Ocala courts: Five cases resolved with plea deals; sentences range from probation to prison
Five felony cases were resolved by plea bargains last week at the Marion County Judicial Center. The punishments ranged from probation to a 15-year prison term.
State v. Daniel Ontiveros-Lopez
At a change of plea hearing held on Oct. 24, Circuit Judge Pete Brigham sentenced Daniel Ontiveros-Lopez to five years behind bars for driving without a valid license.
The charge came after a six-vehicle crash that killed a woman and injured others in July 2021. Florida Highway Patrol officials said the man's license had expired in February 2009 and it was never reinstated.
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An FHP report states that Ontiveros-Lopez is not a U.S. citizen. The judge told Ontiveros-Lopez at the hearing that he could be deported once he's released from prison.
Through an interpreter, Ontiveros-Lopez entered a no contest plea. The 52-year-old man had nothing to say when asked by the judge if he wanted to speak.
The Citra man has 481 days of credit for time served at the Marion County Jail awaiting resolution of this case. His family members were present in court.
According to troopers, witnesses said five vehicles were eastbound on State Road 200 and had stopped at the Southwest 60th Avenue traffic light. A Chevy Silverado pickup truck driven by Ontiveros-Lopez was traveling in the same direction and did not stop.
The truck plowed into one vehicle, which caused a chain reaction, FHP officials said.
Staci Gautreaux, who was in one of the vehicles, died in the crash. Ontiveros-Lopez and at least two others suffered injuries.
State v. Michael James Brown
Two days after Ontiveros-Lopez was sentenced, the same judge sentenced Michael James Brown of Summerfield to a 15-year prison term.
Brown had pleaded no contest to leaving the scene of a crash without rendering aid involving death.
Court records show the 54-year-old man had entered his plea in early August. Brown, who had been released from jail on $10,000 bond, has credit for a day already served at the county jail.
Brown's driver's license is revoked for three years, officials said.
Troopers said Brown admitted to driving a pickup truck that hit and killed Karl Pulvermuller, 58, who was riding a three-wheel bicycle along U.S. 301 in 2021.
The victim's body was not discovered until hours later by a sheriff's deputy on his way to work.
State v. Rick Anthony Willet
Rick Anthony Willet was in Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti's courtroom on Oct. 27 and pleaded guilty to transmission of harmful material to a minor.
Out on bond and standing beside his lawyer, Willet was sentenced to five years of probation. The 22-year-old Titusville man also must register as a sexual offender and complete 200 hours of community service, according to his plea agreement.
A charge of unlawful use of a two-way communications device was not pursued by prosecutors.
State v. James Raymond Cress
Court records indicate that Cress was in Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon's courtroom on Oct. 24 and pleaded guilty to travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child.
Cress, 46, of Lexington, Kentucky, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to a 30-month prison term and 30 months of probation. He also must register as a sexual offender. He has 209 days of credit for time already served at the jail, according to court records.
Prosecutors dropped charges of use computer to seduce solicit lure child and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Cress and Willet were among those arrested in "Operation April Fools" earlier this year. Law enforcement officials posed as juveniles and exchanged online messages with adults who were seeking sex with minors.
Teenager's plea bargain accepted
A 16-year-old Ocala boy pleaded no contest to possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a concealed firearm and was sentenced to 36 months of probation. He already has served 14 days in detention, according to court records.
The teen, whose name is not being released by the Star-Banner due to his age, must undergo random drug screening twice a month at his own expense, testify truthfully at all court hearings and have no contact with with his co-defendants, except for his brother.
Judge Brigham presided over the hearing.
The boy, along with three others – two 17-year-old teens and 20-year-old Jarrett Allen Vining – were arrested by Ocala police officers earlier this year after a shooting incident.
Police said they were told that a vehicle drove by a residence and shots were fired from the vehicle at the home. Officers, who were nearby, stopped a speeding vehicle for a traffic infraction. Guns were found inside the vehicle and the four occupants, later identified as the minors and Vining, were taken into custody.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida judges sentence five, including one teen, in felony court
