State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces the promotion of two assistant state attorneys
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces the promotion of Assistant State Attorneys Mark Caliel and Adair Newman to chief assistant state attorney, bringing close to 45 years of prosecutorial experience.
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Caliel and Newman started their roles and responsibilities of former Chief Assistant L.E. Hutton, who was appointed to the Fourth Judicial Circuit bench and was sworn in on Jan. 2, 2024.
According to the news release, now under a different organizational structure, both chief assistants will report to First Assistant Stephen Siegel, who continues in the role with nearly 30 years of service at the State Attorney’s Office.
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Caliel has spent his entire career as a prosecutor in the Fourth Judicial Circuit after joining in March 1997. He most recently was director of Circuit Court and, before that, a director of the Targeted Prosecution division.
His many roles include team lead on the office’s Officer-Involved Critical Incident team since September 2020 and a member of the Homicide rotation since July 1999.
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Newman has spent most of her career with the office, first joining in September 2001 and going to private practice in July 2009. She returned in 2013 and has since served in a variety of leadership roles including, most recently, Special Victims Unit director and Juvenile Division director.
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Siegel joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1995, previously serving as a judicial staff attorney for the State of Florida. He has served as his first assistant since 2017. Before that, he spent time as division chief in Circuit and County courts and Special Prosecution.
He is board-certified by the Florida Bar in Criminal Law.
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