Rolando Dejesus admitted to forcing a 12-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on him.
Rolando Dejesus, 42, of Davenport.
It took less than 30 minutes Tuesday for a jury to convict Dejesus, 42, of lewd molestation. He is facing life in prison and will be sentenced on October 18.
Assistant State Attorney Mattie Tondreault told jurors that Dejesus’ abuse started when the girl was 7.
The victim needed help with a school project and asked Dejesus for assistance. Dejesus said he would help the girl, but only if she performed oral sex on him.
Dejesus continued to subject the girl to sexual acts and convinced her not to tell anyone what was happening.
The victim said she was “scared to tell” and did not disclose the sexual abuse until she was 12.
In an interview with law enforcement, Dejesus denied any wrongdoing. But as the interview progressed, Dejesus began to contradict himself until he finally admitted forcing the girl to perform oral sex.
During the trial, the defense argued that the victim initiated the encounter because she was a curious child.
But Tondreault reminded jurors of testimony from the victim’s mother: “She (the victim) was not a sexual kid … She was just a little girl.”
In closing arguments, Tondreault told jurors that young children do not know what oral sex is or how to do it.
“How would this child know exactly how it works?” Tondreault asked the jury. “Kids don’t know that unless they’re introduced to it or are shown how to do it.”
“Dejesus wasn’t supposed to do it, and he could have easily not done it,” she said, asking jurors to return a verdict of guilty.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Dejesus-Mug.jpg432323Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-09-04 15:19:112018-09-04 15:19:11JURY VERDICT: Davenport man guilty of lewd molestation
Dameon Akins was mad when his girlfriend broke up with him, so he hit her and threatened to kill her.
Dameon Akins, 29, of Winter Haven.
“Death is in the air,” Akins said in messages to the victim. “Wherever I see you, I hope God be with you.”
One of his video messages ended with 29-year-old Akins forming his hands into a gun and motioning as if he was firing shots.
After 30 minutes of deliberation, a jury convicted Akins Aug. 22 of written threats to kill and aggravated stalking. He is facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 6.
Assistant State Attorney Aaron Henry walked jurors through the events leading up to Akins’ threats.
On May 12, 2017, the victim attempted to break up with Akins. Upon learning she planned to leave him, the victim testified that Akins battered her by hitting her in the head and clawing at her ears.
The victim asked Akins to leave her alone, but he kept contacting her, threatening to kill her and her family. She initially changed the locks to her home, but after receiving the video where Akins mimicked shooting her, the victim sent her three kids away, her mom moved her business out of the county, and her dad purchased a gun.
When Akins took the stand, he admitted to contacting the victim repeatedly after the victim asked him to stop.
But when Henry asked the defendant why he made videos threatening to kill the victim, Akins said he didn’t.
“I was just saying those things in the video to make myself Facebook famous,” Akins said from the witness stand, claiming it wasn’t a threat to any of the females he was dating.
After Henry replayed the video of Akins’ threats, the defendant conceded it was him in the video saying threatening things and pretending to hold and shoot a gun.
Assistant State Attorney Aaron Henry addresses jurors during closing arguments Aug. 22. Akins is facing up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 6.
During closing arguments, the defense claimed that the victim found out Akins was cheating, so she brought the charges to law enforcement because she was a scorned woman. He added that the threat was “about as credible as a trip to Mars.”
“She found out about the cheating in February, and she stayed,” Henry told jurors. “This is not a trip to Mars. This is about a scorned boyfriend who lived in the same county and made threats to her and her family … (the victim) broke up with him and was then hit by him. The threat was credible.”
Henry reminded jurors that Akins’ own mother testified that he drove a car with a gun and had access to the weapon.
“He (Akins) indicated he had access to it by making a gun gesture in the video … The victim believed the threats were real and had every reason to believe they were real,” Henry said.
“Clearly that’s his face in the video. He said that’s his face,” Henry told the jury in his closing arguments. “You only have one chance to do the right thing. Based on the evidence presented, you should find the defendant guilty of both counts, as charged in the information.”
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Dameon-Akins.jpg420316Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-08-29 15:18:552018-08-29 15:19:38JURY VERDICT: Winter Haven man guilty of threats to kill his ex, aggravated stalking
Roger Griffin held his victim at knife point, took her to an abandoned house, and forced himself on her.
Roger Griffin
After a little more than an hour of deliberation, Griffin was found guilty Thursday of sexual battery. He is a habitual offender and faces an increased sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
He will be sentenced on Sept. 28.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Swenson walked jurors through the events leading up to the early morning hours of June 7, 2013.
Griffin approached an older woman who had just walked out of a bar in Winter Haven. He asked her where she was going and offered to show her a shortcut so she could meet up with her friends quicker.
Griffin led the woman down a dark, dirt path toward the porch of an abandoned house. When they were alone on the path, he pulled out a knife and placed it to her throat, leaving scratch marks.
“Give it up,” Griffin told her.
He then forced himself on the victim.
After raping the woman, Griffin then held the knife inches from her face and said he should gut her and leave her for dead. The victim begged for Griffin to spare her life, and he left her on the ground.
The victim immediately went to the hospital, where medical personnel identified red marks on her neck and completed a rape kit. Five days later, test results from the kit showed that the DNA was a match for Griffin.
When law enforcement interviewed Griffin, he denied having sex with anyone and claimed he’d never seen the victim before. But upon finding there was irrefutable DNA evidence, he admitted having sex with the woman but that it was consensual.
During closing arguments Thursday, the defense reminded jurors that the victim couldn’t pick Griffin out of a lineup. He argued this was because she was ashamed of their consensual encounter.
“She couldn’t pick him out of a lineup because she didn’t know him,” Swenson countered.
The defense also claimed the victim wasn’t raped – just that she’d made a poor, drunken decision and regretted it.
Swenson told jurors that the victim immediately went to the hospital after she was raped so medical professionals could obtain her attacker’s DNA and identify him.
“That behavior is not consistent with someone who is feeling shame and regret. It’s consistent with someone who was just raped,” Swenson said, reminding jurors there was dirt all over the victim and scratch marks on her neck.
“She didn’t fight back because she was always told that if she didn’t fight back, she may walk away with her life,” Swenson said. “She did walk away — straight to the hospital and to file a report so she could get help.”
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Roger-Griffin.jpg417345Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-08-23 16:58:432018-08-23 17:00:36JURY VERDICT: Habitual offender convicted of rape, faces 30 years in prison
State Attorney Brian Haas announced that Auburndale Police Chief Chris Nelson will join the State Attorney’s Office as its Executive Director.
Chris Nelson
When Nelson assumes the role on August 27, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office. He will also oversee the budget, human resources, IT, facilities, investigations, records retention, and Child Support Enforcement.
As Executive Director, Nelson’s ultimate mission will be to ensure that all prosecutors, investigators, and State Attorney’s Office staff have the best tools possible to do their jobs in a professional, efficient, and productive environment, all while serving the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.
He is respected state-wide and will be influential in coordinating work for the Tenth Circuit in Tallahassee during the legislative session.
Nelson said he is excited to be joining the State Attorney’s Office as the new Executive Director.
Chris Nelson has served communities in our state for more than 25 years, both as a veteran law enforcement officer and a State Attorney’s Office investigator. His experience as a leader in law enforcement will greatly benefit this office in his role of Executive Director.
Nelson graduated from Bartow High School and began his law enforcement career in 1992. After serving several years as an officer, he became the Assistant Chief of Police in Live Oak.
He then worked for the Office of the State Attorney, Third Judicial Circuit, as an investigator.
Nelson became the Auburndale Police Chief in 2012, where he has faithfully served its citizens since then.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from St. Leo University and a Master of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. Nelson is also a graduate of the 209th Session of the FBI National Academy.
“Chris brings a wealth of experience to this position and will be instrumental in helping us to continue to pursue justice for victims,” State Attorney Haas said Tuesday. “I look forward to working with Chris as we serve the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.”
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Chris-Nelson.jpg56004000Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-08-14 13:43:582018-08-14 13:43:58Chris Nelson to become new SAO Executive Director
Judge Carpanini handed down two consecutive life sentences and an additional 160 years to Jason Bracero-Reyes Friday afternoon.
Following a jury trial, Bracero-Reyes was convicted June 20 of two counts of sexual battery with familial or custodial authority, eight counts of promoting sexual performance of a child, and eight counts of possession of child pornography.
Bracero-Reyes, 34, sexually battered a 12-year-old girl multiple times, threatening to punish the girl or tell her family if she did not cooperate.
But after more than two years of abuse, the victim found the courage to write her mother a letter containing details of the sexual assaults. Her mother contacted law enforcement immediately.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement found eight explicit videos on Bracero-Reyes’ cell phone. He had recorded nude videos of the victim during without her knowledge.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, a letter from the victim was read aloud in court.
“I believe that the only suitable punishment for what this man put me through is life in prison. What he did to me proves that he would do it to anyone else he claimed he cared about,” the girl wrote. “The only thing that might give me some closure would be to know that he’s never able to hurt anyone again.”
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bracero-Reyes.jpg437350Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-08-07 14:49:282018-08-07 15:12:19SENTENCING UPDATE: Man receives consecutive life sentences for sexually battering, filming a child
As a punishment for not finishing household chores, Matthew Baist raped his victim and beat her into submission when she tried to fight back.
Matthew Baist, of Davenport.
After less than 45 minutes of deliberation, a jury found Baist guilty Thursday of sexual battery on a victim younger than 12 and sexual battery by a person with familial or custodial authority. He is facing mandatory life in prison, which will be imposed on Sept. 14.
Assistant State Attorney Mattie Tondreault told jurors that the first assault happened a week before the victim’s twelfth birthday. When the girl tried to stop his advances, Baist hit her, causing her eye to become red.
Baist continued punishing the victim by sexually assaulting her for about a month and a half.
On May 4, 2017, the victim’s aunt learned something inappropriate may be happening with Baist, and when she sat down with the victim, the girl burst into tears.
She told her aunt that Baist had sex with her five times and would hit her when she tried to stop him. The aunt testified she recalled seeing a red mark on the victim’s eye in the days leading up to her twelfth birthday, which was in the time period the first assault happened.
The victim said the last time Baist forced himself on her, he choked her. The victim’s aunt saw red marks on the girl’s neck and immediately called law enforcement.
Detectives did a series of controlled phone calls with Baist. He did not admit to anything on the first two calls, but he also never denied having sex with the victim.
On the third call, when Baist was asked if he had sex with the girl, he said, “yeah.”
Baist sits slumped over in court Thursday as the verdict is read. He will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison on Sept. 14.
The doctor who examined the victim said she had several internal abrasions that were consistent with sexual abuse. The doctor also noted red marks on the victim’s neck from the physical abuse.
When DNA from the sexual assault kit was tested, it was a match for Baist.
In closing arguments, the defense told jurors that the victim was mistaken about the first assault having occurred before her twelfth birthday. He said that the red mark on the girl’s eye was circumstantial and could not be linked to the first sexual assault.
But Tondreault reminded jurors that something as traumatic as a sexual assault is not an event that the victim would be mistaken about.
“The first time this happens to a little girl is the first time her world comes crashing down,” Tondreault said. “She (the victim) told you it haunts her and that she has nightmares. All of the physical evidence corroborates what she told you.”
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Baist.jpg369276Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2018-08-03 15:50:532018-08-03 15:50:53JURY VERDICT: Davenport man to receive life after being convicted for rape of 11-year-old
JURY VERDICT: Davenport man guilty of lewd molestation
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonRolando Dejesus admitted to forcing a 12-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on him.
Rolando Dejesus, 42, of Davenport.
It took less than 30 minutes Tuesday for a jury to convict Dejesus, 42, of lewd molestation. He is facing life in prison and will be sentenced on October 18.
Assistant State Attorney Mattie Tondreault told jurors that Dejesus’ abuse started when the girl was 7.
The victim needed help with a school project and asked Dejesus for assistance. Dejesus said he would help the girl, but only if she performed oral sex on him.
Dejesus continued to subject the girl to sexual acts and convinced her not to tell anyone what was happening.
The victim said she was “scared to tell” and did not disclose the sexual abuse until she was 12.
In an interview with law enforcement, Dejesus denied any wrongdoing. But as the interview progressed, Dejesus began to contradict himself until he finally admitted forcing the girl to perform oral sex.
During the trial, the defense argued that the victim initiated the encounter because she was a curious child.
But Tondreault reminded jurors of testimony from the victim’s mother: “She (the victim) was not a sexual kid … She was just a little girl.”
In closing arguments, Tondreault told jurors that young children do not know what oral sex is or how to do it.
“How would this child know exactly how it works?” Tondreault asked the jury. “Kids don’t know that unless they’re introduced to it or are shown how to do it.”
“Dejesus wasn’t supposed to do it, and he could have easily not done it,” she said, asking jurors to return a verdict of guilty.
JURY VERDICT: Winter Haven man guilty of threats to kill his ex, aggravated stalking
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonDameon Akins was mad when his girlfriend broke up with him, so he hit her and threatened to kill her.
Dameon Akins, 29, of Winter Haven.
“Death is in the air,” Akins said in messages to the victim. “Wherever I see you, I hope God be with you.”
One of his video messages ended with 29-year-old Akins forming his hands into a gun and motioning as if he was firing shots.
After 30 minutes of deliberation, a jury convicted Akins Aug. 22 of written threats to kill and aggravated stalking. He is facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 6.
Assistant State Attorney Aaron Henry walked jurors through the events leading up to Akins’ threats.
On May 12, 2017, the victim attempted to break up with Akins. Upon learning she planned to leave him, the victim testified that Akins battered her by hitting her in the head and clawing at her ears.
The victim asked Akins to leave her alone, but he kept contacting her, threatening to kill her and her family. She initially changed the locks to her home, but after receiving the video where Akins mimicked shooting her, the victim sent her three kids away, her mom moved her business out of the county, and her dad purchased a gun.
When Akins took the stand, he admitted to contacting the victim repeatedly after the victim asked him to stop.
But when Henry asked the defendant why he made videos threatening to kill the victim, Akins said he didn’t.
“I was just saying those things in the video to make myself Facebook famous,” Akins said from the witness stand, claiming it wasn’t a threat to any of the females he was dating.
After Henry replayed the video of Akins’ threats, the defendant conceded it was him in the video saying threatening things and pretending to hold and shoot a gun.
Assistant State Attorney Aaron Henry addresses jurors during closing arguments Aug. 22. Akins is facing up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 6.
During closing arguments, the defense claimed that the victim found out Akins was cheating, so she brought the charges to law enforcement because she was a scorned woman. He added that the threat was “about as credible as a trip to Mars.”
“She found out about the cheating in February, and she stayed,” Henry told jurors. “This is not a trip to Mars. This is about a scorned boyfriend who lived in the same county and made threats to her and her family … (the victim) broke up with him and was then hit by him. The threat was credible.”
Henry reminded jurors that Akins’ own mother testified that he drove a car with a gun and had access to the weapon.
“He (Akins) indicated he had access to it by making a gun gesture in the video … The victim believed the threats were real and had every reason to believe they were real,” Henry said.
“Clearly that’s his face in the video. He said that’s his face,” Henry told the jury in his closing arguments. “You only have one chance to do the right thing. Based on the evidence presented, you should find the defendant guilty of both counts, as charged in the information.”
JURY VERDICT: Habitual offender convicted of rape, faces 30 years in prison
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonRoger Griffin held his victim at knife point, took her to an abandoned house, and forced himself on her.
Roger Griffin
After a little more than an hour of deliberation, Griffin was found guilty Thursday of sexual battery. He is a habitual offender and faces an increased sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
He will be sentenced on Sept. 28.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Swenson walked jurors through the events leading up to the early morning hours of June 7, 2013.
Griffin approached an older woman who had just walked out of a bar in Winter Haven. He asked her where she was going and offered to show her a shortcut so she could meet up with her friends quicker.
Griffin led the woman down a dark, dirt path toward the porch of an abandoned house. When they were alone on the path, he pulled out a knife and placed it to her throat, leaving scratch marks.
“Give it up,” Griffin told her.
He then forced himself on the victim.
After raping the woman, Griffin then held the knife inches from her face and said he should gut her and leave her for dead. The victim begged for Griffin to spare her life, and he left her on the ground.
The victim immediately went to the hospital, where medical personnel identified red marks on her neck and completed a rape kit. Five days later, test results from the kit showed that the DNA was a match for Griffin.
When law enforcement interviewed Griffin, he denied having sex with anyone and claimed he’d never seen the victim before. But upon finding there was irrefutable DNA evidence, he admitted having sex with the woman but that it was consensual.
During closing arguments Thursday, the defense reminded jurors that the victim couldn’t pick Griffin out of a lineup. He argued this was because she was ashamed of their consensual encounter.
“She couldn’t pick him out of a lineup because she didn’t know him,” Swenson countered.
The defense also claimed the victim wasn’t raped – just that she’d made a poor, drunken decision and regretted it.
Swenson told jurors that the victim immediately went to the hospital after she was raped so medical professionals could obtain her attacker’s DNA and identify him.
“That behavior is not consistent with someone who is feeling shame and regret. It’s consistent with someone who was just raped,” Swenson said, reminding jurors there was dirt all over the victim and scratch marks on her neck.
“She didn’t fight back because she was always told that if she didn’t fight back, she may walk away with her life,” Swenson said. “She did walk away — straight to the hospital and to file a report so she could get help.”
Chris Nelson to become new SAO Executive Director
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonState Attorney Brian Haas announced that Auburndale Police Chief Chris Nelson will join the State Attorney’s Office as its Executive Director.
Chris Nelson
When Nelson assumes the role on August 27, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office. He will also oversee the budget, human resources, IT, facilities, investigations, records retention, and Child Support Enforcement.
As Executive Director, Nelson’s ultimate mission will be to ensure that all prosecutors, investigators, and State Attorney’s Office staff have the best tools possible to do their jobs in a professional, efficient, and productive environment, all while serving the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.
He is respected state-wide and will be influential in coordinating work for the Tenth Circuit in Tallahassee during the legislative session.
Nelson said he is excited to be joining the State Attorney’s Office as the new Executive Director.
Chris Nelson has served communities in our state for more than 25 years, both as a veteran law enforcement officer and a State Attorney’s Office investigator. His experience as a leader in law enforcement will greatly benefit this office in his role of Executive Director.
Nelson graduated from Bartow High School and began his law enforcement career in 1992. After serving several years as an officer, he became the Assistant Chief of Police in Live Oak.
He then worked for the Office of the State Attorney, Third Judicial Circuit, as an investigator.
Nelson became the Auburndale Police Chief in 2012, where he has faithfully served its citizens since then.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from St. Leo University and a Master of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. Nelson is also a graduate of the 209th Session of the FBI National Academy.
“Chris brings a wealth of experience to this position and will be instrumental in helping us to continue to pursue justice for victims,” State Attorney Haas said Tuesday. “I look forward to working with Chris as we serve the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.”
SENTENCING UPDATE: Man receives consecutive life sentences for sexually battering, filming a child
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonJudge Carpanini handed down two consecutive life sentences and an additional 160 years to Jason Bracero-Reyes Friday afternoon.
Bracero-Reyes, 34, sexually battered a 12-year-old girl multiple times, threatening to punish the girl or tell her family if she did not cooperate.
But after more than two years of abuse, the victim found the courage to write her mother a letter containing details of the sexual assaults. Her mother contacted law enforcement immediately.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement found eight explicit videos on Bracero-Reyes’ cell phone. He had recorded nude videos of the victim during without her knowledge.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, a letter from the victim was read aloud in court.
“I believe that the only suitable punishment for what this man put me through is life in prison. What he did to me proves that he would do it to anyone else he claimed he cared about,” the girl wrote. “The only thing that might give me some closure would be to know that he’s never able to hurt anyone again.”
JURY VERDICT: Davenport man to receive life after being convicted for rape of 11-year-old
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonAs a punishment for not finishing household chores, Matthew Baist raped his victim and beat her into submission when she tried to fight back.
Matthew Baist, of Davenport.
After less than 45 minutes of deliberation, a jury found Baist guilty Thursday of sexual battery on a victim younger than 12 and sexual battery by a person with familial or custodial authority. He is facing mandatory life in prison, which will be imposed on Sept. 14.
Assistant State Attorney Mattie Tondreault told jurors that the first assault happened a week before the victim’s twelfth birthday. When the girl tried to stop his advances, Baist hit her, causing her eye to become red.
Baist continued punishing the victim by sexually assaulting her for about a month and a half.
On May 4, 2017, the victim’s aunt learned something inappropriate may be happening with Baist, and when she sat down with the victim, the girl burst into tears.
She told her aunt that Baist had sex with her five times and would hit her when she tried to stop him. The aunt testified she recalled seeing a red mark on the victim’s eye in the days leading up to her twelfth birthday, which was in the time period the first assault happened.
The victim said the last time Baist forced himself on her, he choked her. The victim’s aunt saw red marks on the girl’s neck and immediately called law enforcement.
Detectives did a series of controlled phone calls with Baist. He did not admit to anything on the first two calls, but he also never denied having sex with the victim.
On the third call, when Baist was asked if he had sex with the girl, he said, “yeah.”
Baist sits slumped over in court Thursday as the verdict is read. He will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison on Sept. 14.
The doctor who examined the victim said she had several internal abrasions that were consistent with sexual abuse. The doctor also noted red marks on the victim’s neck from the physical abuse.
When DNA from the sexual assault kit was tested, it was a match for Baist.
In closing arguments, the defense told jurors that the victim was mistaken about the first assault having occurred before her twelfth birthday. He said that the red mark on the girl’s eye was circumstantial and could not be linked to the first sexual assault.
But Tondreault reminded jurors that something as traumatic as a sexual assault is not an event that the victim would be mistaken about.
“The first time this happens to a little girl is the first time her world comes crashing down,” Tondreault said. “She (the victim) told you it haunts her and that she has nightmares. All of the physical evidence corroborates what she told you.”