A simmering legal drama in Levy County, Fla., just got weirder. On one side is What the Hales content creator Jeremy Hales. He's up against the belligerent Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida Judge Craig DeThomasis, whose favorite pastime is yelling at the defendant and his lawyers for hours without hearing any evidence while coddling the plaintiff. In what should have been a one-hour hearing, DeThomasis turned a simple protection order case into a First Amendment battle of the ages that might end up in the Supreme Court of Florida.
I reported last week that the judge with a grudge refused to recuse himself for the third time, even after showing wild and obvious bias against the defendant. Catch up on that story here.
But now, there’s new information about DeThomasis and the Eighth Judicial Circuit that should make everyone sit up and take notice, and it goes all the way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office. Something is very wrong in Levy and Alachua Counties.
In 2014, William Ezzell was one of the brightest prosecuting attorneys in town. He was well-liked, even by defense attorneys. In fact, DeThomasis, who was a defense attorney at the time, reported that Ezzel would share strategy with him before trial (an odd thing to do according to the opinion of lawyers I know). DeThomasis called him a very valuable asset in the prosecutor’s office.
But Ezzell had a dark secret that should have destroyed his career as a lawyer forever. In September 2014, Ezzel went into TanUSA in Gainsville and filmed a half-naked woman over the wall of his tanning booth. His psychologist would later tell a Florida Supreme Court judge who oversaw his bar hearing that he was overcome with anxiety because his wife didn’t let him go to tanning salons (because she was a dermatologist). That anxiety made Ezzell take out his phone, climb up on something, and film the undressed woman in the booth next to him.
Those of you who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety may find this explanation puzzling if you have been using breathing techniques, meditation, or medication to calm your anxiety. Who knew voyeurism could relieve anxiety?
For a visual telling of this story, I’ve helpfully created a LEGO experience that will help to illustrate what happened here. (You've heard of gonzo journalism, but I may be the first to have invented LEGO journalism.)
A story using LEGO. In 2014 a Prosecutor with the 8th district in FL Levy County took a trip to the tanning salon. pic.twitter.com/yRcSjGkI2Z
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) March 5, 2024
No less than five judges from the 8th Circuit, most of whom are still on the bench, and a bunch of prosecutors and victims advocates swallowed that story and vociferously advocated for Ezzell to be reinstated to the bar following a measly 90-day suspension. The most shocking defense of Ezzell’s behavior came from Judge David Kreider, Chief Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Singer, and State Attorney Willam Cervone who all said that the creepy peeping Tom incident occurred in his “private time” and shouldn’t have any effect on his “professional” life.
Who knew that if you were a prosecutor, you could commit crimes against women in your personal time and get away with it? In the 8th Circuit, which covers both Levy County and Alachua County, it seems par for the course if you know the right people. Judge Craig DeThomasis, the insufferable windbag who loves the sound of his own voice more than justice, defended Ezzell in front of the bar, saying, “I don’t think this is necessarily a black eye on the legal profession.”
If committing a crime against a vulnerable woman in a tanning booth bed isn’t a “black eye” on the profession in DeThomasis’s opinion, I’d hate to hear what would be. Omar Hechavarria, the Division Chief of Crimes Against Women, and his underling Lua Lepianka both showed up to defend Ezzell. Hechavarria said Ezzell was highly respected by other attorneys. I wonder what the victims Hechavarria represents would think about his high regard for a predator who terrified a woman in a tanning salon.
Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor and Supervising Attorney of the Gator TeamChild Juvenile Law Clinic, also appeared to stand up for the peeping perv. She reported that Ezzell was her children’s Little League coach and that he treats everyone with respect. Well, except those unsuspecting women in tanning salons, I guess.
Alachua court clerk JK “Buddy” Irby (who has since retired and handed down the position to his son in a demonstration of nepotism), testified that he had known Ezzell for 29 years. He said Ezell was a fine lawyer and a “wonderful family man.” Irby called him a “rising star.” He was rising, alright — right over the tanning salon booth wall.
Four other 8th Circuit judges testified for Ezzell to save the creeping peeper’s law license: Senior Judge Bo Bayer; Judge James Colaw; Judge James P. Nilon; and the now-deceased Judge Browning. All except Browning are still sitting judges.
Not only did almost the whole circuit show up to make sure Ezzell could keep the honor of an officer of the court despite his perverted obsessions, but 32 other unnamed officials sent letters to the court in his defense.
Related: SHOCKING DECEPTION Revealed in Bachelor Paternity Nightmare
That’s shocking enough, but it gets worse. Then-Gov. Rick Scott himself issued an executive order sealing Ezzel’s criminal past from the public.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK SCOTT, Governor of Florida, in obedience to my solemn constitutional duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," and pursuant to the Constitution and laws of the State of Florida, issue the following Executive Order, effective immediately: Section 1. The Honorable BRAD KING, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit ofFlorida, referred to as the "Assigned State Attorney," is assigned to discharge the duties of the Honorable WILLIAM P. CERVONE, State Attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, as they relate to the petition to seal a record and all matters related to William Richard Ezzell.
This might be the weirdest and most offensive part of the executive order signed by Scott:
All residents of the Eighth Judicial Circuit are requested, and all public officials are directed, to cooperate and render whatever assistance is necessary to the Assigned State Attorney, so that justice may be served.
How is justice served by hiding the scary criminal past of a guy who practices law today, who now enjoys a veneer of legitimacy due to the actions of the entire legal community, all the way up to the governor — the people we are supposed to trust with our safety? They elevated a weirdo with a fetish over the safety of mothers and daughters and called it justice.
Who is this guy Ezzell? And why would the governor care more about a sexual deviant than the women of his state and issue an executive order sealing his dirty deeds from the public? The guy is an admitted creeper, and he blamed it on his wife! He should have been run out of the legal profession and reduced to selling used cars or something. But instead, the governor of the state of Florida covered up his past.
But Scott is not the only governor of Florida involved with the Ezzells. Ezzell’s wife, Tara Ezzell, was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (who also appointed Judge Craig DeThomasis, the worst judge in America currently) to the board of the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority in 2023. That appointment was so controversial that Mrs. Ezzell never showed up to one meeting because she was ousted before she began due to failing the requirements to hold the position. The Gainsville Sun reported:
One of the first board members of the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority has stepped down after just a day earlier being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Dermatologist Tara Ezzell, who didn't attend the first GRU Authority meeting Wednesday and wasn't officially sworn in, will no longer join the board, The Gainesville Sun confirmed Thursday with the governor's office.
The Sun first reported that Dr. Ezzell was the fourth non-city resident appointed to the board and that her electric provider was Clay Electric, putting her at odds with two requirements to be on the board. Attempts to reach Ezzell Thursday were unsuccessful.
A lawsuit was filed Monday against DeSantis by Gainesville residents to contest the appointments.
Who are the Ezzells and why have two governors of Florida and an entire state circuit court rallied around them for so long? PJM reached out to Gov. DeSantis and asked several questions about this case including if he would be willing to unseal it in the public interest. At the time of publishing, he had not responded, but if he does, we will update the article.
PJM also reached out to all of the judges and prosecutors named in this article with detailed questions about their protection of Ezzell’s escapades. If they respond, we will update. It's doubtful they will.
DeThomasis Testifies for Ezzel by PJ Media
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