DeSantis Suspends Prosecutor for ‘Neglect of Duty’ and ‘Incompetence’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is suspending another elected prosecutor. On Wednesday, DeSantis announced his decision to suspend Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell (D). “Monique Worrell’s administration of…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is suspending another elected prosecutor.
On Wednesday, DeSantis announced his decision to suspend Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell (D).
“Monique Worrell’s administration of criminal justice in the Ninth Circuit has been clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute both neglect of duty and incompetence,” the governor said.
He went on to note the executive order suspending her accuses her of a pattern of avoiding mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug offenses. Additionally, the order accuses her of letting juvenile offenders avoid serious charges and incarceration.
“Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring, but what this state attorney has done is abuse that discretion and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida,” DeSantis argued.
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NBC News notes, “Worrell’s suspension comes after months of political fights with Republicans, including with DeSantis directly, over her handling of a string of Orlando-areas shootings — most notably a March shooting spree in the Orlando area that left three dead, including a 9-year-old and a local television journalist.”
“The alleged gunman had eight felonies and 11 misdemeanors, but those all came while he was a juvenile. His only crime as a legal adult in 2021 was when he was in possession of drug paraphernalia and cannabis,” it added.
Meanwhile, during the event on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) noted Worrell dismissed charges against over 16,000 people between January 2021 and June 2022.
Worrell told reporters in response to DeSantis’ decision, “If we are mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy. I am your duly elected state attorney… and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage.”
Worrell also claimed her suspension was “simply a smokescreen for Ron Desantis’ failing and disastrous presidential campaign.”