Domestic violence, including a record number of deaths, stain 2018

Dec. 09--Lorenzo W. Siler was on pre-trial release, accused of beating his 23-year-old girlfriend. The woman, who is the mother of Siler's infant child, allowed him to stay at her home after he got out of jail. That decision was almost fatal.

According to an arrest report, by the time a deputy saw the victim late last month, her right ear was severely bruised, her left eye was black and blue, the right side of her face and chest were discolored, she had multiple scratches, and her head and jaw hurt after multiple punches. She said Siler also bit her left breast when she refused to have sex with him.

Siler is being held without bail at the Marion County Jail. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including violation of his pre-trial release agreement, which required him to have no contact with the victim.

Siler's next court date is Jan. 2, a day before his 26th birthday.

The woman's name is withheld because of the nature of this domestic violence case -- one of 2,979 such incidents investigated by the Dunnellon, Belleview and Ocala police departments and the Sheriff's Officebetween Jan. 1 and Nov. 28.

That count includes 13 deaths, which is a record annual number for Marion. The previous record was 11, set in 2012.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 22-25, the Sheriff's Office alone handled 54 documented domestic violence cases, according to Elizabeth Long, a victim advocate with that agency.

That number doesn't even include the weekend's highest profile case of domestic violence: the shooting death of 30-year-old Carli Cronin at the Walmart on East Silver Springs Boulevard. The Ocala Police Department handled that attack, which it says was carried out by Cronin's estranged boyfriend, who went on to take his own life.

The deaths get the most attention. But this crisis is a daily reality for victims, law enforcement and advocates. One major response came from the Sheriff's Office, which this past summer created a special Domestic Violence Unit staffed by three detectives.

The unit, supported by a grant from the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is partnering with Creative Services Inc., the Marion County Children's Alliance and the State Attorney's Office.

"It's about the offender's accountability," said Lt. Chris Vorisek, a veteran detective who supervises the new unit. "We want to identify and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."

Vorisek said each domestic violence case within his agency's jurisdiction is checked and reviewed by his unit, and a report is sent to the State Attorney's Office for the assigned prosecutor to consider when handling the suspect's first appearance hearing in court.

The profile is needed to make sure the victim is protected while the criminal case is pending. One option is to recommend the SHIELD program, which requires the suspect to wear an ankle device that monitors whereabouts.

"We're trying to stop it from becoming a domestic-related homicide," Vorisek said.

Vorisek said each sheriff's deputy has attended mandatory, specialized training on how to handle domestic violence calls. They learn what types of questions to ask victims, how to identify signs of abuse, and even the best methods to detect evidence of strangulation.

Each offender is placed in a database and categorized from A through D, with A being high risk and D being low risk. That allows the unit to better track them. Detectives from the unit follow up on cases initiated by deputies to determine whether further investigation is needed. If it is, then the detectives contact the victims for more documentation.

Siler is classified as a "B" offender, which means he has been arrested more than once for domestic violence or has used a weapon or seriously injured a victim during domestic violence.

Cronin, the victim in the Walmart shooting, had broken up with David Johnson, 54, and was seeking a fresh start. But that never happened, according to those close to the victim. She received several phone calls from him, and he threatened her multiple times on the day she died.

"The word 'love' is used to manipulate a situation. Action speaks volumes, and love is not chasing someone down and murdering them," said Donna Guinn, victim-witness advocate with the Ocala Police Department.

Cronin's mother, Deborah, said her daughter "was a beautiful person inside and out." Deborah Cronin further said that "any feelings that he (Johnson) may have had were not reciprocated."

She said her daughter "was moving on with her life, feeling great, working and excited for her future."

The victim's mother had some harsh words for Johnson. She believes Johnson "wanted her (Carli) to get back on drugs so he could control her, and she was resisting that with all she had, and doing great, but he wasn't interested in the betterment of Carli's life, obviously."

She said "anyone struggling with an abusive relationship, please seek help and get away."

Johnson's family declined comment.

The State Attorney's Office said that, in the past three years, it has received 4,860 domestic violence arrest cases. Of those, 2,825 were dropped.

Prosecutors say cases are usually dropped in one of two ways: after initial review or later in the process, when the victim is deciding whether to cooperate.

Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt said if a victim doesn't want to cooperate, he considers it disheartening.

"Our thing is, can we prove it?" Hunt said. Prosecutors only drop domestic violence cases if "we can't prove the case," not because they (meaning the victims) asks us to.

Bridget Kiefer, director of victim witness services at the State Attorney's Office, said if the office can prove a case -- that is, if an incident occurred in a public place with additional witnesses or there is video -- then it will move forward with prosecution regardless of a victim's objection.

"It's a crime against the state of Florida," she said.

Each arrest for domestic violence is assigned to a prosecutor and one of the agency's six victim/witness counselors. An interview is arranged for the victim, the victim/witness counselor and the assigned prosecutor. If the prosecutor is unable to attend the meeting, then the victim/witness counselor and the prosecutor meet at some point during the process.

Hunt said any prosecutor who doesn't work hand-in-hand with their victim/witness counselor "isn't handling their responsibilities appropriately."

At the meeting, the victim is asked about the incident and any domestic violence history. After the meeting, a charging recommendation is made.

Kiefer said that more than 50 percent of dropped cases occur in the initial phase for a number of reasons. Some examples given by victims were: the victim doesn't want to go through a trial, the victim believes the incident was not a problem, and the victim considers this a private matter and doesn't want anyone else to know. Kiefer said her office will continue with prosecuting the case if prosecution is warranted.

After the initial process, if after further interviews and investigations the story changes, then another assessment is made to see if there's enough evidence for a conviction.

Monica Bryant, family violence prevention coordinator at Marion County Children's Alliance, said domestic violence is a serious offense and everyone needs to pay attention to the problem.

"If someone hits your car and took off, or a thief snatches your purse or someone breaks into your home, you would immediately call the police and report it. Why? Because it's a crime. Well, domestic violence is a crime too, but we won't report that," Bryant said.

Bryant warns that "we need to be careful when giving advice to someone that's in an abusive relationship."

"What we say to them can get them seriously injured or killed," she said.

Bryant said taking home a domestic violence victim "is never a good idea." Anyone who does so is putting themselves and their family in danger.

"If the abuser will hurt someone they love, they won't think twice about hurting you or anyone else that gets in their way," she said.

Victims should make a safety plan, preferably with a victim's witness advocate to plan their escape, Bryant said.

"The most dangerous time for a victim is when they're trying to leave the relationship. Many don't make it," she said.

Long, from the Sheriff's Office, said either she or her agency's crisis intervention specialists assist victims with counseling and filling out the domestic violence injunction document.

"Don't be afraid to call for help," she said.

Guinn, from Ocala police, said victims should not fall into the trap of overlooking warning signs of domestic violence, such as making excuses for their partner's behavior, threatening to harm them, calling them names or fearing them.

"Promises to change are just that, and unless someone takes action, it means nothing," she said.

With her only child killed, Deborah Cronin is sad and hopes her message will touch someone stuck in an abusive relationship.

"My life will never be the same," she said. "I'm broken, but pray that no other mother and father should feel this pain."

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

Call for help

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship and need help, go to www.breakthesilenceonviolence.org for resources and services available in Marion County or call a victims witness at:

--Ocala Police Department (352) 369-7134 or (352) 369-7139

--Marion County Sheriff's Office (352) 369-6762

--Domestic Violence hotline (352) 622-8495

--Kimberly's Center for Child Protection (352) 873-4739.

___

(c)2018 the Ocala Star-Banner (Ocala, Fla.)

Visit the Ocala Star-Banner (Ocala, Fla.) at www.ocala.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.