In a second review hearing, MPS paraprofessional Demitrios Visvardis – who was charged in a slapping incident with a disabled student – submitted several documents required under the terms of his plea agreement less than 24 hours before the hearing on Thursday, June 25.
While state prosecutors said Visvardis has improved from his June 4 hearing, in which he had submitted no documentation of progress toward the court-ordered conditions of his plea agreement, Judge David Borowski criticized Visvardis for submitting the materials so close to the hearing.
The judge warned that the agreement, which allows him to avoid conviction, would be revoked – regardless of whether the state requested otherwise – if all materials were not filed days ahead of the final hearing on Sept. 16.
“Every piece of paper better be in CCAP by Sept. 9,” Borowski told Visvardis. “I’m tired of you dragging your feet.”
Visvardis accepted the plea agreement reached in February after being charged with misdemeanor battery of a special education student, Shrone Dunn, 18, at Riverside High School last November.
According to Assistant District Attorney Eric Karshen, the state believes Visvardis is on track to complete his deferred prosecution agreement, which includes a short essay, enrollment in an anger management course, and 40 hours of community service.
However, Borowski admonished the former paraprofessional for not “taking advantage” of the break given to him with the plea deal and told Visvardis his delayed document submissions wasted the court’s, the state’s and defense counsel’s time.
“I’ve got a busy calendar,” Borowksi told Visvardis. “I’ve got 200 damn cases on my calendar, 198 of them are more important than this case. I’ve got homicides, I’ve got kids who have been raped, I’ve got serious, serious cases.”
April Quevedo covers Metcalfe Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: aquevedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Journal Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS paraprofessional involved in slapping incident warned over late plea agreement filings
Reporting by April Quevedo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By April Quevedo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
