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Tag: State Attorney

  • Marion County teen who faked his kidnapping sentenced to house arrest

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    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor. He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

    MARION COUNTY, Fla. —

    The Marion County teenager who faked his own kidnapping earlier this year — which led to an Amber Alert being issued — was sentenced to house arrest for the staged kidnapping.

    The state attorney’s office said the teen, who WESH 2 is not naming because he was not charged as an adult, will spend at least one year under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

    He is also required to complete 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety course and a counseling program, and he must pay back the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for resources wasted.

    The teen was sentenced after pleading no contest to his charges stemming from the staged kidnapping. He disappeared in late September after texting his mom that he had been attacked by several men.

    The teen went so far as to shoot himself in the leg before turning himself in.

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  • New body camera video released in case of man stuck under Orlando police truck

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    Newly released body camera video shows the moment first responders worked to free a man from an unmarked Orlando police truck. We know from an arrest report that Detective Moulton was trying to pull a suspect over for having an unreadable license plate on Feb. 12. The driver, Dornell Bargnare, failed to navigate a turn onto Indiana Street, according to police. Driving onto a sidewalk and hitting 56-year-old Gerald Neal. Body camera footage released earlier this year shows the officer getting out of his truck. Chasing after the suspect. Not seeming to realize Neal was under his truck. In body camera video released to WESH 2 Thursday, you see first responders working to free Neal from underneath the truck. Based on the time on Moulton’s body camera video in the previously released footage compared to the time on the footage released Thursday, Neal was underneath the truck for about 15 minutes. Based on body camera video released earlier this year, it appeared the detective didn’t know someone was under his truck. “There was a guy under your truck,” another officer can be heard telling the detective. “Under my truck?” he says back to them. When they reply, “Yeah,” the detective asks, “Hiding?” Before saying, “OK, yeah, I’ll go check right now,”In the video released Thursday, you can see first responders working to revive Neal and talking about getting him to Orlando Regional Medical Center. But he wouldn’t survive. In an arrest warrant for Bargnare filed five days after the crash, it says his car struck Neal, but makes no mention of Neal being stuck under an officer’s truck. Bargnare was later charged with Vehicular Homicide on top of other charges.The Florida Highway Patrol was handling the investigation into Neal’s death and had handed over their findings to the state attorney’s office. The state attorney’s office told WESH 2 this week to expect a decision soon on whether more charges could be coming. That could potentially include charges for the detective involved. He is currently on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to the Orlando Police Department.

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    Newly released body camera video shows the moment first responders worked to free a man from an unmarked Orlando police truck.

    We know from an arrest report that Detective Moulton was trying to pull a suspect over for having an unreadable license plate on Feb. 12.

    The driver, Dornell Bargnare, failed to navigate a turn onto Indiana Street, according to police. Driving onto a sidewalk and hitting 56-year-old Gerald Neal.

    Body camera footage released earlier this year shows the officer getting out of his truck. Chasing after the suspect. Not seeming to realize Neal was under his truck.

    In body camera video released to WESH 2 Thursday, you see first responders working to free Neal from underneath the truck.

    Based on the time on Moulton’s body camera video in the previously released footage compared to the time on the footage released Thursday, Neal was underneath the truck for about 15 minutes.

    Based on body camera video released earlier this year, it appeared the detective didn’t know someone was under his truck.

    “There was a guy under your truck,” another officer can be heard telling the detective.

    “Under my truck?” he says back to them.

    When they reply, “Yeah,” the detective asks,

    “Hiding?” Before saying, “OK, yeah, I’ll go check right now,”

    In the video released Thursday, you can see first responders working to revive Neal and talking about getting him to Orlando Regional Medical Center. But he wouldn’t survive.

    In an arrest warrant for Bargnare filed five days after the crash, it says his car struck Neal, but makes no mention of Neal being stuck under an officer’s truck.

    Bargnare was later charged with Vehicular Homicide on top of other charges.

    The Florida Highway Patrol was handling the investigation into Neal’s death and had handed over their findings to the state attorney’s office.

    The state attorney’s office told WESH 2 this week to expect a decision soon on whether more charges could be coming. That could potentially include charges for the detective involved. He is currently on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to the Orlando Police Department.

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  • Central Florida Defendant Sentenced in Attempted Murder Case

    Central Florida Defendant Sentenced in Attempted Murder Case

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    A Central Florida defendant was sentenced in an attempted murder case after shooting juveniles riding on an ATV.

    This month, 66-year-old Michael Regalski was sentenced to 65 years in the Florida Department of Corrections after jurors found him guilty back in August.

    Regalski was convicted of three counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Firearm, one count of Shooting at an Occupied Vehicle, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence. He was sentenced to 25 years on the first count, 20 years on the second, and 20 years on the third to be served consecutively.

    “Today’s sentencing reaffirms the justice sought for the victims and their families involved in this case,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “The defendant’s dangerous actions in response to a minor annoyance led to a tragic and senseless act of violence that he will now have 65 years to reflect upon.”

    The charges stem from an incident back in April of 2023, in which Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call for service regarding a shooting that had occurred.

    When officials arrived on scene, they located an adult victim, along with two juvenile victims on an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV). The victims indicated they were riding on the vehicle in the area when they heard two loud noises and pulled over, thinking the vehicle was malfunctioning.

    While stopped, one of the juveniles indicated they felt pain in their lower abdomen, and upon reaching down immediately observed they were bleeding. CCSO officials and other medical first responders were able to stabilize the juvenile, who was then airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

    CCSO’s Major Crimes Detective Roscoe Watts responded to the scene to investigate. During this time, he made contact with Regalski, whose home was just south of where the incident occurred. According to Regalski, he had seen the ATV with the three victims pass by his property previously while he was outside his garage. He said he had prior issues with the utility vehicles passing by his property loudly at all hours of the night.

    Regalski further admitted when he saw the vehicle passing by his property the last time, he fired his Glock 40-caliber handgun at the vehicle in an attempt to deter the rides from driving by his property. When questioned as to what he did after firing at the utility vehicle, Regalski stated he secured his firearm before entering his residence to wash his clothes and shower.

    He then told Detective Watts after he showered, he viewed his home’s video surveillance camera footage of the incident. He claimed nothing was captured on the footage, but still decided to erase the footage after viewing it.

    Assistant State Attorneys Kaitlyn Mannis and Blake Shore prosecuted this case.

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  • Second Defendant Sentenced in Love Triangle Stabbing Death of Central Florida Man

    Second Defendant Sentenced in Love Triangle Stabbing Death of Central Florida Man

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    A second defendant was sentenced in a love triangle stabbing death of a Central Florida man.

    During a hearing, defendant Jaide Caporale pled to Second-Degree Murder. She was then sentenced to 35 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence in the range that was agreed upon in the plea deal.

    On August 12, 2020, a dead body was found in Geneva, east of Sanford. Once the victim was identified, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office initial investigation led detectives to Volusia County.

    Caporale had dated the victim on and off for several years. She was the last one seen with him on August 9, 2020, in Sanford.

    On August 10, 2020, Caporale drove the victim to the house in Deltona where she and her co-defendant, Marvin Bryant, lived. Bryant stabbed the victim multiple times in the head and torso before the two dumped the victim’s body in Geneva.

    Seminole and Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives uncovered an extensive amount of important digital and forensic evidence during a four-month joint investigation.

    A search warrant was executed on the car that Bryant was renting and Caporale was driving on the day of the murder. Blood samples taken from the backseat were tested and a positive match to the victim’s DNA was made by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    It was also apparent that they had cleaned up the rental vehicle and their house in an attempt to destroy evidence.

    “Love triangles never turn out good. This one turned deadly,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case after Bryant was convicted of First Degree-Murder and sentenced to life in prison in June.

    The case was investigated by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak successfully prosecuted the case for the state. The Honorable Kathleen McNeilly presided over the case and pronounced sentence.

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