Ocala courthouse: Four felony cases resolved at sentencing hearings
From May 1-4, four cases were resolved at the Marion County Judicial Center. Here are the results:
State v. John Conard Mas
Plea: John Conard Mas was scheduled for jury selection on May 1. Instead, the 58-year-old Ocala man entered a no contest plea.
Sentence: Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti sentenced Mas to 66 months in prison. Mas has 611 days of credit for time already served at the county jail.
Charge: Unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Previous court coverage: Three men sentenced to prison in separate felony cases
Previous court coverage: Ocala jury finds man guilty of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide
Special condition: Once he's released, Mas must register as a sexual offender and submit a DNA sample.
About the case: Law enforcement officials arrested Mas in 2019 and accused him of having sex with a teenage girl.
State v. Frank Louis Calabria
Sentence: Frank Louis Calabria was sentenced by Circuit Judge Robert Hodges to life behind bars on May 2.
Charges: The sentencing comes four months after the 67-year-old Ocala man was found guilty by a jury of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity any child younger than 18 or mentally defective or incapacitated, three counts of sexual battery on person 12-18, and attempted sexual battery upon person 12 or older but younger than 18 incapacitated by an intoxicating substance. Hodges presided over the trial.
Special conditions: Calabria must register as a sexual predator.
About the case: Authorities said Calabria was friendly with a boy and, in exchange for pills, forced the child to perform sexual acts.
State v. Michael Ramos
Plea: No contest.
Sentence: On May 2, Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon sentenced Michael Ramos, 22, to 36 months in prison. He has 310 days of credit for time already spent at the jail. He also was ordered to serve two years of house arrest and three years of probation.
Charges: Ramos, of Ocala, is charged with principal to burglary of a dwelling while armed and grand theft.
Special conditions: No contact with the victim/victims, pay $1,455 in restitution, provide a DNA sample, submit to random drug screening.
About the case: Sheriff's deputies charged three people in 2018 with breaking into an Anthony residence and stealing several items, including electronics. Ramos did not enter the home, but sat in the getaway vehicle, according to his lawyer, Jack Maro.
Maro said his client doesn't have a criminal record. Assistant State Attorney Marissa Meyer wanted a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years.
The co-defendants are James Lecoyer Wilkerson and Ethan James Hurry.
Hurry, 22, of Ocala, has entered a guilty plea and is awaiting sentencing, according to court records. In 2019, Wilkerson, 23, of Ocala, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of probation.
State v. Yailisse Isabel Canizares
Plea: No contest.
Sentence: Yailisse Isabel Canizares entered her plea on May 4 in front of Herndon and was sentenced to 270 days in the county jail, along with three years of probation. She has seven days of credit for time already served.
Charges: Possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Prosecutors did not pursue a charge of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement while armed.
Special conditions: While on probation Canizares must undergo random drug screening at her own expense, undergo a mental health evaluation within 60 days, and perform 100 hours of community service.
About the case: The 24-year-old Ocala woman was shot by a sheriff's deputy in 2022 when she tried entering a local hospital while armed with a gun. Law enforcement officials previously had tried stopping her while she was driving. Canizares told a Star-Banner reporter in an interview that she was having a panic attack and just wanted help inside the hospital.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Four defendants sentenced at Ocala courthouse in unrelated cases
