Tallahassee, FL—Did anyone inform Governor Rick Scott about school districts opting out of testing students? Seems Florida Standards Assessements test is being viewed as a COMPLETE FAILURE by parents and teachers. Clearly, sending Florida’s children through the SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE was more planned out than providing school districts with tests that their teachers can actually administer to their students. Maybe that’s why Governor Scott and Attorney General Bondi refused to take a stand against the CORRUPTION that played out in the case of State of Florida vs. DeShon Thomas.
In January 2011, 17-year-old, DeShon Thomas was a student at Tallahassee Community College and was working nearly forty hours a week at a fast-food restaurant in Tallahassee. On January 27, 2011, Thomas’ ex-girlfriend and her younger brother were found murdered in their mother’s townhome by their mother. In an attempt to score an easy conviction and give a close, wealthy friend of then Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell a type of “Golden Boy” recognition, the work of veteran detectives with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office were made to look incompetent. State Attorney Willie Meggs assigned Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell’s son, Assistant State Attorney/Prosecutor Jack Campbell to prosecute Thomas. For nearly two years, Thomas’ private paid attorney, Greg Cummings had not deposed any witnesses or brought forth any evidence to include or exclude Thomas from the murders. The various promises that Mr. Cummings had made prior to Thomas and his Thomas’ mother signing a contract with Mr. Cummings such as providing Thomas with his AT&T cell phone records, making public the both victims’ autopsy reports, administering a Lie Detector Test on Thomas, and deposing Thomas’ co-worker Trentin Ross and Leon County Sheriff Detective Don Odham. Legal documents prepared by Leon County Sheriff Detective Don Odham named twenty-one year-old Trentin Ross as the sole witness as to what led to Thomas being charged with the murders. Thomas pled NOT GUILTY. About seven months after Thomas was charged with the murders, Thomas’ mother informed Cummings of several text messages that she had began receiving from an unknown number—threatening to “Kill Trent” (Campbell’s key witness against Thomas), Cummings didn’t seem interested—Thomas’ mother didn’t receive any more threatening text messages. Cummings had not made good on his promises, it was clear that Cummings was not seeking to build a defense for Thomas—Cummings was more concealing information from Thomas—information that could’ve/ and should’ve immediately exonerated Thomas of ALL charges. Although Cummings had received nearly $30,000 from Thomas’ mother, Thomas’ mother had no other choice but to fire Cummings and insist Thomas to do the same. After Cummings was fired, Thomas’ defense expenses were put back on Florida tax payers via a public defender.
Five public defenders/conflict counsel’s office attorneys and two circuit judges, along with the withholding of the victims’ autopsy reports, and no physical evidence, Thomas was convicted. Thomas’ conviction was based on the testimony Trentin Ross, who was a scorned co-worker/friend. And when Don Odham, the man who legal court documents identified as a Leon County Sheriff’s Detective took to the witness stand, it was learned that Don Odham was NEVER an employee of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and DID NOT have the credentials to be a detective. In previous letters, there had been several cases that Odham had been assigned on had played key roles in that were controversial—where other veteran detectives stated that Odham was NOT HONEST and a DISGRACE. But of course, none of this information was exposed during Thomas’ trial. Odham had a badge number, testified to having hundreds of volunteer hours with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and had been assigned a patrol car—Odham NEVER stated that he was a reserve deputy—because Odham was a wealthy friend of Sheriff Larry Campbell. Today, because of the case in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Robert Bates shot and killed a black man, everyone now knows the privileges that come along with being a wealthy friend of a sheriff. Odham was just another citizen. His wealth seemingly brought the entire Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Second Circuit State Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the District One Regional Conflict Counsel’s Office, and local and circuit judges down to their knees.
Don Odham was by all means IMPERSONATING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. Some of those law enforcement officers, the true veterans of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, had notarized legal documents stating that Don Odham was a Leon County Sheriff’s Detective, and then committed perjury to protect Odham and the Sheriff’s Office while being direct examined by the sheriff’s son. In 2012, it was said that a Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy had anonymously wrote letters to a Tallahassee blogger speaking out against Sheriff Larry Campbell, Sheriff Campbell’s command staff, and Don Odham’s privileges and previous cover-ups in criminal cases due to Odham’s wealth. Not long thereafter, the anonymous deputy was identified as David Graham, the 2011 Deputy of the Year. Mr. Graham, a 20 year veteran with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and his family were immediately targeted—Mr. Graham was charged with 13 or more criminal offenses, including grand theft of an elderly man. Mr. Graham’s wife was also charged with criminal offenses. Mr. Graham was fired from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office—WCTV reported on his case. Mr. Graham and his wife’s reputation were ruined. A year later, shortly before Thomas’ case went to trial, Mr. Graham was cleared of ALL CHARGES. The retaliation of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office had FAILED! By now, Don Odham’s sick character among MANY other MENTALLY-ILL INSTABILITIES had been exposed. Nothing outside of Don Odham’s wealth had afforded him the authority to IMPERSONATE A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER with the support of several of Florida’s elected officials.
A few months after Thomas was sentenced to two life sentences plus 30 years, Governor Scott attended a fundraiser at the home of George Zoley, a CEO of private prisons. Prior to Thomas’ conviction, Thomas’ mother had repeatedly informed Governor Scott and Attorney General Bondi of the corruption that plagued Thomas’ case.
Recently, the Miami Herald reported on prison abuse and contracts with Private Prisons that GUARANTEE private prisons a 90 PERCENT OCCUPANCY RATE— PAY THEM PER INMATE, PER DAY, AND ALLOW THEM TO CHARGE MORE FOR EXTRA SERVICES AND PROGRAMS.
These prison GUARANTEES is without a doubt a financial gain for POLITICAL EVIL DOERS AND THEIR CRONIES. The infrastructure of the School to Prison Pipeline may consist of “MENTALLY-ILL FAKE COPS” and “FAILING STANDARD ASSESSMENTS”. Take a moment and think about how many of Florida’s children were retained in their grade and were prevented from graduating high school because they could not pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). If Florida’s teachers were GUARANTEED 90 PERCENT of support by their districts and state leaders—including Governor Scott—one could only wonder how bright Florida’s children would SHINE academically in the ranks of other states. But instead, it seems that Florida’s GUARANTEES can ONLY come in the form of PRIVATE PRISON CONTRACTS via JUDICIAL CORRUPTION against Florida’s children.
#FREEDESHONTHOMAS