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Police Angry Teen Wasn't In Custody

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2007

PLANT CITY - A 15-year-old suspect with a long rap sheet who was charged in Tuesday's violent crime spree should not have been on the streets, Plant City police officials contend.

Police are upset that Ricardo Young was released from custody by juvenile detention authorities less than 12 hours after he was arrested Sunday on burglary, theft and cocaine possession charges.

Police say Young, of 1504 E. Warren St., should have still been in custody Tuesday, when he and four other suspects were arrested by Hillsborough County deputies. The arrests followed a 20-minute car chase in and near the city in connection with four robberies, including one in which a victim was shot.

The suspects were charged with aggravated battery, four counts each of armed robbery and attempted murder. Three handguns were recovered by officers.

"Young has an arrest record that makes some career criminals look tame," police Capt. Darrell Wilson said.

25 Arrests In 4 Years

Records show that Young has been arrested 25 times since he was 11 years old. His arrests include charges of grand theft, burglary, attempted robbery and sale of cocaine to an undercover officer, Wilson said. The dispositions of the charges weren't available.

On Sunday, Young was arrested during a break-in at Tractor Supply Co., 1803 James L. Redman Parkway. He and 14-year-old Markeese Young, 333 Park Springs Circle, were arrested inside the store, police said. A third suspect, Derek McDonald, 15, 1320 E. Church St., was tracked by police and arrested in a subdivision west of the store.

Police don't know whether Ricardo and Markeese Young are related.

All three were processed and released within 12 hours at the Juvenile Assessment Center in Tampa, police said.

Police Chief Bill McDaniel said Ricardo Young's quick release Sunday was an example of a failed system.

"We put them in jail, and before the ink is dry, the suspected criminal is back on the street," McDaniel said. "We track down and arrest suspects, juvenile and adult. And before the officer is back on the job, the suspect is home having lunch."

The Juvenile Assessment Center, operated by the county under guidelines from the state Department of Juvenile Justice, uses a point system to determine, by age, severity of the crime and other criteria how long suspects should be held in custody, officials said. A spokeswoman for the Department of Juvenile Justice in Tallahassee said Wednesday that confidentiality laws prohibited her from discussing any specific offender.

Teens Have Prior Records

All five suspects in Tuesday's robbery spree, which targeted Hispanic farmworkers in the Plant City area, had criminal records, although Ricardo Young's was the most extensive, authorities said.

The other suspects include Jamal M. Rice, 19, 1102 W. Ball St.; Jamari McFadden, 15, 1016 Emerald Hill Way, Valrico; Vintawn Brooks, 17, 1101 S. Gibbs St.; and Rodney Young, 17, 810 W. Warren St. Ricardo and Rodney Young are distant cousins, police said. Rice was being held without bail Wednesday at Orient Road Jail. The other four were being held at a juvenile detention center, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Police and Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show Rice was arrested on burglary and grand theft charges in 2003; McFadden was charged with auto theft in June; Brooks was charged in August with robbery and possession of cocaine; and Rodney Young was arrested on burglary and robbery charges in 2006. The dispositions of the charges were not available.

Sheriff's Col. David Parrish said the juvenile justice system is faced with too few spaces to house offenders and a shortage of money.

"We only have room for about 150 criminal juveniles in the county," Parrish said. "The state has cut funding of the juvenile detention center completely, forcing the county to foot the bill. Further budget restraints will not allow any expansion. I don't see any answer to the problem in the foreseeable future."

Reporter Mike Wells contributed to this article. Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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