Attorney General James Uthmeier[1] continues to hone in on “soft on crime policies” in the 9th Judicial Circuit, where State Attorney Monique Worrell[2] has been a thorn in the side[3] of the Ron DeSantis[4] administration.
During a press conference at a Florida Highway Patrol outpost in Orlando, Uthmeier said Worrell’s approach to prosecution is endangering children in Central Florida, exemplifying “systematic abuse.” He spotlighted “non-prosecution policies that are putting our families and our kids in great danger” regarding the “most gruesome and horrific child predator cases.”
Uthmeier referenced the “egregious” example of “a man on a park bench[5] masturbating while facing a bunch of kids playing at a public splash pad” who exposed himself.
Despite video evidence and witness testimony ensuring an “open-and-shut case,” Uthmeier said Worrell “decided charges did not need to be brought.”
“She gave this guy a free walk in the park, and now other kids are in jeopardy of having a tragic incident happen to them,” Uthmeier said.
In another case, Uthmeier said Worrell “dropped all charges” against a man who shared “tons of gruesome child pornography videos, not just images, but videos of toddlers getting raped and abused.”
The suspect tried to abscond to Canada, but Uthmeier said his Office got him again and will now push for a lifetime sentence.
Statewide Prosecutor Brad McVay[6] returned to the splash pad example, saying the case is “worth the fight” and that his Office would do the job Worrell wouldn’t, calling on the State Attorney to “reconsider her decision and do what’s right.”
U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee[7] echoed Uthmeier’s concerns, saying “every charging decision is a public safety decision,” and that a “small group of repeat offenders drive most of the violent crime in our communities.”
Lee, a former prosecutor and former Judge, invoked the example of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed in Charlotte while on mass transit, to exemplify “what happens when a system treats violent recidivists as if they are harmless.”
Uthmeier has sent prosecutors[8] to help with the alleged case backlog in the circuit, and what’s clear Friday is the tug of war continues between the AG and the State Attorney, with no final resolution in sight.
Asked if she could be removed from office as she was before her re-election in 2024, Uthmeier noted that she was “re-elected by the people” and that any decision to that end is up to the “authority that the Governor has.”
“We’ll have to monitor and see what happens,” he said.
Post Views: 0
References
- ^ James Uthmeier (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Monique Worrell (sao9.net)
- ^ thorn in the side (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Ron DeSantis (flgov.com)
- ^ man on a park bench (x.com)
- ^ Brad McVay (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Laurel Lee (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ has sent prosecutors (floridapolitics.com)