Latest news with #StateAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
St. Johns County mother sentenced to prison for 2018 house fire that killed son
A St. Johns County woman accused of burning down her home in a 2018 fire that also killed her son has been sentenced to 3 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation. Michelle Taylor was charged with second-degree manslaughter and faced up to 13 years behind bars after her 11-year-old son died in the fire. On October 18th, 2018, Michelle Taylor, her son David, and 18-year-old daughter Bailey were at their home on Lee Street in St. Augustine when their house caught on fire. Taylor and her 18-year-old daughter made it out of the house safely, but her 11-year-old ran back into the home to save their family dog, according to the State Attorney's Office. He died from smoke inhalation and severe burns. Nearly three years later, in August 2021, Taylor was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony arson. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Investigators say she was trying to get insurance money from the house and later received a $90,000 check from her homeowner's insurance company. According to our previous reporting, fire investigators with the State Fire Marshal determined several areas inside the house tested positive for gasoline. On April 2nd, 2025, Taylor entered a no-contest plea for second-degree manslaughter in exchange for the murder charge being dropped. The arson charges were dropped at the sentencing as part of the plea agreement. During the hearing, the defense called upon seven witnesses, including Taylor's husband, daughter, and mother. Taylor herself took to the podium and delivered a very emotional testimony about how much she loved her son David. 'The day that he died, I died,' said Taylor. The State Attorney's Office called several witnesses as well. Taylor will only have to serve two and a half months in Florida State Prison, as she already served 33 months in the St. Johns County Jail. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fort Lauderdale police officer arrested, accused of attacking pregnant girlfriend
A Fort Lauderdale police officer was arrested Saturday on charges of attacking his pregnant girlfriend, then asking her to 'negate everything' when he received a suspension over the assault, according to a probable cause affidavit. Fort Lauderdale Police arrested Officer Timothy Skaggs, 39, on the following charges: one count of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of battery, two counts of tampering with a witness, and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching. He is on administrative leave with pay 'pending formal charges filed by the State Attorney's Office,' according to Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz. Skaggs had arrived at the Fort Lauderdale apartment he shared with his girlfriend of two years on Friday, the night before his arrest, where she confronted him about him continuing to have a relationship with his wife and told him she wanted to end things, according to the affidavit. When he told her he had signed divorce papers, she told him he was lying, then threatened to call his wife. He then grabbed the phone from her and pushed her down on the bed, according to the affidavit, refusing to give it back when she asked for it. At one point, he pinned her down and used her own fist to hit her face three times. When she screamed for him to get off, he put his hands over her mouth. Later, he grabbed her neck with both hands, enough to hurt her but not to block her airways, she told police. The woman's two young children were also home at the time. When she asked her daughter for the girl's phone, since Skaggs had taken hers, he also took her daughter's phone from her, according to the affidavit. At one point, when she tried to leave, he pulled her back inside by her shirt. Finally, she managed to ask her son to call the police. Skaggs had his Fort Lauderdale Police uniform on and 'was on duty,' his girlfriend said. He had left in his police cruiser by the time officers arrived at the home. That night, the girlfriend had also informed Skaggs that she was several weeks' pregnant, according to the affidavit. One killed, two hospitalized in wrong-way crash on Sawgrass Expressway Woman killed in early morning shooting near Airbnb rental in Fort Lauderdale Boca Raton High senior killed in I-95 crash hours after graduation ceremony Trump awards 'Medal of Sacrifice' to Palm Beach County deputies killed in crash DeSantis signs law that restricts when authorities can stop boaters The girlfriend did not have any visible injuries from the attack, though she told police that it was not the first time Skaggs had attacked her. She said that he had beat and strangled her in the recent past and that she had pictures of her bruises. She said she wanted to prosecute. Detectives interviewed the girlfriend's daughter, who said she heard her mother screaming for the phone and that it was not the first time 'this type of incident' had occurred, according to the affidavit. The next morning, Skaggs went into Fort Lauderdale Police headquarters to give a statement, in which he said he 'did not know why he was here' besides having been told to go in by his chain of command, according to the afifdavit. When informed about his girlfriend's allegations, he denied ever attacking her and said that she had hit him three times, rather than the other way around. He had no bruises or marks on his face, but said that 'he is 6'3 and he would not have any bruises to his face,' the affidavit states. Later, police returned to the apartment to help the woman collect her belongings, at which point she received several calls from a number with no caller ID. When she picked up and placed the call on speaker, the officer who was with her recognized Skaggs' voice. 'Call them now. I'm begging you, call them now,' Skaggs had said. 'I'm on a 180-day suspension. Negate everything. Negate everything. Say you were drinking. I don't know but call them now,' according to the affidavit. On Monday, two days after the arrest, Fort Lauderdale Police also filed a petition for a risk protection order against Skaggs. 'The alleged behavior will not be tolerated and is not representative of the men and women of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department,' Chief Schultz said in a statement. 'Despite this incident, we will continue to provide our community with a high level of service, which aligns with our values, policies and procedures.' This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
State seeking death penalty for man accused of killing a Jacksonville corrections officer
Demaurea Grant, who Action News Jax told you at the start of the month was brought back to Florida after being arrested in North Carolina for the murder of Jacksonville Sheriff's Office corrections Officer Brad McNew, is pleading not guilty. His lawyers tell Action News Jax they entered a written not guilty plea before Grant's hearing at the Duval County courthouse on Monday. During the hearing, not only did lawyers with the State Attorney's Office say they were pursuing the death penalty, but Grant gave up his constitutional right to a speedy trial. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Grant's lawyers are asking for the trial to start in 2026. Between the requests of Grant's lawyers in the state, it's likely the trial will start in either January or April. Grant has been staying in the Clay County jail since he was first brought back to Florida on the first week of May. He was put in Officer McNew's handcuffs when he got to northeast Florida. Grant is accused of shooting and killing Officer McNew at a Love's gas station near the Jacksonville International Airport in October 2024. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] JSO says Officer McNew was off-duty at the time and not in uniform, but had tried to stop Grant from attacking the woman he was with when he was killed. She was later identified as Makayla Huggins, who has pleaded guilty to helping Grant get away from the area after the shooting. Huggins is set to appear in court in July. Grant's next court hearing is set for June 16. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court records suggest probe into Jacksonville's alleged illegal gun registry is first of its kind
The State Attorney's Office criminal investigation into an allegedly illegal gun registry kept by the City of Jacksonville might end up being the first time the state's 21-year-old ban on gun registries is leveraged against a local government and or government officials. At least nine current and former city officials have been subpoenaed as part of the investigation so far. Action News Jax investigates was first to uncover how the city began logging the names of people who entered city buildings while carrying concealed firearms. The practice started on July 24, 2023, according to public records. It was 23 days after Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan took office and the state's permitless carry law took effect. The mayor's office has claimed the policy predates her administration, pointing to a draft of the policy dated June 30, 2023. 'This directive was written before Mayor Deegan was sworn into office. It was sent from a city employee to a private security firm, and she was never aware of it. As soon as we found out about it, the practice was stopped,' a spokesperson for the mayor's office told Action News Jax in an emailed statement. 'Proactive measures are currently being taken to review all city policies, the bulk of which were inherited from past administrations, to ensure compliance with state law, and we are reviewing the approval process to ensure there are proper checks and balances moving forward.' On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for anyone responsible for the creation of the city's gun-owner logs to be held responsible. 'Doing these secret gun registries is completely unacceptable,' DeSantis said. Based on records obtained through the Florida court system, Action News Jax has discovered this appears to be the first case of its kind. In our review of the 42 cases dating back to 2004 that cited the section containing the prohibition on gun registries, none of those cases involved local governments or government officials. Now, Jacksonville's apparently unprecedented case is also becoming an issue in the upcoming gubernatorial race. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'Nothing just happens because some low-level staffer did it. So that's why I feel this need to be looked into,' Trump-backed Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL 19th District) said. Congressman Donalds spoke explosively with Action News Jax on Monday. He argued that this issue needs to be front and center for the legislature, Governor, and Attorney General. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'Whoever is responsible for this, in my view, needs to be removed from office because that's a violation of the 2nd Amendment. You're not allowed to do that,' Donalds said. While declining to comment specifically on the Governor and Congressman's statements, the Mayor's Office did comment on the investigation. 'We have full faith and confidence in the State Attorney's investigation, and we continue to fully cooperate,' said a spokesperson with the mayor's office in an emailed statement. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Part of contentious St. Lucie County Sheriff's race under investigation
ST. LUCIE COUNTY − Prosecutors and law enforcement officials are investigating an issue raised by Richard Del Toro, then a candidate in the 2024 Republican primary for St. Lucie County Sheriff, regarding 'a false social media post' designed to make him appear to be a racist, records state. Former Sheriff Keith Pearson, whom Del Toro defeated in the primary, through an attorney filed paperwork April 25 to stop a subpoena of records of Pearson's personal Facebook account as part of the case, alleging a conflict of interest and also that the subpoena 'is an unreasonable search and seizure.' In court papers filed May 7, Assistant State Attorney Lev Evans argued caselaw follows state and federal rules and allows subscriber information to be obtained through an investigative subpoena, rather than a search warrant. Evans also said the issue 'is not yet ripe for State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl to request a substitution or the court's consideration of a conflict.' Evans' opinion is the potential applicable crimes could include harassment by use of personal identification information; criminal use of personal identification information; and possibly unlawful use of a two-way communication device, records state. Del Toro won the 2024 election for sheriff, while Pearson in January announced he was tapped to become senior counselor to state and local law enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security. The investigation began after Del Toro, then Port St. Lucie Police Acting Chief, in July 2024 'contacted the State Attorney's Office regarding a false social media post which falsely identified him by name as the account creator,' records show. 'This false post was designed to depict Mr. Del Toro as a racist,' records state. Bakkedahl, who endorsed Del Toro in the sheriff's contest, agreed to allow state attorney investigators look into the matter to see whether a crime was committed and to identify the person or persons responsible. A Martin County Sheriff's sergeant also was asked to help. Pearson was appointed sheriff in December 2023 by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the abrupt resignation of longtime Sheriff Ken Mascara. Pearson had been a lieutenant before the appointment. Before DeSantis' appointment of Pearson, Del Toro in 2022 had been endorsed by the Republican Party in the sheriff's race. According to Del Toro, Mario Victor Wilcox, a Fort Pierce community activist, 'circulated a false Instagram text message (attributed to Richard Del Toro) that depicted Del Toro as a racist,' records state. The text message thread included a number of other recipients, including Kenneth Nail, then chairman of the St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee, and Cathy Townsend, then a St. Lucie County Commissioner. Del Toro thought Wilcox was being used to spread the message to discredit him. Wilcox in September 2024 reported receiving the image as a text message from Jarret Romanello, identified as a detective with Okeechobee Police. Romanello in a December 2024 interview with investigators said he helped Pearson with his campaign. Romanello said he sent the text to Wilcox at the suggestion of Anthony DiFranceso, a supporter of Pearson. Romanello said he deleted the message and it didn't exist any longer. Romanello later called investigators and said he found it and sent a screenshot, which showed it originated from a Facebook account of username 'Jambar Brown.' An address that investigators reported had ties to Keith Pearson's son matched the IP address used to create the 'Jambar Brown' Facebook account. Investigators found a phone number associated with the account registration was associated with Keith Walter Pearson. Pearson's son also is named Keith and both have Walter as a middle name, records show. Evans, in the paperwork opposing Pearson's efforts to stop the subpoena, noted the investigation isn't done. Shooting outside barber shop: Police investigate after man found shot 'multiple times' in Fort Pierce Former officer arrested: Former police officer arrested after accusations he punched arrestee in Fort Pierce 'As it stands, the investigation points to either Keith Pearson, Jr., or Keith Pearson, Sr., or both, as the creator(s) of the false text message,' records state. Evans noted the investigation showed 'a high level of sophistication was used to hide the source of this crime.' He stated drug traffickers and criminals commonly use fake Facebook accounts, so-called burner phones and false registration names, and that detectives, notably those in narcotics units, often encounter these tactics. Keith Pearson Sr., he stated, was assigned to the SLCSO narcotics unit for years. Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Criminal investigation in St. Lucie County Sheriff campaign
