Ocala courts: Man withdraws plea in sex case; another has bail reduced on weapons charge
Last month, to resolve a pending sex crime case, Dontay Akeem Prophet entered a no contest plea to a reduced charge as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to one year of probation.
On Wednesday, Prophet, present with his new lawyer, Eneid Bano, changed his mind and withdrew his plea. According to a defense motion, Prophet is alleging that he was "misinformed" by his lawyer at the time of his plea and that his decision was thus "involuntary."
Court records show Prophet was represented at the time of sentencing by Kenneth Hamburg, an assistant regional counsel from the Office of Criminal Conflict & Civil Regional Counsel.
In court: Two men sentenced in state court, a third awaits sentencing in federal court
Guilty: Man guilty of lewd/lascivious battery
Cases before the court: Four felony cases resolved with plea deals. One involved an ex-OPD officer
Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti told Prophet and Bano that, with the withdrawal, Prophet's case will now be considered as a felony sexual offense.
A date for an evidentiary hearing for Prophet's motion will be held at another time.
If convicted of the sex charge, Prophet could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. Assistant State Attorney Barbara Harris was present in court for the prosecution.
Prophet, a former school board candidate who works for the school system, was arrested in 2019 and accused of lewd//lascivious molestation of a child. Ocala police officials were told that Prophet reportedly inappropriately touched the victim.
School officials said the 31-year-old Ocala man, who's currently free on bond, is presently suspended without pay.
State v. DJ Roberts
A few hours after that hearing, Donald Lorenzo "DJ" Roberts appeared in front of Circuit Judge Peter Brigham on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The charge stemmed from an Oct. 2, 2021 shooting where Roberts shot and killed Searron Brooks Sr. along Southwest Fort King Street, according to Ocala police officials.
After the shooting, Roberts fled and could not be found by officers. Roberts, of Ocala, who turns 34 on Friday, was taken into custody in April.
The case was reviewed by the State Attorney's Office. Prosecutors eventually ruled that the shooting was self-defense.
Interviews conducted by law enforcement officials show there was an argument between Brooks and a woman. Officials were told that the headlights of a vehicle the woman was driving accidently shined into Brooks' residence.
Upset, witnesses said, Brooks came outside. Authorities said that after arguing with the woman, Brooks returned to his residence.
The witnesses said Brooks had one hand behind his back, as if he had a weapon. There was a confrontation, and Brooks pointed a gun at Roberts and other people gathered at the scene, mainly women, according to a prosecutor's report.
Roberts fired several shots, one of them hitting Brooks in the chest, officials said. Brooks was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
Although prosecutors decided not to charge Roberts with murder, he does face an offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. State and local records indicate he has several prior convictions.
At the hearing, Assistant Public Defender Debra Lee Hart Munchel argued that Roberts has significant ties to the community and that his current $200,000 bond was excessive.
Assistant State Attorney Cindy Harper told the judge that Roberts has a violent criminal history and is presently facing another weapons charge from 2020. She said he's a danger to the community and mentioned Brooks' shooting death.
Roberts told the judge from the Marion County Jail, via Zoom, that he's not a danger and wants to get out so he can support his mother and his son.
The judge lowered his bail to $30,000, for which Roberts was grateful.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida man withdraws plea i felony sex crime case
