The following felony cases have either been tried in a court of law or have been settled without trial and are considered closed.
Janet Arnold was sentenced …
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In the Courts
Posted
By Cathy Womble Lake Okeechobee News
The following felony cases have either been tried in a court of law or have been settled without trial and are considered closed.
Janet Arnold was sentenced in August to four months in county jail after pleading no contest to trespass and to possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis. Arnold was arrested in March.
Herid Betancourt was sentenced in August to burglary, trespass, resisting an officer and two counts criminal mischief. Betancourt was arrested in July 2022 after breaking into a trailer at the KOA.
Brian Chapman was sentenced in August to three months and 21 days (time served) in county jail followed by four years probation after pleading no contest to burglary, possession of amphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and introduction of contraband into a detention facility. Chapman was arrested in May after he opened the door of a vehicle parked at RaceTrac and attempted to grab a child. The mother of the child said she had no idea who he was and did not give him permission to open the door.
Thomas Giacopelli was sentenced in August to six months in county jail after pleading no contest to fleeing law enforcement, driving on a suspended license and giving a false name to law enforcement. Giacopelli was arrested in October 2022.
Christopher Gornall was sentenced in September to one month and 12 days in county jail followed by one year probation after pleading no contest to DUI with property damage and no tag. Gornall was arrested in August after running into a guard rail on U.S. 441. At the time, he claimed his dog hopped on his lap, causing the accident and was missing.
Nikki Hawkins- MacDonald was sentenced to three years probation in August after pleading no contest to insurance fraud. Adjudication was withheld. She was arrested in February after falsely claiming she and her son were injured when her vehicle was parked in the parking lot of Jones Supply. Video surveillance shows the woman was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident, and her son was not on the premises.
A no contest plea does not mean the defendant admits guilt. It means he/she chooses not to fight the charges for one reason or another. The effect of the plea is virtually identical to that of a guilty plea.
Withheld adjudication generally refers to a decision by a judge to put a person on probation without an adjudication of guilt. It means an individual is not found guilty legally by the court. If the person successfully completes the terms of probation and has no subsequent offenses, no further action will be taken on the case, and the offense for which adjudication was withheld is typically not considered a prior conviction for purposes of habitual offender sentencing.
