There will be no trial after all in Maria Howell’s molestation case: In the latest of several unusual reversals, Circuit Judge Dennis Craig this morning accepted the plea the prosecution and the defense had worked out in December but that Craig had previously rejected.
Howell, a 20-year-old resident of Biddell Place in Palm Coast, was going to be tried on a charge of lewd and lascivious molestation, a second degree felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, a first degree misdemeanor. She faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted by a jury. The plea agreement reduces the charges to one count of felony child abuse that eliminates what could have potentially been a lifetime designation as a sex offender for Howell. She is to serve 18 months in state prison, followed by eight and a half years of probation.
She gets credit for the 243 days she’s already served, in two stints, at the Flagler County jail, so in effect her sentence will be 304 days long, or 11 months. Prisoners get 15 percent of their sentence taken off for good behavior, so if Howell behaves in prison, she can reduce her sentence by another 82 days, netting a sentence of 222 days, or a little over seven months. But she must serve those months in state prison, not at the county jail.
Howell was arrested a year ago. She’d met a 14-year-old runaway at Epic Theater on June 10, 2016, gone to St. Augustine for the night, and driven down to Port St. Lucie the next day, where police stopped them both and recognized the girl as a missing child. Howell allegedly fondled the girl either in St. Augustine, where the two spent the night in the garage of a house where Howell had met friends, or in Port St. Lucie.
Instead, the alleged victim’s mother showed up again, and the prosecution, led by Melissa Clark (LeDonne transferred to Volusia County), told Craig that the alleged victim’s mother had heard a fuller explanation of what the December plea agreement entailed, and that she was now in agreement with it. The plea agreement is not just the prison time: the probation is quite severe, aligning somewhat closely with the requirements of a sex offender’s probation, but without the designation. Howell will have to comply with no-contact orders regarding children, for example, and where she may and may not live.
After hearing the alleged victim’s mother say she was satisfied with the agreement, Craig said he’d accept the plea, and sentence was imposed. Howell’s father, who had planned to attend the trial, was not in court, having assumed that jury selection would proceed and a trial day would be set for later this week.
The defense at trial would have attempted to argue in Howell’s defense that the girl had misrepresented her age to Howell, and that way activity between them had been consensual. The prosecution had filed a motion to have both those details excluded from trial, arguing that they were not relevant since the law makes no distinction whether the acts were consensual or not, and whether there was misrepresentation of one’s age. The more curious issue with that motion was its unwitting revelation that while alleged contact between Howell and the alleged victim may have taken place in St. Augustine and Port St. Lucie, none was mentioned as having taken place in Flagler County, which may have made the case more vulnerable for the prosecution. Either way, the motion was not heard since it was rendered moot. The prosecution on the other hand sought to introduce alleged evidence that Howell and the girl had smoked pot, a detail—if the judge were to allow it–clearly intended to prejudice the jury against the defendant, who in this case was not facing a pot possession charge. A third motion was also rendered moot.
Howell on a separate, unrelated case had also faced a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer. She had entered into a pre-trial intervention agreement on that charge, which, if completed, could have led to the charge being dropped. Howell violated the program, thus reopening the case. Today’s hearing included her sentencing on that charge—five years’ probation, to be served concurrently with the other charges.
Really says
Unaccectable for a an alternative lifestyle predator in our community. She will go there again and if she does the blood will be on the handds of the County et al…lock her up longer IMHO. WE will be reading and hearing bout this predator again SMH what dont you get. ………
Really says
Its,called fooled you again Judge
tim thoms says
so we applaud the sex predator..nice????????????
Jenn says
Wtf
Concerned Citizen says
Totally frustrating but not unexpected I suppose.
Something in the State Attorneys case made them not want to push I guess and loose on an appeal. Now this molester of children and sexual predator gets a lighter sentence. She gets a little prison time and some probation after wrecking someone else’s life.
You may get tired of hearing it but I’ll say it again the double standards are glaring. More people defended her and supported her than would some guy up there. Why? A female predator is no less damaging than a male. Maybe more so since so few seem to get caught.
If that had been a male predator on trial the calls for his head would have been instant. And no deal would have likely been made with the judge. He would rightfully get a hard sentence and be made to serve it. Plus any personal life would be ruined by medial and social media persecution.
So now we have a repeat offender who assaulted an under age child and not just once. So what she gets a little prison time and probation. They even cut a deal on sex offender registration? Great !!
She also gets off on the Battery on a LEO charge too. Someone just handed this woman a do as you like and get out of jail card.
At any rate another case of wishy washy court room justice in Flagler County. It gets tiresome but obviously there isn’t anything we can do about it.
ohrin says
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH MORE HARSH SENTENCE HAD THIS BEEN A MAN. IJS………..
Richard says
If the victim’s mother is OK with the terms of the sentence along with the judge, that’s all that matters. A sexual predator never changes their skin so most likely she will be back in front of Craig one day.
Trailer Bob says
Again, the courts crumble and get gamed by the perp. I always see a lot of serious charges, but as time goes by, they get reduced or dropped. Also, I would have like to read more about the “victim”, and what actually was done to her. Was this activity agreed upon or was she coerced.
Kris says
this is a bull shit case. i know maria very well and she did not do this. i have heard personal recaps on that night and nothing of that matter happened. she wil be in our families prayers
smarterthanmost says
It appears FlaglerLive got what it wished for. How long before she repeats the offense, again?
palmcoaster says
I consider justice served…Maria will have to get some counseling and also totally prevented to interact with minors from now on.
hawkeye says
aint this just great… a slap on the wrist for a perverted child molester..whats next?
jugaloom says
Judge Craig needs to make up his mind ! This guy is a joke !!! First he wants to bury her now a simple slap on the wrist …. Get him outta here !
Ryan says
Seems judge Craig has a history of lenient sentences for sexual predators
Anonymous says
18 months in a Florida prison is no picnic. They were in the same age group. We have seen the same kind of age gaps going on right at FPC and Matanzas. I’d like to know if any of the politicians involved in making punishments so severe were dating freshmen in high school. Let’s time travel back to the boomers’ heyday.