A 55-year-old man charged at the beginning of the year with three armed robberies along with other offenses, accepted a plea deal and will be spending a long time behind bars.
Here’s what we know about that and other cases heard at the Marion County Judicial Center and the federal courthouse the week of May 18.
Clinton Deon Scarlett
Judge: Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt.
Lawyers: Kathryn Hamilton from the Public Defender’s Office and Assistant State Attorney Drew Brandies.
Charges: Three counts of robbery with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated fleeing and eluding with injury or damage, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine, possession of synthetic cannabinoid and driving while license is suspended revoked or canceled.
When was his sentence and what was the outcome? May 20 where he pleaded no contest, court records and officials said. Scarlett was given 20 years in prison. He has 113 days of credit from the jail.
About the case: Ocala Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Office detectives said Scarlett was responsible for robbing the Family Dollar at 3245 SW 142nd Lane in Marion Oaks, Shoe Station at 2800 SW 24th Ave. and Murphy Oil gas station at 9558 SW State Road 200 between Jan. 27 and 28. No one was hurt in the robberies, officials said. Apprehended after a vehicle chase within the city limits of Ocala, Scarlett told law enforcement officials that he has a mental illness and takes drugs to cope with his problem. He said he received $578 for all three holdups. The cash was used to purchase cocaine, he said. State documents indicate most of Scarlett’s convictions, which dates back to 1993, were for robbery. He has been released since 2023.
Jorge Enrique Lopez Candebat
Judge: Circuit Judge Steven Rogers.
Lawyers: Assistant State Attorney Kevin Steiniger and Bernadette Russell of the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.
Charge: Principal to robbery with a firearm.
When was Lopez Candebat’s hearing? May 20.
What was the outcome? Eight years in prison, pay fines and court costs and has 155 days of credit time served from the jail. Through a Spanish interpreter, Lopez Candebat, who could’ve received life in prison if convicted, asked the judge if his sentence could be lowered because his family needs him, his wife has cancer and his mother is sick. The judge told hm no as he agreed to a plea deal from the state. The defendant accepted the deal.
About the case: Lopez Candebat, 53, and his alleged 36-year-old accomplice Josue Ramos-Badillo, went to the Little Orange Groceries at 14501 U.S. 301 South on Dec. 16 and robbed the clerk of cash. Deputies found the men later that night and arrested them. Lopez Candebat told a detective they were trying to get money and they had no intention of hurting anyone. No one was hurt, authorities said.
Devin Jay Fernandez
Judge: Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt.
Lawyers: Assistant State Attorney Madison Kirkland and Fernandez’s lawyer was John Senkarik.
Charge: Travel to meet a minor after use of computer to lure child.
Reason for court? Change of plea hearing on May 21.
What was the outcome? He pleaded no contest and was given 48 months in prison and 48 months probation. The judge had rejected an initial offer of 30 months in prison and 30 months probation at the hearing. Fernandez, who told the court he was a corrections officer trainee, has to obey certain conditions while on probation. They include, must register as a sexual offender, cannot have any contact with anyone under 18 and must undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation.
About the case: The 23-year-old was among 40 men arrested by law enforcement officials for trying to entice a juvenile for sexual favors over the internet during an undercover sting Operation Seek and Ye Shall Find Out in 2025.
Jonathan Travis Pruitt
A news release issued by the U.S. government on May 22 states a 46-year-old man was given six years and three months by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber for bank fraud.
Pruitt pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 4, according to the press release.
From court documents, it mentions Pruitt, of Ocala, and associates removed checks written by local businesses from their mailboxes. He then created fake businesses with “nearly identical names as the intended recipients of the stolen checks,” authorities said.
From there, Pruitt opened bank accounts from the businesses where he deposited the stolen checks, government officials said. Authorities said 36 checks worth more than $860,000 were stolen. They said he took the funds from the account “by making large ATM withdrawals.”
Apprehended, federal officials said Pruitt’s phone was searched and it showed “scans of some of the stolen checks as well as the photo-editing software Pruitt had used to alter them.”
The agencies that investigated the case were the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Ocala Police Department and the Belleview Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney William S. Hamilton prosecuting the case.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County courts sentence men in robbery, fraud and child luring cases
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
