just come
out at trial.
What you may not realize is the
media is not the only group requesting public records. Inmates and the
general public often file requests to
receive case documents. The majority of requests come from private attorneys looking for information to help
in their civil cases.
DiFranza believes the recent interest and growth in public records is
due to an increase in public education
concerning the rights to access public
records. A criminal case document
becomes a public record once it has
been tendered to the defense in what
is called Discovery. The State turns
over all evidence and information to

defense as the case moves through

the judicial process.
The large part of my day is answering questions about what is a
public record, says DiFranza. Once
a document has been deemed a public record, DiFranzas job is to review
the record and determine if any information is confidential. Protected information such as social security
numbers, banking information, and
sex crime victims must be removed
before it is released. DiFranza says
there are more than one thousand
exemptions in Floridas State Statute
regarding public records. Those who
request public records do have to pay
for the time it takes staff members to
review and redact material. The fees
collected go to the States general
fund.