Recently, Governor Rick Scott attended a fundraiser at GEO Group, Chief Executive Officer, George Zoley’s residence for a $10,000 a plate dinner, followed by a $3,000 per person reception. The GEO Group operates several private prisons in Florida. It’s been reported that The GEO Group donated money to Governor Scott’s re-election campaign and Florida’s Republican Party.
Between December 2011 and October 2013, the mother of 17-year-old DeShon Rashard Thomas begged Governor Rick Scott and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to assign a Special Prosecutor to her son’s criminal case in Leon County (Tallahassee, Florida). To no avail.
During the mid-morning hours on January 27, 2011, the Leon County Sheriff Office began investigating the double murder of a sister and brother at a residential townhouse located just blocks away from the sheriff’s office. According to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Discovery Report, within hours of the start of the double homicide investigation, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office obtained a Court Order for DeShon’s AT&T cell phone records outlining that they had information about DeShon being involved in drug activity. Also, the Court Order granted AT&T to GPS Track DeShon’s movements via his cell phone.
Later that night, when Leon County Sheriff’s Deputies initiated a traffic stop on an SUV, in which DeShon was a backseat passenger, deputies questioned DeShon about the murders. When DeShon told them that he had no information about the murders, another deputy took pictures of his shoes. DeShon was not arrested for anything.
DeShon Thomas, who was in his 3rd semester of his freshman year at Tallahassee Community College, had been working at Taco Bell for nearly a year. DeShon and the 20-year-old female victim had ended their six weeks relationship just three months prior to the murders. Both the female victim and DeShon had entered into other relationships but remained friends, seeing as though the female victim had told DeShon that he was the father of her unborn baby.
During the early evening hours, on January 28, 2011, DeShon informed his mother about the murders. (DeShon’s mother had been out of town.) DeShon informed his mother that he and the female victim had been exchanging text messages the night of January 26, 2011. DeShon was concerned about the female victim and his unborn baby because he had read several posts on Facebook threatening to kill the female victim over money that she owed to a woman and the woman’s mother. In the text message exchange, the female victim told DeShon that the woman was mad at her because she was not going to pay the money. DeShon, who was nineteen miles away at work during the text message exchange, got off from work and did not go over to the victims’ residence. (DeShon did not have a car.) A co-worker dropped DeShon off at another co-worker’s apartment, where DeShon had been staying. DeShon fell asleep on the co-worker’s couch.
DeShon further informed his mother that he believed that he was under police surveillance due to the fact that he and his associates, including his cousin, had been stopped by Leon County Sheriff’s Deputies the night before (as mentioned above).
DeShon and his mother went to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and asked to speak with a detective investigating the double homicide in the Wolf Creek Subdivision. DeShon and his mother were met in the lobby by Detective Don Odham and two other men. Detective Don Odham was very racist. Detective Don Odham refused to allow DeShon’s mother to accompany him while he (DeShon) provided a statement. And then when DeShon’s mother invoked DeShon’s Miranda Rights, she was ignored and DeShon was taken away and interrogated without legal counsel. Later that same evening, DeShon’s mother and Detective Don Odham had a heated exchange of words. Detective Don Odham kicked DeShon’s mother out of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and refused to allow DeShon to leave. DeShon and his mother had been at the sheriff’s office for over five hours.
Ten days later, Detective Don Odham prepared a Summary of Offense and Probable Cause Affidavit for Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder. Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell received the go ahead from his boss, 2nd Circuit State Attorney Willie Meggs, to get a judge to approve the Affidavit for the Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder. Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell obtained approval of the Affidavit for Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder from Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson. Judge Richardson also issued an Arrest Warrant for DeShon. On February 7, 2011, it was announced that 17-year-old DeShon Thomas was charged with Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder.
Almost every event after that seemed to be business as usual for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the 2nd Circuit State Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, some of Leon County Judges and Circuit Judges, the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, the District Two Medical Examiner’s Office, as well as Tallahassee Criminal Defense Attorney Greg Cummings.
When DeShon’s mother learned that Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell and Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell were father and son, she knew that she had to pay very close attention to DeShon’s case. Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell was assigned to prosecute DeShon’s case. DeShon’s mother could not believe that a father and son could lead both the investigation and the prosecution of criminal cases, let alone a double homicide case.
DeShon is Innocent! DeShon entered Not Guilty Pleas on all charges. There was no physical, material or circumstantial evidence against DeShon. First, State Prosecutor Jack Campbell said that DeShon killed the female victim because DeShon didn’t want to pay Child Support. Then when that didn’t pan out, State Prosecutor Jack Campbell stated that DeShon killed the male victim because of gang activity. Then it was both reasons—when all the while State Prosecutor Jack Campbell and Detective Don Odham concocted with DeShon’s co-worker/ roommate, 21-year-old Trentin Ross, to give incriminating statements about DeShon.
Turns out, Detective Don Odham was NEVER a Leon County Sheriff’s Detective. Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell and his son, State Prosecutor Jack Campbell, and 2nd Circuit State Attorney Willie Meggs filed several court documents containing false information, including the Summary of Offense and Probable Cause Affidavit for Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder prepared by Detective Don Odham, which led to DeShon being arrested and charged with the double homicide.
Don Odham was a volunteer Reserve Deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. It is believed that Don Odham had been paying Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell and the Sheriff’s Command Staff to have the title and perform the duties of that as a detective. Don Odham is a wealthy, close personal friend of both Sheriff Larry Campbell and his son, State Prosecutor Jack Campbell. When the lead detective and team of detectives on the double homicide case could not find sufficient probable cause to have DeShon charged with the murders, it is believed that “Detective” Don Odham saw his opportunity to get revenge against DeShon’s mother for their heated exchange of words—so therefore, “Detective” Don Odham who had the protection of the Campbell Family both in and out of the courtroom, was willing to do and say anything against a kid.
After DeShon had been in the Leon County Jail for over a year and a half, DeShon and his mother had to fire DeShon’s private-paid attorney, Greg Cummings. DeShon’s mother, a single mother of four, including a child with special needs, had paid Mr. Cummings nearly $30,000 of her own money. Mr. Cummings never provided DeShon with any information regarding the victims’ autopsies—which were kept confidential. Neither did Mr. Cummings UnSeal DeShon’s AT&T cell phone records, which had been Sealed by Court Order per the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Cummings did absolutely nothing to build a defense his 17-year-old client, DeShon.
DeShon’s case defaulted back to Judge James C. Hankinson to appoint counsel. That’s when it was learned that for over a year—from the start—Circuit Judge Hankinson had also been violating DeShon’s Constitutional Rights. After another letter to Governor Scott begging for a special prosecutor, as well as outlining how Circuit Judge Hankinson had been violating DeShon’s Constitutional Rights, Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford began presiding over DeShon’s case process. Six months later, October 2013, nearly three years later, DeShon was in trial.
There was so much Perjury committed during DeShon’s trial, that had DeShon’s court appointed attorney of six months, Regional Counsel Daren Shippy, had been seeking a victory, he could’ve impeached the majority of State Prosecutor Jack Campbell’s witnesses—including some of Leon County Sheriff’s Deputies.
All the way leading up to DeShon’s trial, DeShon’s mother was begging Governor Rick Scott to assign a Special Prosecutor to her son’s case. It was so obvious that State Prosecutor Jack Campbell was using all of his resources to keep vital information from DeShon and the Public. It is believed by DeShon, DeShon’s mother and several taxpayers that both Governor Rick Scott and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi allowed DeShon to get railroaded into a Florida State Prison because they knew that they were going to profit from an INNOCENT Black boy being convicted for a double homicide.
Now that Governor Rick Scott and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has proven that they can sit back and watch Florida’s Judicial System operate as if it’s a family business—all Floridians need to be on HIGH ALERT!
Another unbelievable part about it all is when DeShon’s mother went to the FBI Office in Jacksonville, Florida, the security guard refused to allow her past the guard outpost. And when an FBI agent was called to the guard post, the FBI agent refused to allow DeShon’s mother to file a complaint—or make a record that she’d come to their Jacksonville office to file a complaint. (The FBI Office in Jacksonville oversees the Tallahassee region.) The FBI office in Jacksonville has a long standing relationship with Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell.
HIGH ALERT! While we, Florida parents are working hard to provide for our families, Governor Rick Scott and others are plotting and scheming to SELL OUR KIDS!
FYI–No matter the age of your child, once your child is charged as an adult—all parental rights are stripped away. The same day that attorney Greg Cummings filed his Motion to Withdraw after being fired off of DeShon’s case, Circuit Judge James C. Hankinson signed an arrest warrant for DeShon to be charged with Solicitation to Commit 1st Degree Murder. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office put DeShon in solitary confinement where DeShon was not allowed to call home or have visitors. This only happened because DeShon’s mother had been informing DeShon of the corruption that had been going on in his case. When DeShon’s mother stopped paying Mr. Cummings and insisted that DeShon fire him that put a monkey wrench into Mr. Cummings role in regards to their corrupt plotting and scheme.
The worst part about this all—is that there’s a cold-blooded murderer on the prowl—and elected officials, who are supposed to protect the community—are aware of it.
Tell Governor Rick Scott to Clog Florida’s School to Prison Pipeline and that Your Family Is Not For Sale!
Mothers Against Unethical Laws (MAUL) 