MOE DIMANCHE

The child molestation investigation against Orlando judge Jeffrey L. Ashton will be reopened and presented to a grand jury. They kept it under wraps for so long, Ron DeSantis released it by accident when he reassigned the prosecution of the case from Andrew Bain to Brian Haas.

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There has been a lot of confusion about how this happened, what actually happened, and what the basis was for not pursuing charges. First of all, Moe believes that the Department of Children and Families referred the case to the State Attorney’s Office for prosecution. It was reported that “DCF closed its investigation” but this is misleading. They completed their investigation and found probable cause to refer the matter. This is much different from closing a case.

For the common man, you are arrested and arraigned before a case is referred for prosecution. Somehow, Jeffrey Ashton and his family received different treatment, and the benefit of a municipality investigating them instead of the Sheriff’s Office. Below, the governor’s executive order identifies specific crimes.

Due to the way that the Ashton family was provided favorable treatment, Moe believes there was some obstruction into the investigation and prosecution of this case. It will be reopened.

The most troubling revelation in this case is that state attorney Brian Haas cited conflicting stories in the “various incidents leading up to” the child molestation, but didn’t cite inconsistencies in the actual allegations of abuse. That’s like saying “The bank robber went in through the front door” but later saying “The bank robber slept in the bathroom”. Neither disputes the fact that the bank was robbed.

Is the investigation into the bank robbery going to be abandoned? Of course not! But in the case of Jeff Ashton, that’s the excuse that was given for not going forward with the prosecution, or at bare minimum, presenting the case to a Grand Jury. Worst of all, Moe believes the public was misled into believing this was a case of the victim changing her story.

It was not!

The victim was a non-verbal autistic child, and Brian Haas discredited the one person who gave autism a voice, the adult who had the God-Given courage to speak up for that child.

Brian Haas will be suspended from office and the investigation into Jeff Ashton will be presented to a Grand Jury on Day 1 of Moe’s Administration.

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