Supreme Court Orders Hearing For Broward Sex Offender
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4)- A Broward County sex offender who claims he has been held 8 years beyond the end of his original sentence without required legal action will get that hearing by order of the Florida Supreme Court.
Ronald Morel said after he completed a sentence for sequel battery and rape, he was not released from prison, but instead was ordered held in the state's civil commitment center for sex offenders near Arcadia.
That's allowed in Florida under the "Jimmy Ryce" law, named for a Miami-Dade boy who was kidnapped, raped, and killed by a neighborhood handyman. The law allows offenders judged to be a continuing danger to be kept in custody, even if they have served their original sentence.
It also requires a "commitment trial" where evidence can be presented by both sides. The offender can be released only if a judge finds they no longer are a danger to society.
Morel claims he never was given that trial, despite spending 8 years in the Arcadia facility.
In a 4-3 decision Friday, the The Florida Supreme Court agreed Morel should have a hearing and has ordered a judge to hold it within 60 days.
Two dissenting justices agreed with the hearing order but disagreed on details.
Morel was convicted in March, 1996 of kidnapping and sexual battery involving an adult.
