Office of the State Attorney, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida

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COURTROOM TO COMMUNITY: Our Jackets for Justice clothing closet was overflowing with donations! So last week, #TeamSAO4 packed up a carload of clothing and found them a perfect new home: Threads of Resilience! A program by Family Support Services of Duval & Nassau Counties, the boutique supports some of the most vulnerable residents in Jacksonville.

Congrats grads! This week, our office alongside State Attorney Melissa Nelson celebrated seven graduates from the Mental Health Offender Program (MHOP). During the ceremony, each graduate was presented with official paperwork announcing their dropped misdemeanor charges. Thank you Sulzbacher, City Councilman Ron Salem, Chief Judge Lance Day, Judge Brooke Brady, City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and the Public Defender's Office for your dedication and collaboration to improve lives by addressing underlying mental health issues. This was the 6th MHOP graduation since the program began in February 2021.

Chief Assistant Adair Newman kicked off the 2024 Cold Case Symposium with welcome remarks to hundreds of attendees from around the country, both in person and virtual. #TeamSAO4 would like to thank the University of North Florida, Purdue University, and Project: Cold Case for bringing this conference to #Jacksonville. Our office stands with victims of crime as we pursue justice always.

Zero tolerance — that's the message #TeamSAO4 and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office brought to KIPP Bold City High School last week. Our Juvenile Division Chief Kristen Liesch alongside Ofc. Cheyenne Snyder are talking directly to students across Duval County about school safety. By video, the kids also hear from teens who have been arrested for making a school threat, and they learn about the severe consequences they will face if they do the same.

#TeamSAO4 in Clay County are proud to join Quigley House, Inc for Wear Purple Day to bring attention to Domestic Violence Awareness Month and honor survivors across the Fourth Circuit.

Congratulations to former #TeamSAO4 prosecutor Garrett Hill for being appointed to the Columbia County Court Bench. Hill transferred to the Third Judicial Circuit in 2020 after serving as a prosecutor in the Fourth Circuit since 2010. Press Release:

A NEW CHAPTER: Our second R.E.A.D. Room is open in Clay County! We first introduced you to our Duval County R.E.A.D. Room in April and since then, our caring staff and attorneys in the Clay County office have donated supplies and decor to create this cozy space. R.E.A.D. stands for Relax, Escape, and Dream. A visit to the State Attorney’s Office isn’t always easy – a child might be here as a victim, a witness, or accompanying a family member who is one of those two. The R.E.A.D. Room provides a safe distraction.

Welcome to #TeamSAO4! Our new class of Assistant State Attorneys were officially sworn in this week by Chief Judge Lance Day and State Attorney Melissa Nelson.

#TeamSAO4 joined the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, City of Jacksonville, Florida, Hubbard House, Inc., Nassau County Sheriff's Office, Duval County Clerk of Courts, and more local law enforcement agencies and community partners to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Special Victims Unit Director Khary Gaynor spoke on the steady decline in domestic violence arrests and homicides in Jacksonville over the last few years. It is progress, but we all must keep working together to continue this trajectory.