Ocala courts: One man sentenced for attack on woman; judge sets bail in DUI death case
Here's an update on two local felony cases being handled at the Marion County Judicial Center:
Defendant's name: William JamesCharles Brooks.
Plea: Brooks pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Two counts of domestic battery by strangulation and one count of aggravated battery upon pregnant victim were not pursued by prosecutors.
Sentence: 24 months of probation. He also served 266 days at the county jail awaiting resolution of this case.
Special conditions: The 31-year-old must complete a mental health evaluation, substance abuse evaluation and batterer intervention program. He cannot possess any firearms or have contact with the victim.
Lawyers: Ian Pickens represented Brooks. Filling in for Assistant State Attorney Kevin Steiniger was Assistant State Attorney Adam Smith.
Employment: A former detention deputy at the county jail, Brooks was arrested in late October 2014 and accused of introducing contraband into the detention facility. He resigned in December 2014, authorities said. The Marion County Sheriff's Office operates the jail. Court records show his case was dismissed in 2015.
What happened? Sheriff's deputies arrested Brooks last year and accused him of attacking a woman, including pointing a rifle at her while she was asleep, according to his arrest report.
First appearance
Defendant's name: Dylan Lee Tucker.
Charges: DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and DUI with property damage. If convicted, Tucker could be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
Judge: County Judge Tommy Thompson
About the hearing: After an arrest, each person, if bail is not posted within 24 hours, is entitled to a first appearance hearing in front of a judge. At the hearing, the judge typically reads the arrest document, determines if the defendant should be granted bail, appoints a lawyer if the defendant can't afford one, and sets the next court date, which is an arraignment hearing.
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What happened at the hearing? Tucker was represented by Rolando Sanchez, a private lawyer from Oakland, Florida. Tucker appeared via Zoom from the county jail.
Sanchez asked the judge for a reasonable bail amount. He said his client works, is local, attends school, and is the sole provider of his child. Three people, including a member of Tucker's family, were present at the hearing.
The judge set bail at $102,000.
Special conditions: If bail is posted, the judge ordered that Tucker cannot consume any alcohol, drugs or medication without a prescription, and is not allowed to drive. His next court date is in August.
Why was Tucker arrested? Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested the 26-year-old Belleview man at his residence on Wednesday. They said he was responsible for a two-vehicle crash that killed one person and seriously injured him and one other person in October 2022.
Troopers said Tucker's blood-alcohol content was 0.178, which is more than twice the state's 0.08 legal limit. Officials also said that Tucker's vehicle was going at nearly twice the posted speed limit of 55 mph when his vehicle hit the other vehicle.
FHP officials said the man who died, John South II of Virginia, was visiting Marion County to attend his sister's funeral.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Update on two Ocala felony cases: aggravated assault, DUI manslaughter
