Three Marion County men accused of sex crimes against children sentenced to prison
Three men accused of sex crimes involving children resolved their criminal cases recently at the Marion County Judicial Center.
State v. Duwayne Lindell Jamerson
Two months ago, a jury found Duwayne Lindell Jamerson guilty of two counts of lewd, lascivious molestation of a child.
On July 22, Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti sentenced Jamerson to a 35-year prison term.
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Jamerson, who has 52 days of credit for time already served at the Marion County Jail, will be designated as a sexual predator once he's released. The 42-year-old Belleview man must register twice a year, and cannot have any contact with the victim or her family.
At trial, Jamerson was represented by Assistant Public Defenders Kathryn Hamilton and Ben Christian. Assistant State Attorney Esteban Alvarez prosecuted the case for the state.
The prosecutor in the daylong trial pointed out to jurors that Jamerson had inappropriately touched a girl while the he was alone with her.
Jamerson remained at the jail as of Friday.
State v. Victor Manuel Ortiz
Two days before Jamerson's sentencing, Victor Manuel Ortiz was scheduled for jury selection in his case. Instead, Ortiz entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to a 35-year prison term by Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon, court records indicate.
Those same records show that Ortiz, 44, was placed on probation for life and was designated a sexual predator.
He was charged with three counts of sexual battery and two counts of lewd, lascivious molestation of a child. Ortiz is credited with 1,081 days already spent at the Marion County Jail awaiting resolution of this case.
Jail records show the Ocala man was transferred from the county lockup to a state prison on July 25.
Authorities said they were told that Ortiz was molesting two victims. When law enforcement officials found Ortiz, he held a knife to his throat and had poured gasoline on himself. A law enforcement official was able to persuade Ortiz to surrender.
He told a detective that he was innocent. He was arrested in 2019.
State v. Ruben Hernandez-Vasquez
Court records show that on July 26, Ruben Hernandez-Vasquez had a hearing in front of Circuit Judge Peter Brigham.
Hernandez-Vasquez, of Ocala, pleaded no contest to attempted sexual battery. He was sentenced to a 17-year prison term, followed by two years of probation. His probation and prison sentenced are to run at the same time, according to court records.
Hernandez-Vasquez, 39, has been designated a sexual predator.
In 2020, Hernandez-Vasquez was taken into custody after the victim told an official at Kimberly's Center for Child Protection that Hernandez-Vasquez had molested her for four years starting when she was 7.
Hernandez-Vasquez refused to speak with a law enforcement official about the charge.
Jail records show he was sent to prison on Aug. 1.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Three men sentenced by Ocala, Florida judges for child sex crimes
