After an undercover Internet sex sting led police to the arrest of seven suspects, the bonds set for the convicts have shown a notable gap, despite the men being charged with similar crimes.
According to Alachua County Jail booking logs and court records, five of the suspects were set with bonds totaling about $2.6 million. The other two suspects were set with bonds totaling $6,000.
Pierce C. Harrell, a 19-year-old UF student, and Dennis T. LaRoche, a 30-year-old Lake City resident, along with five other suspects, were arrested earlier this week as part of Operation Tailspin, a collaborative online sexual predator operation between the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments that lasted from July 18 to Monday.
Harrell and LaRoche were both charged with two counts of obscene communication and one count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to court records.
Both suspects were given $3,000 bonds — $1,000 for each charge — which they met earlier this week.
Michael Seigel, a professor at Levin College of Law, said bonds are usually set to make sure suspects appear at all pre-trial hearings and the trial, and also to “protect society from the defendant.”
He suggested the judge, Circuit Judge Thomas M. Jaworski, who handled Harrell and LaRoche’s first appearance, set the bond low based on several factors: the amount of evidence found against them, their ties to the community and the severity of the charges.
“They were the lowest guys of the totem pole,” he said.
According to Chapter 903 of the Florida Statutes on Bail, bond is also determined by a defendant’s past and present conduct, including past arrests.
ASO Spokesman Art Forgey said LaRoche and Harrell haven’t been criminally charged prior to their arrest.
For the five other suspects, bonds were set higher than Harrell’s and LaRoche’s.
Demarquarius D. Truitt, 23, and David A. Hurtt, 20, were also charged with two counts of obscene communication and one count of using a two-way device to facilitate a felony.
Both suspects are in jail with their bonds set at $750,000 — $250,000 per charge.
Forgey said Truitt was previously arrested for felony and shoplifting charges in Georgia. Hurtt was arrested in May for marijuana possession in Jacksonville.
Michael S. Smith, 24, of Chiefland, and Dylan T. Kestel, 20, of Sykesville, Md., were both arrested and charged with four counts of obscene communication and one count of using a two-way device to facilitate a felony.
As of Wednesday, both suspects are in jail with $500,000 bonds — $100,000 per charge.
Forgey said Smith was arrested in 2009 on charges of driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and a hit-and-run in Orlando.
Kestel has no prior criminal charges, Forgey said.
Seigel affirmed that despite Kestel having no prior arrests, the severity of his charges led to his higher bond amount.
Raymond E. Wortham, 38, of Archer, faces two counts of obscene communication, one count of using a two-way device to facilitate a felony and driving with a suspended license.
Wortham’s bond was set at $100,000 — $25,000 per charge.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections’ website, Wortham served two prison sentences for attempted sexual battery of a victim younger than 12 years old.
Jowarski’s decision to set Harrell’s and LaRoche’s low bonds has drawn disagreement from the State Attorney’s Office.
Bill Cervone, state attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, said his staff objected to the low bonds, saying they did not correspond with the charges.
“This is a decision made by the judge,” he said. “We respectively disagreed and urged to him that was not an appropriate amount.”
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
