These columns list arrests and not convictions, unless otherwise stated. Anyone listed here who is later found not guilty or has had the charges against them dropped is welcome to inform this newspaper. The information will be confirmed and printed.

In the Courts ...

Posted 1/14/25

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

 

Joseph Sallette was sentenced in August to two …

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In the Courts ...

Posted

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

  • Joseph Sallette was sentenced in August to two years probation after pleading no contest to one count possession of child pornography. Nine additional counts of possession of child pornography were dropped.
  • Brunash Mergenat was sentenced to one year probation after pleading no contest to resisting arrest. A grand theft auto charge was dropped. Mergenat was arrested in Sept. 2023 by Okeechobee County Deputy Karson Reno after a high speed chase on State Road 70 West and continuing on U.S. 98. After he was arrested, it was discovered the vehicle he was driving was reported stolen in Palm Beach County.
  • Charges of domestic battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and petit theft against Cecil Vandiver were dropped in October. However, in August, he was sentenced to one year and 11 months in state prison on drug charges.
  • Drug charges against Connie Leon were dropped this week. Leon was arrested after an undercover drug operation in May.
  • Wiley Boswell was sentenced in October to four years in state prison followed by 10 years probation after pleading no contest to DUI manslaughter. Several related charges were dropped.
  • Roy Melvin was sentenced to 20 days in county jail after pleading no contest to disorderly conduct. 54 counts of violation of pre-trail release are still making their way through the system.
  • Joshua Acevedo was sentenced in December to nine months in county jail followed by four years probation after pleading no contest to two counts failure to report/sexual offender. He was arrested in September 2022.
  • Lora Gardner was sentenced in October to three months probation after pleading no contest to aiding an escape. Adjudication was withheld. Multiple drug charges were dropped. Gardner was arrested in May 2023 after she allegedly opened the door of a patrol car allowing her son to escape.
  • Timmy Lee was sentenced in October to five years in state prison after pleading no contest to resisting arrest, driving on a suspended license, fleeing, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and child abuse without great bodily harm. Several related charges were dismissed.
  • Jamaal Johnson was sentenced to one year probation and two years community control after pleading no contest to battery on detention staff. The attack occurred in October 2023 when Johnson was a detainee at a juvenile facility. He pushed a staff member and tried to punch him.
  • Addison West was sentenced in October to two months and 13 days in county jail followed by two years probation after pleading no contest to two counts battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer. West was arrested in May.
  • Jonathan Eaves was sentenced to one month and 15 days in county jail after pleading no contest to illegally harvesting palmetto berries. Eaves was arrested in August.

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.

 

 

ocso, ocpd

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