Monique Worrell lashed out on Wednesday morning after Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis suspended her from office as state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit for dereliction of duty and incompetence.
DeSantis said that Worrell, who was backed by a group tied to Democrat billionaire George Soros, has allowed murderers, other violent offenders, and dangerous drug traffickers to receive extremely reduced sentences and escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct.
The policies and practices mentioned in the executive order that led to her suspension include avoiding minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes, avoiding minimum mandatory sentences for drug trafficking offenses, allowing juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and incarceration altogether, avoiding valid and applicable sentencing enhancements, limiting charges for child pornography, and seeking withhold of adjudication in situations not permitted under Florida law.
Worrell said at a press conference following her suspension that her office did “things unconventionally” and claimed that DeSantis was a “dictator” who has implemented “tyranny” and has “single handedly destroyed democracy in the state of Florida.”
Worrell said that while her legal team is prepared to fight her suspension through the legal system but did not believe that she would be successful because “the courts have been assembled by the governor, the legislature has a super majority in favor of the governor.”
“Along with me, two of my deputy chief assistants have been fired,” she added. “This should not happen in a democracy.”
Worrell said that the fact that DeSantis suspended her the day before school starts was “evil” because she has kids.
She also attacked law enforcement for giving DeSantis the information he needed to remove her from office, claiming they wanted her removed because she held them accountable.
Worrell said she had “uncovered just the tip of the iceberg” within law enforcement when she was suspended, and that’s why her deputy chief was fired.
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DeSantis’s office listed numerous instances of the “more egregious results of her policies or practices in action.” Some of the examples included:
- “Just this past weekend, Worrell was at the center of a major controversy. Daton Viel was arrested in March 2023 for sexual battery on a minor, as well as Lewd and Lascivious Molestation. That arrest was made while Viel was on probation for another offense – that probation began in February 2023. Viel was still let out on bond and thereafter shot two Orlando Police Officers.”
- “In November 2022, 17-year-old Lorenzo Larry shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, De’Shayla Ferguson. Larry had previously been arrested in May 2022 on several charges, including carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm on school property, and criminal possession of a firearm by a minor. But he was released after all these arrests. Worrell’s office did not act on any of these charges until after he killed his girlfriend and their unborn child.”
- “In February 2023, 19-year-old Keith Moses shot and killed a cameraman and a 9-year-old girl. He had a long history of arrests as a juvenile, including aggravated battery, assault, and grand theft. As recently as November 2021, he was arrested for drug possession, but no charges were pursued.”
- “In October 2022, a minor was arrested on first-degree murder charges with a firearm. The shooting was captured on video. One month later, Worrell’s office inexplicably filed a petition to reduce the charge to firearm possession. He was placed on probation.”