St. Johns County man pleads no contest to manslaughter with firearm, gets 15 years

A St. Johns County man awaiting his fate during sentencing expressed condolences to the family of the man he killed last spring.

"I regret everything I've done," he said in court.

Darrell Jones, 53, appeared before Judge Michael Traynor on Wednesday in a St. Johns County courtroom. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of manslaughter with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted in-state felon. He had pleaded no contest to the charges in December.

In May, he was arrested in connection with a shooting on Washington Street.

Assistant State Attorney Chris Miller said the victim, Joseph Williams, and Jonesw got into an argument while they both were living at the St. Francis House.

"Williams didn't want to break down his cot, and Jones was trying to convince him to follow the house rules," he said.

Miller said Williams later tried to apologize to Jones, but Jones walked away.

"Williams, who had a knife in his pocket, got agitated and decided to confront Jones about it, resulting in a fist fight," he said. "At that point, Jones pulled out the gun and shot Williams in the neck."

Williams died as a result of the shooting.

St. Augustine Police officers found Jones on a bike a little while later with the gun in his back pocket and arrested him.

Six members of Jones' family spoke on his behalf. They each said Jones, who had suffered a stroke before the shooting, was a good man and he had changed since he had the stroke.

"My father is not a troubled person," Shadrick Washington said.

Jaquelyn Washington, Jones' daughter-in-law, agreed.

"His health is failing and he needs a pacemaker," she said. "He used to be a strong man."

Washington also recognized Williams' family.

"My heart goes out to them because he was someone's child and was someone to somebody, so his life matters, too," she said.

Jones' attorney, Jill Barger, said Jones has not tried to fight the charges against him and is remorseful for what he did.

"We have someone here who took someone else's life, but he was acting in self-defense and felt like he didn't have a lot of options," she said. "We can't ignore the fact someone died, so we are asking for whatever sentence the court sees fit."

Miller said Jones has a two prior felony convictions, including a 2002 felony battery charge.

"I have no doubt Jones is remorseful for his actions," he said. "I would ask the court consider a sentence in context with his criminal history, to some extent."

He said considering those charges, the state was asking for 15 to 20 years in prison.

"Any measure of mercy needs to be tempered with his history," he said. "I concede the shooting was probably provoked by the victim, and that should certainly weigh on the court's mind as to what is a fair sentence."

Streeter gets

30 years

Also Wednesday, Teashun Streeter, 20, was handed a 30-year prison sentence for his participation in a pair of robberies.

Streeter pleaded no contest to two counts of robbery with a weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted in-state felon, grand theft and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Robbery with a weapon is a first-degree felony and carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison.

Streeter was also designated a prison releasee re-offender.

Streeter addressed the court, saying he wanted a chance to turn his life around.

"Use the time you're incarcerated to change and do something productive," Traynor said.

Streeter was arrested in April in connection with an armed robbery near West King Street.

A victim said he was robbed at gunpoint and gave Streeter and his two accomplices his money, wallet and iPod.

A couple of days earlier, Streeter had attempted to rob Justin Ellis with a weapon, taking his cellphone and wallet.

Assistant State Attorney Chris Ferebee said he proceeded to "pistol whip" Ellis.

Two county men designated habitual offenders

¦ Andrew Stanton appeared in court Wednesday for sentencing on charges ranging from introducing contraband into a penal institution to sale of cocaine.

Traynor sentenced him to 10 years in prison and designated him a habitual felony offender.

Stanton is not a stranger to Traynor.

"I've had you in front of me many years ago," he said. "I'm familiar with your cases. You've committed enough crimes to last a lifetime, and I've made sure you stay out of trouble for as long as I can.

"If you don't, there's another 10-year suspended sentence hanging over your head."

Assistant State Attorney Travis Mydock cited Stanton's extensive criminal record. He has been arrested on charges ranging from sale of cocaine to criminal mischief and grand theft auto since 2006.

"He's a habitual criminal," Mydock said. "He has two prior convictions on law enforcement officers, and that is not to be taken lightly."

Stanton, 28, was arrested in January 2014 after he turned himself in to authorities after refusing to comply with a traffic stop.

He ignored commands to stop, striking at least one St. Augustine Police officer and sideswiping two police patrol cars and was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of fleeing and attempting to elude and one count of resisting an officer with violence.

¦ Gary Johnson was also designated as a habitual felon offender and sentenced to 15 years in prison after previously pleading no contest to the charge of sale of methamphetamine.

Mydock was also prosecuting that case.

"He has a history stemming over 20 years of consistently coming out of prison and going back again," he said.

He cited several previous convictions to back up the motion, including cocaine possession, grand theft and burglary of a dwelling.

Johnson's attorney, Terry Shoemaker, said he is battling an addiction problem and has been unsuccessful in trying to get better.

"He's not a violent criminal; he's a drug addict and needs help," he said.