In the Courts

The following felony cases have either been tried in a court of law or have been settled without trial and are considered closed.

• Shamika Richardson entered a plea of no contest in October to grand theft and giving a false statement. Adjudication was withheld, and she was sentenced to four years of probation. Richardson was arrested in Indian River County in March 2024. She was accused of falsifying statements to the state of Florida in order to obtain assistance from the Department of Children and Families.
• Jason Smith was sentenced in October to one year, 11 months and 29 days in state prison after pleading no contest to possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, possession of oxycodone, possession of alprazolam and possession of methadone. Smith was arrested in Feb. 2024 after a traffic crash. A DUI charge was dropped.
• Connie Yates was sentenced in October to six months in county jail after pleading no contest to possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Yates was arrested in June 2023 during a traffic stop. Adjudication was withheld.
• Alvin Thompson was sentenced to 18 months in state prison after pleading no contest to sex offender failure to report change in phone number and sex offender failure to report internet page.
• Jesus De La Paz was sentenced in December to one year and three months in state prison after pleading no contest to DUI with three priors, driving without a license/habitual offender and refusal to submit to a breath or blood test. He was arrested in December 2022 during a traffic stop.
• Thomas McGill was sentenced to three years and six months in state prison after pleading no contest to possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon. McGill was arrested in December 2023 by OCSO Deputy Jennifer Fairtrace.
• Jaquez Harrell was sentenced in November to one year in county jail after pleading no contest to possession of a weapon or explosive device in a juvenile detention facility. He was arrested in March 2024.
• Walter Powell was sentenced to one year and one day in state prison after pleadeing no contest in November to resisting an officer, sale of methamphetamine and dealing in stolen property. Powell was arrested in October of 2023.
• Adan Magana was sentenced to four months in county jail followed by two years of probation after pleading no contest to DUI and possession with intent to sell drugs. Magana was arrested in December 2024.

A no contest plea does not mean the defendant admits guilt. It means he/she chooses not to fight the charges for one reason or another. The effect of the plea is virtually identical to that of a guilty plea.

Withheld adjudication generally refers to a decision by a judge to put a person on probation without an adjudication of guilt. It means an individual is not found guilty legally by the court. If the person successfully completes the terms of probation and has no subsequent offenses, no further action will be taken on the case, and the offense for which adjudication was withheld is typically not considered a prior conviction for purposes of habitual offender sentencing.