On Monday, for the first time in almost a year, a jury trial was held at the Marion County Judicial Center.
Some jurors in State vs. Milo Holden sat in the jury box. Others sat elsewhere in the courtroom all the better to achieve social distancing, according to a lawyer who was there.
At lunch, the courtroom was cleared so the jurors could spread out and dine. The same thing happened when it was time to deliberate: Instead of retiring to a small conference room, the jurors stayed in the courtroom and everyone else left, the lawyer said
Everyone wore a mask. When a witness was sworn in to testify, he or she removed the mask and used a face shield.
California s Calvary Chapel San Jose refuses to stop holding indoor services, defying county orders.
Its pastor said that ventilators were killing people and he d never close his church doors again.
Most parishioners do not wear masks. One called face coverings part of a satanic ritual.
On a Sunday morning in Santa Clara, California, at the Calvary Chapel San Jose, officials wearing black masks emblazoned with the county logo plastered notices to the church s main entrance.
Outlined on the flyers were a litany of punishments the church faced for gathering indoors against public-health orders, including nearly $2 million in fines, restraining orders, and the arrest of the pastor, Mike McClure.
2-year prison term, $11K restitution for stealing from ex-husband
A Citra woman has been ordered to pay her ex-husband nearly $11,000 in restitution and spend time behind bars.
Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon handed down that sentence last week to Michelle Patricia Sektor for 30 counts of dealing in stolen property and 29 counts of give false verification of ownership to pawn broker. Prosecutors dropped a charge of grand theft from a person older than 65.
The plea deal was struck by Sektor s lawyer, Andy Pozzuto of Alavi & Pzzuto, an Ocala law firm, and the State Attorney s Office.
Sektor, 61, was sentenced to a two-year prison term, but will be credited with 462 days already served in jail.
Ocala man serving life sentence for shooting might get new trial
A man serving a life prison sentence for shooting a woman in the chest may get a new trial.
A jury found John Brennan Ball guilty of shooting Faith Guynn in February 2017. The attack left Guynn paralyzed.
Before trial, a medical expert evaluated Ball to determine whether he was competent to proceed. The defense said he was competent.
Last week, a three-judge panel from the 5th District Court of Appeal said the trial judge erred by not independently evaluating Ball s mental competency before he stood trial.
The jury found Ball guilty of carjacking with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of firearm/ammunition by a felon. The appellate court said Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon must take the case back and determine, if possible, whether Ball was competent to proceed at the time of trial.