Ocala courts: Prison time for woman who forcibly tattooed racial slur on man's neck
Two women and a man facing various felony charges had their cases resolved at the Marion County Judicial Center. A fourth individual was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug operation. The cases were settled between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28. Here's a look at what happened:
State v. Mary Elizabeth Durham
Charge: Principal to aggravated battery great bodily harm. Additional charges — two counts each of principal to robbery using a weapon and principal to tampering with a witness or victim in second-degree felony proceeding — were dropped by prosecutors, according to court records.
Plea: No contest on Aug. 25.
Sentence: In a plea deal between lawyers, Durham agreed to serve a four-year prison term. She has 329 days of credit for time already spent at the county jail, court documents show.
Judge: Circuit Judge Peter Brigham.
About the case: Durham, 39, of Summerfield, is one of four co-defendants accused of forcibly tattooing a racial slur on a man's neck at a Salt Springs residence in January 2019.
Lucian "Luke" Xavier Evans, Brett S. "Wolf" Singleton and Brandon Dwayne Hayley already have been sentenced.
State v. Elia Enid Diaz
Plea: No contest.
Charge: Leaving the scene of a crash without rendering aid involving death.
Sentence: In an agreement with lawyers, Diaz was sentenced to three years of probation and two years of house arrest, court documents indicate. She has a day of credit for time served at the county jail. The probation and house arrest are to run consecutively. Her sentencing was on Aug. 28.
Special conditions: Records show Diaz must complete 200 hours of community service with Marion County Solid Waste Litter Control.
Judge: Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon.
About the case: Diaz, 35, of Ocala, was behind the wheel of a Dodge Durango that hit and killed 50-year-old Darlene Joy Hopaluk in Belleview in September 2020, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said. Instead of stopping, the woman went home. Authorities said Diaz's husband, Jose Antonio Diaz, 37, cleaned the vehicle. He was charged with evidence tampering and was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest, court records indicate.
State v. Victor Manuel Cruz
Judge: Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon
Charge: Travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child. Court documents show charges of use computer to seduce lure child, unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate and kidnap/engage in human trafficking for labor or services were not pursued by prosecutors.
Plea: No contest.
Sentence: Cruz was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by two years olf probation on Aug. 28. Lawyers put together the plea deal.
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Special conditions: Cruz must register as a sexual offender and must undergo undergo a psychosexual evaluation.
About the case: The 24-year-old Ocala man was among a group of men taken into custody as part of "Operation April Fools," an online sting whose purpose was to catch adults using the internet to meet juveniles for sex.
U.S. v. Antonio Eugene Brutton
Charges: Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and marijuana.
Sentenced: Federal records show Brutton was sentenced to serve 16 years and eight months in federal prison on Aug. 28. The 36-year-old Ocklawaha man pleaded guilty to the offenses on Feb. 23.
Judge: Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II.
Lawyers: Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Belkis H. Crockett.
Law enforcement: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA,) along with the FBI, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department collaborated on the investigation.
About the case: Federal officials said Brutton, a gang leader, twice sold more than 100 grams of meth on separate occasions to a DEA confidential source in 2021.
Authorities searched Brutton's residence in October 2022 and found more than 3.7 kilograms of meth, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, 5 kilograms of marijuana, 250 grams of heroin, two guns and close to $30,000 in cash. As a convicted felon, Brutton is not allowed to have a firearm.
State records show Brutton was released from prison in 2019 after serving time for drug possession. He has been in and out of prison since 2007, according to those same documents.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Four-year prison term for Marion woman who forcibly tattooed racial slur
