LAKE ALFRED – Shawn Marlow was arrested Friday, Oct. 14, by investigators with the State Attorney’s Office for stealing $44,175 from his customers and failing to provide them with the goods and services they paid for.
Shawn Marlow, center, was arrested Oct. 14 in Lake Alfred and charged with scheme to defraud over $20,000, eight counts of grand theft of a person over the age of 65, obtaining property with intent to defraud and grand theft over $300.
Marlow, 46, of Lakeland, was served with a search warrant Friday. SAO investigators – joined by PCSO, LPD, LAPD and the Florida Department of Revenue – obtained evidence from his business, Ron’s Golf Carts, 1870 U.S. Highway 17-92 in Lake Alfred, in order to secure evidence on existing victims and identify new ones.
An investigator with the Department of Revenue, center, speaks with Marlow as SAO Investigator Steve Menge interviews him Oct. 17 at Ron’s Golf Carts in Lake Alfred.
The Department of Revenue has been looking into Marlow because his company has failed to remit sales taxes since 2014.
Over the past two years, Marlow has taken money and property from customers at his business, promising that he would either repair their broken golf carts or deliver a new one. As months passed and customers began calling Marlow to check on the status of their cart, they received a myriad of excuses as to why their order had not been completed.
In some cases, Marlow deposited checks the same day they were received. One case shows he deposited a check 15 minutes after he received it.
Shawn Marlow, 46, of Lakeland, was arrested Oct. 14 and given a $15,000 bond. He bonded out of jail the following day.
Victims referred to Marlow as a “crook” and the “biggest con artist.” The majority of Marlow’s victims were elderly and were not repaid.
Some of the victims grew tired of waiting and listening to Marlow’s excuses, so they contacted law enforcement. PCSO and LAPD were able to get $25,350 of the stolen funds returned to victims.
If you believe you are one of Marlow’s victims, please contact SAO Investigator Steve Menge at 863-534-4920 or smenge@sao10.com. The investigation is ongoing.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Shawn-Marlow.jpg600480Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2016-10-21 19:01:012017-07-06 20:14:53SAO INVESTIGATION: Golf cart shop used as front for fraud
Reginald Leon Streeter was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
Reginald Streeter, 21, was given two consecutive life sentences Monday. He had been convicted twice of robbery with a firearm prior to this incident.
Streeter, 21, of Lake Wales, was convicted by a jury in August of burglary of a dwelling with an assault while armed, attempted robbery with a firearm, resisting officers without violence while wearing a mask, giving false info to law enforcement and possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia.
He kicked down the front door to a Winter Haven home and attempted to enter the victims’ bedroom, threatening to shoot through the door if they didn’t open it. While the victims kept the door barricaded, Streeter’s accomplice broke through their bedroom window with the butt of a shotgun.
The victims were held at gunpoint, and Streeter said he would kill them unless they gave him money. The male victim was taken into the living room at gunpoint by Streeter, and when the female victim was escorted into the living room by the accomplice, she saw Streeter run out of the back door.
Law enforcement was in the area working a burglary when they heard the window break. They arrived at the Winter Haven home in time to see Streeter run out of the residence with a silver firearm in his hand.
Streeter swam across a retention pond and was found hiding underneath a car.
He had been convicted twice of robbery with a firearm and was out of prison less than 60 days when the incident occurred. Because Streeter is a habitual violent offender, Assistant State Attorney Michael Nutter asked Judge Kelly Butz for the maximum sentence, and she granted his request.
Streeter was given two consecutive life sentences for count one and two: burglary of a dwelling with an assault while armed and attempted robbery with a firearm.
Timothy Baroody admitted he was in a bad mood and was tired of cars passing his semi in a no passing zone.
Timothy Baroody, 58, of Orange City, was found guilty Friday of aggravated assault, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The victims attempted to pass the semi a few times on Nov. 20, 2014, and Baroody blocked them with his vehicle before forcing theirs off the roadway. The victim gained control and entered the roadway, stopped the car and Baroody slammed into the back of the car, pushing it while one of the victims was still inside.
A jury found 58-year-old Baroody guilty Friday of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
While the weapon – an 80,000 pound 18-wheel tractor trailer – was somewhat unconventional, Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson argued that didn’t make it any more or less deadly.
In his opening statement, Johnson told jurors Baroody’s actions could be summed up with a simple phrase: road rage.
Baroody testified that the victim’s attempt to pass him made him angry because they had an opportunity to pass him in a passing zone but chose not to. When questioned by Johnson, Baroody admitted to taking matters into his own hands by repeatedly blocking them with his semi and then running them off the road.
“It was a dumb thing to do,” Baroody admitted from the stand Friday.
After running the car off the road, the victim pulled back into the right lane and stopped the car in front of the semi, where the driver exited the vehicle. Baroody hit their car and pushed it out of the way, causing the passenger to jump out while the vehicles were in motion.
“I wasn’t going to wait for them,” Baroody said in his 911 call, which was played for the jury in court.
He claimed he had no choice since tractor trailer drivers are taught not to back up on a highway. Baroody said this is because drivers have difficulty seeing what’s behind them and may hit an approaching vehicle.
“Didn’t you know that day with absolute certainty that you would hit a car if you went forward?” Johnson asked, adding that hitting a car was a mere possibility if Baroody had chosen to back up instead.
Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson points to evidence on a screen during trial Friday at the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow. Jurors deliberated for about an hour before returning with a guilty verdict.
“Yes,” Baroody replied.
Jurors found him guilty after about an hour of deliberation. Baroody will be sentenced Oct. 24 by Judge Yancey.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Timothy-Baroody.jpg480400Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2016-10-18 20:14:592017-07-06 20:17:20JURY VERDICT: Man guilty of aggravated assault with semi-truck
Willie Charles Jones, 19, of Kissimmee, was convicted of attempted manslaughter by act and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. Jones was convicted Sept. 29 for an incident that occurred in July 2015 where he got angry at a driver, followed him home and fired two shots at him.
Assistant State Attorney Melissa Gravitt renacts how Jones fired his weapon into the air during closing statements Thursday.
In her closing statement, Assistant State Attorney Melissa Gravitt reiterated Jones’ testimony in which he admitted he could’ve kept driving but didn’t. Gravitt reminded jurors that Jones chose to follow the victim home and confront him.
Jones pulled up in front of the victim’s house and got out of the vehicle while shouting, so the victim grabbed a golf club from his garage to protect himself. Jones got back in the vehicle and pulled away from the home but stopped at the end of the street to fire two rounds at the victim.
Gravitt reminded jurors that the victim heard the first shot and then turned around to see Jones with a gun pointed at him. He then saw Jones fire a second shot.
Jurors deliberated for about an hour before returning a guilty verdict. Jones will be sentenced Nov. 10 by Judge Kevin Abdoney.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Willie-Jones.jpg480400Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2016-10-10 19:53:282017-07-06 20:19:57JURY VERDICT: Kissimmee man found guilty of attempted manslaughter
Jurors found 24-year-old Benjamin Smiley guilty Thursday of killing a Lakeland man, making it the second time he’s been convicted of murder in less than a year.
Benjamin Smiley
After deliberating for about six hours, the jury found Smiley guilty of first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault and burglary of a dwelling.
At gunpoint, Smiley had the victim’s stepson take him into the home and to the bedroom where the safe was. The home invasion turned into a homicide when Smiley shot 58-year-old Clifford Drake two times – once in the hip and again in the chest – after demanding he give him the location of the safe.
Drake fell to the floor, and Smiley then pointed the gun at Drake’s stepson – who witnessed the murder – and demanded he get on the ground. Smiley fled from the residence.
In November of 2015, Smiley was also convicted of first degree murder for a similar home invasion shooting Lakeland that resulted in the death of 46-year-old Carmen Riley.
While prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in both cases, Smiley’s sentencing will be delayed until the Florida Supreme Court makes a final decision regarding the state’s death penalty.
During the 6-day trial, Smiley testified that he wasn’t in Lakeland at the time of the 2013 shooting and that he was unsure whether he owned the backpack and hoodie law enforcement recovered, both of which had his DNA on them.
“It’s bad luck that you’re in the homicide investigation?” Assistant State Attorney Kristie Ducharme asked Smiley as he sat on the witness stand Thursday. “Is it sheer coincidence that your DNA was on several (items)?”
“No, it is not,” Smiley replied.
Assistant State Attorney Kristie Ducharme. (FILE PHOTO)
He also claimed that every witness who’d placed him at the scene of the crime lied and that he couldn’t remember where he was or what he was doing the night or the murder.
“The person who has the most to lose on the outcome of case is you,” Ducharme told Smiley. “You have the greatest motive to ensure the jury believes what you’re saying.”
When Smiley was asked by Ducharme if those statements were correct, he hesitated then agreed.
In her closing statement, Ducharme reminded jurors that the eyewitness account and DNA weren’t the only pieces of concrete evidence linking Smiley to Drake’s murder. Cell phone records show Smiley making a call just after Drake was shot, placing him at the scene.
Benjamin Smiley is either the most unlucky person on the planet, Ducharme said in her closing statement, or he is the person who murdered Clifford Drake in front of his stepson. She reminded jurors that the mountain of evidence presented in trial proved that Smiley killed Drake.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Smiley.jpg480400Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2016-10-10 19:49:422017-07-06 20:22:09JURY VERDICT: Man convicted of murder for second time
Gary Carroll was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for striking and killing a bicyclist and leaving the scene.
Carroll, 48, of Lakeland, struck and killed the 32-year-old victim, left the scene of the crash and removed the physical evidence from his vehicle. He was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 22 and was sentenced by Judge Sharon Franklin on Friday.
Gary Carroll stands in court with his lawyer Friday, Sept. 30, as he waits to be sentenced by Judge Sharon Franklin. Carroll was found guilty of his charges in August.
In a letter that Carroll wrote to the judge, he told her he struggled with his health and asked for her leniency. He said his heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim.
But Carroll wasn’t the only one with a letter.
The victim’s 7-year-old daughter wrote one to Franklin as well.
Her letter talked about how her father would take her to the market and buy her stuffed animals. While she said she forgave Carroll because it was the right thing to do, she asked the judge to send him to jail “so no other kids don’t have their dads.”
Other family members talked about the victim’s devotion to his daughter and how he would ride his bicycle from Lake Wales to Bartow after work every night so he could be with his daughter. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss an opportunity to spend time with her.
Carroll’s attorney asked that Franklin show leniency because of his health, stating that he didn’t think it would be justice for Carroll to die in prison.
But Assistant State Attorney J.C. Hill countered by saying Carroll’s actions – both by leaving the scene with death and tampering with evidence – were an effort to take justice away from the victim’s family.
“This defendant tried to avoid the consequences,” Hill said. “He tried to snatch justice from this family who lost a loved one.”
After the sentencing, the victim’s family members embraced each other as Carroll was removed from the courtroom.
https://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CarrollSentencing.jpg27894184Kaitlyn Pearsonhttps://www.sao10.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Office-of-the-State-Attorney-10th-Judicial-Circuit-Logo.pngKaitlyn Pearson2016-10-04 19:46:542017-07-06 20:23:22SENTENCING UPDATE: Carroll sentenced to 20 years
SAO INVESTIGATION: Golf cart shop used as front for fraud
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonLAKE ALFRED – Shawn Marlow was arrested Friday, Oct. 14, by investigators with the State Attorney’s Office for stealing $44,175 from his customers and failing to provide them with the goods and services they paid for.
Shawn Marlow, center, was arrested Oct. 14 in Lake Alfred and charged with scheme to defraud over $20,000, eight counts of grand theft of a person over the age of 65, obtaining property with intent to defraud and grand theft over $300.
An SAO investigation revealed complaints on Marlow had been filed with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office , Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department (LakelandPD) and Lake Alfred Police Department. LAPD alerted the SAO to Marlow’s activity in September, and a total of 13 victims have been identified so far.
Marlow, 46, of Lakeland, was served with a search warrant Friday. SAO investigators – joined by PCSO, LPD, LAPD and the Florida Department of Revenue – obtained evidence from his business, Ron’s Golf Carts, 1870 U.S. Highway 17-92 in Lake Alfred, in order to secure evidence on existing victims and identify new ones.
An investigator with the Department of Revenue, center, speaks with Marlow as SAO Investigator Steve Menge interviews him Oct. 17 at Ron’s Golf Carts in Lake Alfred.
The Department of Revenue has been looking into Marlow because his company has failed to remit sales taxes since 2014.
Over the past two years, Marlow has taken money and property from customers at his business, promising that he would either repair their broken golf carts or deliver a new one. As months passed and customers began calling Marlow to check on the status of their cart, they received a myriad of excuses as to why their order had not been completed.
In some cases, Marlow deposited checks the same day they were received. One case shows he deposited a check 15 minutes after he received it.
Shawn Marlow, 46, of Lakeland, was arrested Oct. 14 and given a $15,000 bond. He bonded out of jail the following day.
Victims referred to Marlow as a “crook” and the “biggest con artist.” The majority of Marlow’s victims were elderly and were not repaid.
Some of the victims grew tired of waiting and listening to Marlow’s excuses, so they contacted law enforcement. PCSO and LAPD were able to get $25,350 of the stolen funds returned to victims.
If you believe you are one of Marlow’s victims, please contact SAO Investigator Steve Menge at 863-534-4920 or smenge@sao10.com. The investigation is ongoing.
SENTENCING UPDATE: Habitual offender sentenced
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonReginald Leon Streeter was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
Reginald Streeter, 21, was given two consecutive life sentences Monday. He had been convicted twice of robbery with a firearm prior to this incident.
Streeter, 21, of Lake Wales, was convicted by a jury in August of burglary of a dwelling with an assault while armed, attempted robbery with a firearm, resisting officers without violence while wearing a mask, giving false info to law enforcement and possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia.
He kicked down the front door to a Winter Haven home and attempted to enter the victims’ bedroom, threatening to shoot through the door if they didn’t open it. While the victims kept the door barricaded, Streeter’s accomplice broke through their bedroom window with the butt of a shotgun.
The victims were held at gunpoint, and Streeter said he would kill them unless they gave him money. The male victim was taken into the living room at gunpoint by Streeter, and when the female victim was escorted into the living room by the accomplice, she saw Streeter run out of the back door.
Law enforcement was in the area working a burglary when they heard the window break. They arrived at the Winter Haven home in time to see Streeter run out of the residence with a silver firearm in his hand.
Streeter swam across a retention pond and was found hiding underneath a car.
He had been convicted twice of robbery with a firearm and was out of prison less than 60 days when the incident occurred. Because Streeter is a habitual violent offender, Assistant State Attorney Michael Nutter asked Judge Kelly Butz for the maximum sentence, and she granted his request.
Streeter was given two consecutive life sentences for count one and two: burglary of a dwelling with an assault while armed and attempted robbery with a firearm.
JURY VERDICT: Man guilty of aggravated assault with semi-truck
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonTimothy Baroody admitted he was in a bad mood and was tired of cars passing his semi in a no passing zone.
Timothy Baroody, 58, of Orange City, was found guilty Friday of aggravated assault, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The victims attempted to pass the semi a few times on Nov. 20, 2014, and Baroody blocked them with his vehicle before forcing theirs off the roadway. The victim gained control and entered the roadway, stopped the car and Baroody slammed into the back of the car, pushing it while one of the victims was still inside.
A jury found 58-year-old Baroody guilty Friday of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
While the weapon – an 80,000 pound 18-wheel tractor trailer – was somewhat unconventional, Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson argued that didn’t make it any more or less deadly.
In his opening statement, Johnson told jurors Baroody’s actions could be summed up with a simple phrase: road rage.
Baroody testified that the victim’s attempt to pass him made him angry because they had an opportunity to pass him in a passing zone but chose not to. When questioned by Johnson, Baroody admitted to taking matters into his own hands by repeatedly blocking them with his semi and then running them off the road.
“It was a dumb thing to do,” Baroody admitted from the stand Friday.
After running the car off the road, the victim pulled back into the right lane and stopped the car in front of the semi, where the driver exited the vehicle. Baroody hit their car and pushed it out of the way, causing the passenger to jump out while the vehicles were in motion.
“I wasn’t going to wait for them,” Baroody said in his 911 call, which was played for the jury in court.
He claimed he had no choice since tractor trailer drivers are taught not to back up on a highway. Baroody said this is because drivers have difficulty seeing what’s behind them and may hit an approaching vehicle.
“Didn’t you know that day with absolute certainty that you would hit a car if you went forward?” Johnson asked, adding that hitting a car was a mere possibility if Baroody had chosen to back up instead.
Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson points to evidence on a screen during trial Friday at the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow. Jurors deliberated for about an hour before returning with a guilty verdict.
“Yes,” Baroody replied.
Jurors found him guilty after about an hour of deliberation. Baroody will be sentenced Oct. 24 by Judge Yancey.
JURY VERDICT: Kissimmee man found guilty of attempted manslaughter
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonWillie Charles Jones, 19, of Kissimmee, was convicted of attempted manslaughter by act and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. Jones was convicted Sept. 29 for an incident that occurred in July 2015 where he got angry at a driver, followed him home and fired two shots at him.
Assistant State Attorney Melissa Gravitt renacts how Jones fired his weapon into the air during closing statements Thursday.
In her closing statement, Assistant State Attorney Melissa Gravitt reiterated Jones’ testimony in which he admitted he could’ve kept driving but didn’t. Gravitt reminded jurors that Jones chose to follow the victim home and confront him.
Jones pulled up in front of the victim’s house and got out of the vehicle while shouting, so the victim grabbed a golf club from his garage to protect himself. Jones got back in the vehicle and pulled away from the home but stopped at the end of the street to fire two rounds at the victim.
Gravitt reminded jurors that the victim heard the first shot and then turned around to see Jones with a gun pointed at him. He then saw Jones fire a second shot.
Jurors deliberated for about an hour before returning a guilty verdict. Jones will be sentenced Nov. 10 by Judge Kevin Abdoney.
JURY VERDICT: Man convicted of murder for second time
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonJurors found 24-year-old Benjamin Smiley guilty Thursday of killing a Lakeland man, making it the second time he’s been convicted of murder in less than a year.
Benjamin Smiley
After deliberating for about six hours, the jury found Smiley guilty of first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault and burglary of a dwelling.
At gunpoint, Smiley had the victim’s stepson take him into the home and to the bedroom where the safe was. The home invasion turned into a homicide when Smiley shot 58-year-old Clifford Drake two times – once in the hip and again in the chest – after demanding he give him the location of the safe.
Drake fell to the floor, and Smiley then pointed the gun at Drake’s stepson – who witnessed the murder – and demanded he get on the ground. Smiley fled from the residence.
In November of 2015, Smiley was also convicted of first degree murder for a similar home invasion shooting Lakeland that resulted in the death of 46-year-old Carmen Riley.
While prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in both cases, Smiley’s sentencing will be delayed until the Florida Supreme Court makes a final decision regarding the state’s death penalty.
During the 6-day trial, Smiley testified that he wasn’t in Lakeland at the time of the 2013 shooting and that he was unsure whether he owned the backpack and hoodie law enforcement recovered, both of which had his DNA on them.
“It’s bad luck that you’re in the homicide investigation?” Assistant State Attorney Kristie Ducharme asked Smiley as he sat on the witness stand Thursday. “Is it sheer coincidence that your DNA was on several (items)?”
“No, it is not,” Smiley replied.
Assistant State Attorney Kristie Ducharme. (FILE PHOTO)
He also claimed that every witness who’d placed him at the scene of the crime lied and that he couldn’t remember where he was or what he was doing the night or the murder.
“The person who has the most to lose on the outcome of case is you,” Ducharme told Smiley. “You have the greatest motive to ensure the jury believes what you’re saying.”
When Smiley was asked by Ducharme if those statements were correct, he hesitated then agreed.
In her closing statement, Ducharme reminded jurors that the eyewitness account and DNA weren’t the only pieces of concrete evidence linking Smiley to Drake’s murder. Cell phone records show Smiley making a call just after Drake was shot, placing him at the scene.
Benjamin Smiley is either the most unlucky person on the planet, Ducharme said in her closing statement, or he is the person who murdered Clifford Drake in front of his stepson. She reminded jurors that the mountain of evidence presented in trial proved that Smiley killed Drake.
SENTENCING UPDATE: Carroll sentenced to 20 years
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonGary Carroll was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for striking and killing a bicyclist and leaving the scene.
Carroll, 48, of Lakeland, struck and killed the 32-year-old victim, left the scene of the crash and removed the physical evidence from his vehicle. He was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 22 and was sentenced by Judge Sharon Franklin on Friday.
Gary Carroll stands in court with his lawyer Friday, Sept. 30, as he waits to be sentenced by Judge Sharon Franklin. Carroll was found guilty of his charges in August.
In a letter that Carroll wrote to the judge, he told her he struggled with his health and asked for her leniency. He said his heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim.
But Carroll wasn’t the only one with a letter.
The victim’s 7-year-old daughter wrote one to Franklin as well.
Her letter talked about how her father would take her to the market and buy her stuffed animals. While she said she forgave Carroll because it was the right thing to do, she asked the judge to send him to jail “so no other kids don’t have their dads.”
Other family members talked about the victim’s devotion to his daughter and how he would ride his bicycle from Lake Wales to Bartow after work every night so he could be with his daughter. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss an opportunity to spend time with her.
Carroll’s attorney asked that Franklin show leniency because of his health, stating that he didn’t think it would be justice for Carroll to die in prison.
But Assistant State Attorney J.C. Hill countered by saying Carroll’s actions – both by leaving the scene with death and tampering with evidence – were an effort to take justice away from the victim’s family.
“This defendant tried to avoid the consequences,” Hill said. “He tried to snatch justice from this family who lost a loved one.”
After the sentencing, the victim’s family members embraced each other as Carroll was removed from the courtroom.