A man is facing up to 60 years in the Florida State Prison following a manslaughter conviction in a drug overdose death, according to a news release Friday from the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Some community groups and social activists in Jacksonville say a move by the State Attorney’s Office to speed up the release of body camera footage in police shootings is groundbreaking. “We will continue with our boots on the ground campaign in that regard.”Others like Lauren Cepheus, vice president of the Black Commission — a local group working for policy change in the Black community — echoed that response. “Things are improving.”RELATED: Nelson issues new policy on body camera footage in police shootingsNews4Jax asked Sheriff Mike Williams if he has a timeline of when videos would be released. “So within 30 days, it will be released.”The sheriff says this is evolving and there could be changes. The community groups say they will be meeting later this month with Nelson and others to see how this is working and to discuss other issues.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Saying that swift and certain public release of body-camera footage is in the publics best interest, State Attorney Melissa Nelson on Tuesday announced changes to the policies involving videos of police shootings. Nelson said the State Attorneys Office for Duval Clay and Nassau counties will now approve the release of footage from police shootings within 30 days unless the state believes it will hinder a case. I think its a good policy, I think its thoughtful, I think its well researched, Nelson told News4Jax. Im really proud of the work of the assistant state attorneys in the office, whove been working really diligently on putting it together. The release of body camera footage has been a sore spot between the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and the State Attorneys Office since some JSO officers starting wearing the cameras at the end of 2018.

Armed with a knife, Baker answers the door, immediately stabbing Mechling in the arm. Ive just been f****** stabbed! Mechling is heard yelling on her radio as she backtracks off the front porch of the home. While Mechling demands the woman get on the ground, Baker is seen reaching down to pick up the knife. When Baker retrieves the knife, Mechling is seen stepping backward and firing two shots toward Baker, which investigators say missed. News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson took a look at the footage and how Officer Mechling handled the situation.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The State Attorneys Office has cleared police shootings involving 14 officers with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, some of which occurred just a few months ago. When Ervie raised the knife, investigators said, Officer B.L. According to investigators, officers called that number to set up another meet, and one of the suspects pulled a gun. Investigators said Baker stabbed Meckling in the arm with a butcher knife before the officers shot her. Now that the officers have been cleared, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Offices Response to Resistance Board will determine if the shootings were within departmental guidelines for the use of deadly force.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new policy regarding the release of police-worn body camera video is going to be put into place soon. There have been meetings between JSO, the state attorney and groups like the Northside Coalition to speed up the process of releasing body camera footage. During Monday’s meeting, City Council member Ron Salem told the committee a new policy is coming very soon. The State Attorney’s Office confirmed to News4Jax that it is working on a new plan and will release it soon. Right now, there is no time frame for the release of body camera video in police shootings.

Ron DeSantis suspended embattled Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, arrested Thursday night on criminal charges stemming from a sex scandal investigation, the governor appointed Special Agent Matt Walsh of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as interim sheriff. He’s now got five months to make his mark in Clay County, when whoever wins the November election takes over in January. He is prohibited from receiving any pay or allowance and from any privileges of public office during the suspension. “I started thinking (the) Clay County sheriff has to kill a female, young female in her vehicle. King noted in his letter: “I do not know Sheriff Daniels, his politics, his opponents, nor for that matter any citizen in Clay County.

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A day after Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels surrendered to law enforcement to face criminal charges stemming from a sex scandal investigation, Gov. He is prohibited from receiving any pay or allowance and from any privileges of public office during the suspension. RELATED: Making sense of the charges against Clay County Sheriff Darryl DanielsThe Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed an internal investigation last year into a corrections officer, Cierra Smith, who had been Daniels’ mistress while he was her supervisor. News4Jax on Friday spoke with Rep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, a former Jacksonville sheriff who worked with Daniels during his time at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. King noted in his letter: “I do not know Sheriff Daniels, his politics, his opponents, nor for that matter any citizen in Clay County.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A day after Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels surrendered to law enforcement to face criminal charges stemming from a sex scandal investigation, newly released court documents are shedding light on the allegations against him. Through his attorney and a video statement posted on social media Thursday, the sheriff has maintained his innocence. In the video clip, the sheriff questioned the timing of the criminal charges, calling it “very suspicious.”RELATED: Facing 4 charges, Sheriff Daniels turns himself in | Why bring charges during an election? While deputies placed Smith in handcuffs, no criminal charges were filed against her. RELATED: Sheriff Daniels accuses corrections officer of stalking him | Sheriff Daniels’ ex-lover: What I did was wrongAttorney Latoya Williams-Shelton, who represents Smith, said her client was licensed to carry a concealed firearm.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly 50 more nonviolent, low-level offenders were released this month from the Duval County jail. This comes as the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has spent the last month dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak inside the Pre-Trial Detention Facility. According to the State Attorney’s Office, at least some of the inmates released so far are among those who’ve tested positive. The doctor later tested positive, according to the sheriff, and has since been fired. The Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center has five youths and one staff member who have tested positive, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A family is seeking legal action after a State Attorney’s Office investigation concluded a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer was justified in shooting Jamee Johnson during a traffic stop in 2019. The State Attorney’s Office released its investigation report on Monday, as well as body camera footage of the police-involved shooting. After he is pulled over, the video shows Johnson explaining he has a gun inside of a jacket in the car. Another officer’s body camera captured what happened next. “Looking at the body camera footage and looking at the state of Florida’s finding so far, but that’ doesn’t’ mean that it’s impossible.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A State Attorney’s Office investigation concluded a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer was justified in shooting Jamee Johnson during a traffic stop in 2019. The State Attorney’s Office released its investigation report on Monday afternoon, as well as body camera footage of the police-involved shooting. According to the investigation report, Johnson was pulled over for driving without a seat belt. Toward the beginning of the body camera video, Garriga asks: “Why are you so nervous?” Johnson responds: “I’m not. “At the time Officer Garriga shot Johnson, he had a reasonable belief, under Florida law, that Johnson posed a deadly threat to him and his fellow officer,” the investigation report said.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – An ex-deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, who was seen on video beating a man during a December traffic stop, has been charged with aggravated battery, according to the State Attorney’s Office. DeLeo was fired from the Sheriff’s Office. In the video, Butler can be heard screaming and moaning when he was shocked with a Taser several times. Later in the video, DeLeo comes at him with a baton. In the report from the Sheriff’s Office, investigators said Butler was being uncooperative and was not responding to commands.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The State Attorneys Office confirms two assistant prosecutors are recovering at home after testing positive for COVID-19. Frustration, definitely, because all they want is justice for their loved one, and the process has really slowed down, Manning said. A spokesperson for the State Attorneys Office confirmed it has rolled back to phase one, meaning its staff went from being 50% back to work in the building to 25%. Her concern is the number of families the pandemic has left in limbo. As the two assistant prosecutors who tested positive for COVID-19 recover from home, hearings continue to happen virtually.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. More than 500 nonviolent offenders inside the Duval County Pretrial Detention Center have been released since mid-March to keep the novel coronavirus from spreading inside the jail, officials say. Over the weekend, the jail reached 178 reported positive cases when 50 inmates who tested positive were released. As of June 23, just over 500 nonviolent offenders with low-level charges have been released from jail, according to figures released by the State Attorneys Office. On June 21, the Duval County jail reported its first confirmed cases of COVID-19. Incoming inmates were screened and tested as they arrived to the jail as well, according to the Duval County Health Department.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The State Attorneys Office has dropped charges against six more protesters from the first weekend of demonstrations in downtown Jacksonville following the death of George Floyd. Coricia Campbell, Joshua Lunford, Carly Griffith, August Jhai, James Pohlscheid and Nina Franklin were all charged with unlawful assembly on May 30. Cellphone video showed that Campbell, a Marine Corps veteran, was peacefully sitting in the street in front of the Florida Theater before she was dragged off and arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. Earlier this month, the State Attorney dropped charges against 50 people arrested for unlawful assembly May 31. Some of them filed have filed a federal lawsuit against JSO.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released body cam footage of a police officer shooting and killing an armed man. The footage released by the Sheriff’s Office shows Landreville jogging toward the incident. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Response to Resistance Board ruled that the shooting was within the departmental guidelines for use of force. Before that, the State Attorney’s Office ruled the shooting justifiable. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Feliciano had eight previous arrests, six of which were in Jacksonville.

A Putnam County man who sexually abused a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old was sentenced Tuesday to three consecutive life terms. Joseph Dean Allen was convicted earlier this year of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation against two children who knew him. The State Attorneys Office commended the children for their courage in taking the stand to testify against Allen. He used their vulnerability and trusting nature to engage in his predatory sexual assaults. Our consolation is that in serving multiple life sentences, he cannot take advantage of innocent and unsuspecting children ever again, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said.

Newly released data from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office shows that nine people were shot -- six of them fatally -- in 2019. JSOs Response to Resistance Annual Report also shows officers used force hundreds of times last year and the vast majority do not involve the use of a gun or result in a death. According to the data, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office used force 878 times in 2019. The report shows 71 officers were injured during those interactions. Close to half, 48%, said they used force to protect themselves, while a little more than 17% said they used force to protect a citizen.

A city council committee in Jacksonville will vote on a resolution to urge the State Attorneys Office and Jacksonville Sheriffs Office to release body camera footage. If the resolution is passed as is now, JSO may be required by law to release body camera footage. The resolution only calls for the timely release of body camera videos where police violence or misconduct is alleged. Of those four, only one officer was wearing a body camera. When the public records law was written, the law enforcement officers bill of rights was written, nobody even knew what body camera footage was.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. After reviewing video multiple videos of protests and arrests in Downtown Jacksonville on May 30 and 31, the State Attorneys Office announced Friday that charges against 47 people accused only of unlawful assembly. Based on News4Jax reviews and information from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, 79 people were arrested that weekend. Late in the first day of protests sparked after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. The Public Defenders Office identified at least 70 people arrested during the May 30 and 31 protests on charges unlawful assembly while protesting police brutality, records show. The matter involving Hollett is still being reviewed with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office Internal Affairs Department, according to Officer Christian Hancock.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The State Attorneys Office is reviewing multiple videos showing protesters being arrested on May 30 and 31. The video reviews are to determine how many of the dozens arrested on misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly will have their charges dropped, according to the Public Defenders Office. The Public Defenders Office has identified at least 70 people arrested during the May 30 and 31 protests on charges unlawful assembly while protesting police brutality. We are trying to go through them to see what we can do to have those charges dropped. The State Attorneys Office said it did not yet have an update on how many of the protesters will have their charges dropped.

So, I was, like, ‘Well, show me the body video, body camera video.’ And he was, like, ‘No, you know, it’s an ongoing investigation,’” said Austin of her talks with the State Attorney’s Office. A News4Jax I-TEAM analysis of data from JSO’s Open Data page found, under Nelson, the State Attorney’s Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit is, on average, taking longer to review cases than the previous administration. Data show, under the previous state attorney, Angela Corey, on average, reports were released 226 days after the original incident. In a memo released Tuesday, the State Attorney’s Office admittedly said the process for handling officer-involved shootings changed when Nelson took office, specifically, it added more steps. The multiple levels of review that each OIS receives highlights the importance we attach to thorough, correct, and reliable opinions rendered in these cases,” stated the State Attorney’s Office memo.

Three and a half months after a West Nassau High School football player was shot and killed, his family is still desperately seeking answers. John Phillips, the family’s attorney, said the Sheriff’s Office told him it’s waiting to get it right. The Sheriff’s Office never identified them, but the family and Phillips said the suspected shooter also went to West Nassau High. The family believes race played a part in the death of their son, who was biracial. One of the other teens called 911 as they drove Fort to West Nassau High -- about 8 minutes away -- to meet a rescue unit.

“In addition to reviewing our current practices, we are also working to create a policy related to BWC footage during an (officer-involved shooting) investigation,” the memo states. “Recently, the public has demanded the immediate release of BWC footage, prior to the conclusion of an (officer-involved shooting) investigation,” the memo states. As a result, moving forward, the SAO will determine the public release of BWC footage in (officer-involved shooting) incidents.”That could mean body camera video is released months sooner than in the past. It’s good for the community to see, good for it to be reported properly.”JSO launched its body camera pilot program in Nov. 2018. If it does, it would be the first body camera in a police shooting that could be cleared for release.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A Jacksonville pastor who was arrested last month while trying to mediate between demonstrators and police during a peaceful protest at the Duval County Courthouse will not face criminal charges. Smith was streaming on Facebook Live the afternoon of May 31 as Jacksonville Sheriffs officers arrested her and other protesters police said resisted orders to clear the area surrounding the courthouse. You did good.As police in riot gear approach the remaining crowd, Smith can be heard telling lingering protesters to go home and volunteering to clean up any litter left behind. As her Facebook Live video showed, she said, she was keeping the peace. My main purpose was to be able to maintain peace, Smith said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Family members of victims who have been part of the calls for justice in some of the marches and demonstrations happening across North Florida are speaking out again. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee has a few demands for state leaders, all with those families in mind. Some of the family members told News4Jax its been a long fight to try and get justice for their loved ones. Demonstrations in the past week have not only been about cases seen nationally but also whats happened across Northeast Florida. As it relates to officer-involved shootings, the State Attorneys Office has a distinct and independent role in these investigations.

Waters, the officer stopped to check on a crash just after 3 a.m., and during his conversation with the driver, that man attacked the officer and, at one point, that man claimed he had a gun. At that point, the officer fired two shots, killing the man, Waters said. All lanes of JTB eastbound and westbound near Hodges Boulevard were closed while investigators were at the scene. Anytime we hear about or see a police-involved shooting, just know thats the last thing a officer really wants to do is take someones life," Jefferson said. But that officer wants to go home the same way he left home, so he has to protect himself as well as others when it comes down to deadly force.