When the man accused of kidnapping 12-year-ld Brooke Bennett came up for early release from probation, a prosecutor didn’t think it was a good idea.
In a 2004 court proceeding, Deputy Orange County State’s Attorney Robert DiBartolo told Judge Amy Davenport that Michael Jacques’ actions in a 1992 kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault were too brutal to allow him to go without supervision.
A transcript of the hearing obtained Friday by the Associated Press shows that DiBartolo urged that Jacques be kept on probation, saying he was a twice-convicted sex offender that society had a right to want under supervision.
The hearing ultimately led to Jacques’ release from probation in 2006. It has received new attention since Jacques’ arrest last week in the case of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.
Jacques was Bennett’s uncle.