Our meeting with State Attorney Bishop was informative, frustrating, volitile, and empowering.
Here's the highlights of what we learned:
1. The vet who entered testimony in the Lee case that a blow to the head is less painful the euthanasia (see Judy's email transcript of her conversation with Prosecutor Torres) is Jenny Fortune in Niceville. If ANYONE uses her as a vet, PLEASE ask her about this!
2. We have the legal option to speak or enter a statement on behalf of the victims during the sentencing. It is up to the judge's discretion whether or not to allow it.
3. It is within the judges power to prohibit a person from owning animals as a special condition of their probation.
4. Defendants MUST be present in court arraignment, docket, trial, and sentencing.
5. Complaints about judges should be sent to the Judicial Qualifications Commitee in Tallahassee, and the Florida Bar Association.
6. The prosecutors must base their arguments on evidence collected. We need to contact the Police Chief of each municipality, as well as the County Sherriff, and state our dissatisfaction with their handling of evidence.
State Attorney Bishop blamed Crestview Police for the failure of the Lee case.
7. A person can claim they are indigent and cannot pay fines, etc. There is no "line of demarcation" for indigent status. It's evaluated case by case, based on income, assets, expenses, etc.
8. Each law enforcement office has a daily "blotter" - literally an in-box where the responding officers drop their reports. News reporters dig through the blotter boxes looking for newsworthy arrests, and that's how it ends up in the papers. We have the right to do the same thing. We can find out when the reports are dropped in the blotter in-boxes and rifle through ourselves.
Here's the highlights of what we learned:
1. The vet who entered testimony in the Lee case that a blow to the head is less painful the euthanasia (see Judy's email transcript of her conversation with Prosecutor Torres) is Jenny Fortune in Niceville. If ANYONE uses her as a vet, PLEASE ask her about this!
2. We have the legal option to speak or enter a statement on behalf of the victims during the sentencing. It is up to the judge's discretion whether or not to allow it.
3. It is within the judges power to prohibit a person from owning animals as a special condition of their probation.
4. Defendants MUST be present in court arraignment, docket, trial, and sentencing.
5. Complaints about judges should be sent to the Judicial Qualifications Commitee in Tallahassee, and the Florida Bar Association.
6. The prosecutors must base their arguments on evidence collected. We need to contact the Police Chief of each municipality, as well as the County Sherriff, and state our dissatisfaction with their handling of evidence.
State Attorney Bishop blamed Crestview Police for the failure of the Lee case.
7. A person can claim they are indigent and cannot pay fines, etc. There is no "line of demarcation" for indigent status. It's evaluated case by case, based on income, assets, expenses, etc.
8. Each law enforcement office has a daily "blotter" - literally an in-box where the responding officers drop their reports. News reporters dig through the blotter boxes looking for newsworthy arrests, and that's how it ends up in the papers. We have the right to do the same thing. We can find out when the reports are dropped in the blotter in-boxes and rifle through ourselves.