Ocala courts: Seven felony cases resolved
Seven people were sentenced by judges in separate cases last week. Here's a rundown of the court proceedings:
State v. Ryan James Boyette
Court documents show that on Thursday, Ryan James Boyette pleaded no contest to travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child and was sentenced to 21 months in prison by Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon.
Charges of transmission of harmful material to a minor, unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate, and use computer to seduce, solicit, lure child were dropped by prosecutors.
Aside from his prison time, Boyette must serve three years of probation. His prison and probation time are to run consecutively, according to his plea arrangement.
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The Spring Hill man must register as a sex offender and pay fines and court costs.
The 27-year-old man was arrested as part of "The Dirty Dozen," a 2021 law enforcement operation where local and regional authorities targeted men using the internet looking for sexual encounters with juveniles.
State v. Brayant Elwyn McCullough
Boyette wasn't the only one sentenced for his role in "The Dirty Dozen."
In November, Brayant Elwyn McCullough was found guilty at trial on charges of travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child and no valid driver's license. Charges of use computer to seduce, solicit, lure child and unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate were not pursued by prosecutors.
On Wednesday, the 35-year-old Anthony man was sentenced to 21.5 months in prison by Herndon. McCullough has 55 days of credit for time already served at the jail. His three years of probation will run consecutively with his prison term, according to court documents.
McCullough must register as a sex offender, undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and complete all recommended treatment.
State v. Koree Lee
A third man arrested in "The Dirty Dozen" investigation, Koree Lee, entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced by Circuit Judge Robert Hodges on Wednesday.
At the hearing, Lee's lawyer, Lawrence Collins of Orlando, told the court that the 28-year-old Ocala man wrote an apology letter to law enforcement officials. He also said there was no victim because, as part of the sting, authorities impersonated juveniles. Lee apologized in court for his actions.
In court, it was mentioned that Lee had been taking medication for ADHD. The judge sentenced Lee to 21 months in prison, with two days of credit for time already served in jail. Lee must register as a sex offender.
Lee was charged with travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child. Charges of use computer to seduce, solicit, lure child and unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate were dropped by prosecutors.
Assistant State Attorney Jonathan Olson was at the hearing on behalf of the state.
State v. Alonzo Diego Cristobal
At his trial late last year, Alonzo Diego Cristobal told the court he did not molest a girl. Prosecutors said he forced himself on the child.
A jury did not believe Cristobal and found him guilty of sexual battery on a child younger than 12, lewd, lascivious molestation of a child younger than 12, and battery.
On Thursday, court records indicate that Herndon sentenced the 23-year-old Ocala man to life in prison. Cristobal was adjudicated as a sexual predator.
State v. Jules J. Bazarsky
Jules J. Bazarsky was supposed to stand trial the week of Jan. 3. Instead, the 27-year-old man, who has no listed address, pleaded no contest to lewd or lascivious battery on a child age 12 to 16. A similar charge made against Bazarsky was dismissed by prosecutors, court records show.
Those same records indicate that Bazarsky was sentenced to three years in prison and five years of probation as part of a plea agreement. His probation and prison time will run consecutively, and Bazarsky must register as a sex offender.
Bazarsky was arrested in 2020 when authorities said they were told Bazarsky twice molested a teenage girl.
State v. Lillian Ruthelle Patterson
Micanopy resident Lillian Ruthelle Patterson was sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter on Thursday.
Patterson entered a no contest plea and has 425 days of credit for time already served at the jail. Her seven years of probation will run consecutively with her prison sentence, according to court records.
According to her plea agreement, the 22-year-old cannot have any contact with the victim's family and must take her medications as prescribed by a doctor.
Law enforcement officials took Patterson into custody in 2020 for the stabbing death of 19-year-old Xavier Collins in Boardman. Officials said Patterson and Collins were in a relationship and have a child.
State v. Carlos Flores-Renteria
On Wednesday, Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt asked Circuit Judge Peter Brigham to sentence Carlos Flores-Renteria to the maximum 15 years in prison for third-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brandon Hammett in late 2018.
Hunt said the young man's action led to Hammett being shot by Luis Angel Ortega.
The prosecutor read aloud a letter from Hammett's mother, who said she wanted justice for her son.
Flores-Renteria's lawyer, David Mengers of Ocala, wanted the judge to sentence his client as a youthful offender. He was 16 at the time of the shooting.
The judge listened to testimony and statements from Flores-Renteria's family, friends and employer, and the prosecutor. At the conclusion of both sides giving their presentation, the judge ruled that Flores-Renteria, now 20, should not be sentenced as a juvenile because there would be no program for him once he reaches 21 at the end of the month.
The judge rejected Mengers' request for a sentence as a youthful offender. Brigham sentenced Flores-Renteria to 15 years behind bars.
Hammett was shot in a drug deal that went bad in 2018. The victim drove off, but didn't get far. Stopping in front of an elementary school, Hammett was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Other cases against those connected to the shooting have been resolved.
The triggerman, now 20, was sentenced to life in prison last month. A third man, Dalton Wayne Purvis, 23, is serving an eight-year prison sentence for his role. And, a fourth man, 22-year-old Denver James Sutter, is deceased.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala judges resolve seven pending felony cases
