CONFEDERATES SEEK JUSTICE IN FORT MYERS Vandal Plea Deal De-Railed For Immediate Release
Media Contact: David McCallister 813-778-1202 Email: floridasshe@gmail.com
Fort Myers - In a surprise Tuesday, a Confederate Heritage group asserted their new rights to have a say in the punishment for a perpetrator in their Monument Vandalism case.
The William Footman Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans ("SCV") engaged Heritage Defense attorney, David McCallister, Esq, who appeared at the plea bargain hearing for David Howes, one of the three men seen on video toppling the memorial to the County's namesake earlier this year. McCallister asserted the group's rights under Florida's new "Marsy's Law" that establishes rights to crime victims.
Mr. Howes appeared today, likely expecting to pay the cost of the damage and get a slap on the wrist, but Judge Thompson delayed the docket item to allow time for the Confederate group to argue their position that the punishment didn't fit the crime.
When recognized by the Court, McCallister stated his client did not agree with the plea, and is, in fact, seeking to modify the charges to a Florida Hate Crime, elevating the offence to a 2nd Degree Felony.
Attorney McCallister appearance seemed to be a surprise to the State Attorney who claimed she had already gotten approval from Tom Fyock, Commander of the SCV for the plea. "I absolutely did
not agree" Cmdr. Fyock told SSH FL.
McCallister said "the penalty was very light...nothing at all what the Sons of Confederate Veterans felt was commensurate with the impact in this particular case". "I suspect that, had we didn't get involved, the State was prepared to offer and the defendant was prepared to accept this slap on wrist" McCallister added.
"I think this will be a test case. If we're successful, this may lead to more vigorous prosecutions of veterans memorial desecration and signal to the criminal justice system that this sort of crime will not be tolerated" McCallister said.
"We commend the efforts of Fort Myers law enforcement officials in identifying this perpetrator, but one of the things we hope to accomplish in this action is to identify the other two perpetrators, and, if necessary, have them extradited to Florida to suffer the consequences of their actions" McCallister concluded.
The Court scheduled the next hearing to Monday, October 28th at 1:30 p.m. Supporters are invited to attend and show their support.
Watch SSH FL interview of attorney McCallister and Cmdr. Fyock at our Facebook page HERE.
SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE Inc. is a not for profit corporation that educates & advocates on behalf of Southern Heritage & History. It was started in 2015 in response to the knee-jerk Anti-Southern institutionalized bullying and Eracism levied against the people of South Carolina by Governor Nikki Haley, after she broke all previous agreements about how South Carolina historical veterans and their symbols should be treated and respected. The Florida branch was activated in mid-January 2016, in response to three initiatives in the Florida Legislature that are part of a hate campaign led by Anti-American extremists, who refuse to respect the various cultures that make up the fabric of Florida's society. Since that time, it has grown in membership and has been active in battles over American History and throughout Florida including the We'll Remember in November Campaign that resulted in #heritagehater candidates to lose elections in Florida and others to win. More info: www.sshfl.org.
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