Orlando Thief Caught By Leaving Behind Receipt with His Name and Address

An Orlando, Florida man, Demetrius Washington, was arrested on June 1st, 2015 when he left his real name and address on a "pawn" receipt regarding copper and metal that he sold off from a local Orlando scrap yard.  This information enabled Orlando law enforcement to locate him and upon their questioning of Mr. Washington he apparently admit to not only selling the air conditioner for scraps but to stealing it as well.

The tale of Orlando's own Mr Washington is a lesson to anyone that is facing potential criminal charges, it is almost always wiser to invoke your Constitutional right to remain silent.  If the only evidence against Mr. Washington had been the sale of the air conditioning unit, it would have been hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that he was the one who stole the property.  It is true that the Orlando prosecutors would likely obtain the presumption of recently stolen property in the jury instructions, but this could be overcome by a simple explanation that the defendant merely acted as a "fence".

Additionally, without this admission by the defendant, even the dealing in stolen property charge would have not been a slam dunk.  The defense could have provided the suggestion that he may have picked up the air conditioner during an Orlando "bulk trash" night, or found it in an Orlando dumpster.  Unfortunately for Mr. Washington, he has now provided the State of Florida and my former colleagues at the State Attorney's Office in Orange County, ample evidence to convict him of: Dealing in Stolen Property, Grand Theft (could be a serious issue with proving the value), and the Burglary charge (as the property was removed from a structure).

 www.byrdlawfirm.org

University of Central Florida Crime. UCF crime increasing.

I am not going to hide my displeasure with the University of Central Florida Police Department.  During my tenure as an Assistant State Attorney in Orange County, Florida, I saw first-hand how ineffective and petty that this Police Department can be.  The recent partnership with Orange County Sheriff's Office was nothing more than an opportunity for the University of Central Florida Police to save face under public scrutiny.  The far superior and infinitely more powerful Orange County Sheriff's Office will undoubtedly take on a more active role in the UCF area.  But this begs the question, are the UCF Police really a necessary expenses? Or would this money be better used if the funds were allocated to OCSO?

As a prosecutor I saw that certain UCF Police Officers got their kicks from writing petty criminal citations and would even complain if the fine that the student received in their criminal case was not high enough (and no, the individual officer does not get any of this money).  Whereas, agencies such as Orlando Police Department, Winter Garden Police Department, and OCSO were for the most part highly effective and professional, UCFPD simply lagged behind in a major way. 

Understandably, the UCFPD does not have anywhere near the resources of the larger agencies but this does not excuse their lack of patrol priorities in the area.  Instead of focusing on Disabled Parking Permit criminal citations and marijuana and alcohol arrests, the agency would be better served attempting to thwart the criminal gang activity in the area directly adjacent from UCF. 

Criminal offenses are on the rise in the UCF area, and this is a scary proposition for college students and their parents.  Just last week, a man burst through the door of a woman's apartment and attempted to rape her.  The victim was able to fight the suspect off, but the experience for her was terrifying nonetheless.  A gang issue persists in and around the area of UCF, and without a concerted law enforcement effort in the area... It will get worse. 

Here is the link for the news article regarding the attempted rape
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/search-continues-man-who-tried-rape-ucf-student/nmNX5/