Just two weeks after a vicious attack on two Marion County sheriff’s deputies by a convicted felon, Sheriff Billy Woods joined other sheriffs in Tallahassee to show support for a Florida law that ensures all inmates must serve at least 85 percent of their court-imposed sentence in state prison.
The Florida Sheriff’s Association released a report from the Florida Sheriff’s Research Institute following a comprehensive study on “Truth in Sentencing.” It showed that Florida’s 85 percent Truth in Sentencing laws – coupled with the state’s incarceration model, has resulted in lower crime and incarceration rates than in many other states.
Despite being the third largest state – with an additional annual tourist population of almost 125 million visitors – Florida’s crime and incarceration rates are significantly lower than many smaller states. In addition, the notion that Florida’s prisons are overcrowded with first-time, nonviolent offenders is not reflected in the data, the study shows.
Currently, legislation is being introduced that would negatively affect the existing model. Woods and his colleagues from around the state traveled to Tallahassee to ensure that lawmakers understood the importance of protecting Floridians by making sure that convicted criminals serve out their sentences.
“The citizens of Marion County expect and deserve to be protected. They have elected me to do just that,” Woods said. “Any attempt to undermine justice will always have a negative result. I hope our citizens will reach out to Tallahassee and make their opinions clear to our lawmakers. We do not want prisoners turned back out into society before serving their sentence.”
The knife attack on two of Woods’ deputies took place Jan. 14 at the Circle K minimart on SE Hwy. 42 in The Villages. Deputies shot and killed 51-year-old Eliezer Perez as he attempted to stab them around 10:30 p.m. while they were putting gas in their patrol vehicles.
Florida Department of Corrections records show that Perez – who had been convicted of attempting to stab firefighters in Miami in 2014 – had been released from a medium-security state prison on Jan. 1, 2017. He had been sentenced to five years behind bars in Miami-Dade County on Dec. 2, 2014 on three counts of aggravated assault. He also had been sentenced to 18 months behind bars on Sept. 14, 2007 for burglary and two counts of child abuse, records show.
“This was an unprovoked attack,” a visibly upset Woods said during a press conference three days after the attack. “This is the evil in which we in law enforcement face every single day.”
During the short press conference, Woods blasted lawmakers who have supported measures to “make it easier” on felons.
“I just told you about a felon,” he said of Perez. “If he’d actually been convicted to the time that he probably should have been given or served his term out, my deputies would not have been put in this situation to defend themselves.”
Woods also issued a stern “warning” to state and federal lawmakers who had backed bills attempting to regulate how law enforcement officers can react when facing deadly force.
“I think the circumstances themselves should dictate how they react,” he said. “Taking away a deputy’s discretion to defend themselves is about as dumb-ass an idea as I could ever think of. Any hesitation will result in injury or death. We cannot tie their hands.”