Melissa Ross: Exclusive Melissa Nelson Interview

[Metro Jacksonville]

Melissa Ross: Exclusive Melissa Nelson Interview



Melissa Ross scores an exclusive interview with incoming State Attorney Melissa Nelson.  Nelson's victory signaled the historic defeat of Angela Corey, the first incumbent State Attorney to be voted out of office in Florida History.  The conversation is intelligent, earnest and passionate. Considering how many mayors and mayoral candidates have come from the State Attorney's Office, its a good time to start getting to know Nelson. Check it out after the jump!

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-sep-melissa-ross-exclusive-melissa-nelson-interview

[Noone]

Good interview. Will Melissa Nelson participate in the Inspector General Search like former State Attorney Angela Corey and then former Jacksonville city council president Clay Yarborough? Selection Meeting today at 1 pm. City Hall. Open to the Public. Will any media be there?

[Noone]

Going straight from the 9/8/16 Inspector General Selection Committee AMENDED AGENDA. There was ZERO media covering this. Not one TV crew. Didn't notice anyone from TU, MJ, Folio, WJCT, Florida Politics, Daily Record, Business Journal, Educational Community, In fact the names of the 7 member selection and retention committee if that is the true number weren't listed on the agenda so who knows.
I arrived during Agenda item II. Discussion of Inspector General Applicants and Sufficiency of Applicant Pool.
Agenda Item I was the approval of the July 19, 2016 minutes. Didn't notice a copy on the table for the Public if there was one.
State Attorney Angela Corey was there and is part of the committee. I also recognized Jacksonville city council VP John Crescimbeni and he is also part of the committee. Some I didn't recognize and in fairness I did arrive after roll call and I couldn't read the name cards from my seat. Others that I did recognize was a Mrs. Allen from the Ethics Commission and Mrs. Stewert from the Administration.

This is a key appointment in the restoring of the Public Trust in Duval county.
Visit Jacksonville!

[Conrad]

Having called in to this broadcast and not been able to get through due to the backed up calls wanting a moment with the new State Attorney I wanted to pose a question that I should have presented during the interview Melissa Ross hosted several weeks prior to the election with then candidate M. Nelson.
Folio Weekly had most interesting article June 22, 16 that dealt with the accusation by Wes White that the former S A has not been
properly sharing all exculpatory evidence with the defense attorneys involved in a given case. Their focus was on the number of accused
capital offenders who may be wrongly accused who suffer endless time incarcerated needlessly at taxpayers great expense.
This also keeps the jail at a maximum or over the limit jail population level that could eventually lead to yet another federal mandate like the  1980's demand that the old jail at 400 E. Bay St. be replaced leading to the design build of our current super "Mini Max" local maximum security escape proof jail designed and self construction managed by our then chief of jails and prison farm, Chief Michael Berg.
He has voiced concern that this ceiling could soon be reached if the sizeable increase in needless incarcerations since the elections of
former sheriff John Rutherford and following the 8 years of soon to be relieved S A Angela Corey.  He was there when the federal govt
voiced ongoing concern under sheriffs Carson and MacMillan when nothing was done at that time.  What they did have at that time was
the model Prison Farm Chief Berg had been responsible for on Lannie Rd. where many prisoners could be housed to give relief to the old
inadequate Duval County Jail at 400 E. Bay St.  That Prison Farm won national plaudits and awards as an example of how a penal system
could be totally self sustaining providing almost all the food needed to feed all prisoners confined.
My question that I wanted to express the days of the interviews had to do with an unseen aspect of lack of disclosure of excuplatory
evidence (Discovery) in the cases of NON capital offenders being simply the huge number of mistaken or wrongful arrests and sometimes
extensive periods of incarceration for the wrongly arrested at taxpayers expense as they needlessly are made to languish in the Mini Max
(not a rest home facility by any stretch).  It is possible to have a warrant generated by an overzealous emisary of justice, a JSO patrol officer who may take it upon himself to go down and convince an asst SA that he has witnesses who allegedly witnessed some crime or
even worse allegedly what could be an attempted crime, failed or foiled.  That SA can then take whatever contrived evidence that officer may have compiled before a friendly judge, friendly to the idea of incarceration being preferable to suspected denizens being on the streets and roads of Duval County.  A citizen so pinpointed can then find himself in the crosshairs, never having been accused of a major
infraction of the laws in this his county of birth.  A citizen of known repute possible owning property and paying tax,  as well as being  self
sustaining and working to provide for his own needs.  A drivers license photo pointed to by an alleged witness is all that is needed for a
citizen to unknowingly end up in this position.  That can lead to the judge signing off of felony warrants.  A week later the citizen is arrested taking him totally by surprise, no lawyer to speak for him since he had no idea any such case against him was being constructed
by artifice perhaps.  The citizen then is incarcerated, at taxpayers expense and has 2 choices to either have access to immediate cash to
pay his own bond and tie up funds for an indeterminate period or worse deal with the "legalized pawnbrokers,( the "BLOODSUCKERS") of the bail Bondsman Coalition" as it were.  If that route is taken the innocent citizen then is out 10% automatically of whatever his bail
is posted at by the bond hearing judge.  (On a $20,006,00 bond for 3rd degree felony charges that can cause $2000.00+- to end up
permanently in the hands of the bondsman).  Or the accused can find a relative or someone to access his own funds and bring CASH only
down to E. Bay St. to the property room where bail $$ are turned in to gain a persons liberty.
The merry go round starts here because while that wrongly accused citizen, of which there has been a plethora under Angela Corey and
John Rutherford's watch , is going through the histrionics of a warrant delivering officer finally catching up with he who has no idea they
are even looking for him much to their surprise when the handcuffs are clamped on.  They are then taken down "for questioning' and
accusations still unknown to the arrestee as to what he is accused of.  While all this is happening many times the police will happen onto
the real culprit that a pressured witness has misidentified using the drivers license photo spread.  Too late the way the system has worked
that asst SA puts the accused on his personal merry go round and an endless series of hearings begin.  If the accused is fortunate enough to bond himself out and tie up the say $20,000.00 then the wheel begins to turn and despite an arrest being rightly made and the
true perp incarcerated NO information , this critical exculpatory factor is not shared nor disclosed possibly even between the JSo who makes the arrest and the SA who still has the possible business owner on the wheel.  Freedom is gained temporarily and then for months there are montly hearings back down at the Duval Cty Courthouse that go on enlessly.  Finally if a deposition is made then the witness
objects to being brought down because after all the true Perp has long been in the system arrested and paying a price for his infraction.
All the while the innocent citizen goes on needlessly with this call to downtown to the court until the ASST SA finally admits a mistake was  made.  No apology offered and eventually the wrongly accused receives his $$ tied up at no interest back if he is so fortunate.
A huge unneed burden on the taxpayers that needs to be examined and eliminated.
There used to be Signature bonding available which also now has become non existent to the ordinary taxpaying citizen.
This needs to be addressed and rectified.

Conrad Markle

[Noone]

Has the NEW Inspector General candidates been discussed in ANY print, radio, or TV medium? The selection of the NEW Inspector General for DUVAL county will be picked in 3 days. Starts at 8 am 1st floor of city hall on Monday 9/19/16. Open to the Public. Will anybody be there? What an opportunity to witness the hiring procedure.

[Noone]

In just over 8 hours on10/14/16 at 1 pm in the Lynnwood Roberts room 1st floor of city hall the 7 member selection committee could be choosing the next IG for the city of Jacksonville. If we are going local then put me down for Lisa Green. We need to restore the Public Trust.

There is NO CHARGE for any of these lobbying and consulting observations. Will any media be there? Open to the Public.