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Cantonment Man Sentenced In Beating, Robbery And Hostage Case
January 27, 2016
A Cantonment man has pleaded to a lesser charge after being accused of kidnapping, beating, robbing and holding another man for ransom in July 2015.
Jeffrey Ervington Rivers, 33, was originally charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping an adult for ransom, grand theft and robbery with a weapon. He was convicted of a reduced charge of battery and sentenced to 199 days in the Escambia County Jail with credit for 199 days served.
The victim told Escambia County deputies that he was putting water in the radiator of his car int he parking lot of a credit union on Fairfield Drive when a man, later identified as Rivers, approached him from behind, struck him in the back with a hard object and forced him into a vehicle. He told deputies he was held hostage by Rivers inside a house on Lillian Highway, while Rivers threatened to beat and kill him. The following day, Rivers allegedly forced the victim to call his wife and demand that $500 cash be dropped off at a Lillian Highway bar. When Rivers learned that the victim’s wife had called authorities, he allegedly beat the victim with a bat and leather strap.
Rivers then said he was going to buy drugs and then return to kill the victim. The victim was able to escape when a female in the house brought him his keys and wallet and told him leave.
The victim was able to later identity Rivers from a photo lineup, according to an arrest report.
According to the State Attorney’s office, the victim twice failed to appear for depositions in the case, and the victim’s version of the story involving the kidnapping was not credible and did not support the additional charges against Rivers.
Comments
24 Responses to “Cantonment Man Sentenced In Beating, Robbery And Hostage Case”
The victim knows the identity of his assailant.
There is so much that could be said about all this, but if I were the victim, I would let Mr Rivers do all the speaking, and I would just not pay any attention to what he had to say.
Eloquence is what it is, and so is detachment, indifference, focus and intent.
Please go back and read the story again. The victim failed to show up twice for a deposition, therefor the Sate had no choice but to drop the majority of the charges. Based on the evidence of pictures, it is likely to prove that a battery occurred but absent the victim being deposed, the remaining charges must be dropped. Blame the victim, not the state or the judge.
REGARDING:
“Not the Judges fault the State failed to find enough evidence to proceed with several of the charges so these were Nolle Prosequi. ”
True.
The prosecutors decided to not prosecute all crimes initially charged.
Sometimes this IS because of lack of evidence, but most often it is because they worked out a deal in which the accused pleads guilty to a lesser charge if they drop the other charges.
Assuming they ARE guilty, this achieves conviction without expense of a trial. (And I don’t know of a single judge who will accept a plea bargain unless convinced the accused actually is guilty.)
Also, the judge is apt to have time served concurrently rather than consecutively.
If ten crimes are each punished wit one year in prison served concurrently, that means one year in prison rather than ten years if served consecutively.
They can ask themselves, “Why waste the taxpayer’s money with ten prosecutions when just one conviction will yield the same effective result.”
As a result, many in prison are not technically in there for violent crimes evenif though their actions involved violence.
David for truth
REGARDING:
“If all who claim innocence have a history of illegal actions, then how do you explain those who are in prison for years, decrying their innocence the entire time, who are later cleared by DNA evidence? I guess they were just guilty of other things, huh? Railroading and frames never happen, do they?”
.
According to innocenceproject.org,
” There have been 337 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States.”
This number is unlikely to rise much — if any — more because they have already checked the most likely cases, far more than 337, to find those.
And, yes, some WERE found to have been false convictions due to false confessions and crooked cops but some were just enough to call for a retrial and the states decided not to retry because witnesses had died and records lost to fire, flood, rats incompetence in filing.
And, yes, many were initially suspects due to prior crimes or even evidence they were involved in the actual crime without other proof they swung the club or thrust the knife.
David for justice
Not the Judges fault the State failed to find enough evidence to proceed with several of the charges so these were Nolle Prosequi. Therefore the Judges hands are pretty much tied on sentencing. The only charge he was convicted of was Battery which is a misdemeanor and max sentence of 1 year county jail.
@Kyle,
If all who claim innocence have a history of illegal actions, then how do you explain those who are in prison for years, decrying their innocence the entire time, who are later cleared by DNA evidence? I guess they were just guilty of other things, huh? Railroading and frames never happen, do they?
Not saying he was innocent, just that your blanket statement isn’t accurate.
I grew up next to this individual and he has been in trouble sine we were kids, with many arrest well before 18. How has he managed to escape a lengthy prison sentence is beyond me. I figured this time he would be gone for a long time. I just hope that whatever his next violent crime is that he doesn’t severaly hurt or kill someone!
Outrageous! This guy has over a page of offenses, including NINE Felony convictions! I’m sure this experience will make him turn his life around – NOT! He just had the fact that he is beyond our laws re-affirmed.
The judges name is Darlene Dickey. Remember that name come election time.
Sorry Jcelops,
I have to disagree with your statements. I do have to agree with the previous statement someone pointed out, he provided enough substantial assistance to the authorities to receive a light sentence. It’s how it’s done.. he’ll be back in the clink…. give it time. It’s his destiny…
Kyle.. I suspected exactly what you alluded to in your comment…In the report, I noticed several “allegedly” references.. That immediately gave me a cause to pause- furthermore, what would compell a prosecutor and judge to proceed with (on face value) such a ludicrous sentence? There had to be more to the story…my thought was that perhaps the unnamed “victim”, or witnesses, had refused to testify- or, disappeared, for that matter…..in addition, how can the prosecution convict the defendant on each of those nafarious charges if they can not be proven sufficiently to a jury?…..perhaps the lawyers, jury and judge did the best that could be done with the evidence in this case….certainly, it’s a wild story with a lot of questionable players…..wish the story BEHIND the story would be told- to be fair.
liberals dont believe in punishment……..get used to it
Let’s play a game called “Show me.”
Show me someone who’s in prison claiming they’re innocent,
and I’ll show you someone who has a history of bad/illegal decisions.
After all, if pleading to a lesser charge is what gets you back on the streets…
for this guy, the reason they accepted his plea:
1) not enough evidence to convict on the charges brought – probably because the victim’s story keeps changing.
2) investigators could prove something happened, and the guy they charged was the one, but the only thing they knew for sure happened is the charge of battery.
there are other reasons they accepted his plea, but these two would be the main reason.
trust me, you might be shaking your head at the judge, but it’s the judge (and myself) who are shaking our heads at the way the people in this case just kept their mouths shut and refused to cooperate. give it a few months and this guy will be in the news as the victim of something worse.
Wow!!! I am dumfounded. Does anybody else smell vigilantism in the air? Well it is an election year…let’s clear the slate of ALL our elected officials across the board! Hey Jeffie…stay the hell out of Beulah.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE JUDGES NOW AND BEFORE. When a circuit judge can sentence a man to 8 years 8 1/2 months for putting signs in his yard telling about a cops insatiable inability to keep his pants up around other women is totally wrong. This is not a justice system but a JUST US system working good for who you know or what you know on the judge. It might not be the JUST US system in this case because it is hard to think this man had any influence on the judge but there was virtually no sentence in the end. GETERDONE.
The commenters are 100% right!
Shame on the attorney’s for doing this. Shame on the judge for agreeing to it. BTW what’s the judges name? If I ever get in trouble, I want him to be my judge.
Not to worry friends and neighbors…it’s just a matter of time before he gets the Full
Scholarship…Life.
Maybe the various judges that are doing the “wrist slapping” to these criminals could
have a little vacation in lockup! Just a thought from one who’s frustrated with “the system” too.
The State Attorney’s Office is to blame here.
I hope he gave up A LOT of highly valuable information that leads to A LOTof convictions of very dangerous criminals for being given such a mild sentence
This has to be a joke. There is no way a Judge would give 199 days for this crime.
We need a means to hold judges accountable for decisions like this.
Unbelievable
Really??? 199 days in the county for all of that and that’s it? People wonder why they return to the judicial system. That’s a real lesson learned after being identified in a line-up, but there’s nothing wrong with our judicial system. Good job judge!! Hope the victim of the crime is doing well.