Two men charged in separate shootings have entered pleas to resolve their cases.
Here's what we know about those and other cases addressed at the Marion County Judicial Center the weeks of Aug. 17 and 24:
State v. Bennie Keys
Judge: Circuit Judge Steven Rogers.
Lawyers: Defense lawyer Laurie Hall and Assistant State Attorney Adam Smith.
Charges: Multiple drug charges to include armed trafficking in cocaine and methamphetamine and trafficking in fentanyl, along with other charges such as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and flee or attempt to elude a police officer.
What happened in court? The case was set for trial on Aug. 19. Lawyers agreed to a plea deal on Aug. 17 before jury selection. Keys entered a no contest plea and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He has 880 days of credit for time already served at the Marion County Jail.
Charges of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were not pursued by prosecutors.
About the case: In 2024, Ocala police arrested Keys after shots fired by him into a vehicle wounded a juvenile. Authorities said he shot at the minor because the boy did not pay a phone bill. With the drug charges, Keys had drugs in his possession when he was taken into custody, law enforcement said.
State v. Scott Michael Peltier
Judge: Circuit Judge Barbara Kissner Kwatkosky.
Lawyer: Assistant Public Defender Andrea M. Grillon.
Charges: Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, armed trespassing and resisting an officer with violence.
Reason for court? Pre-trial hearing on Aug. 18. Peltier, who had been deemed incompetent to stand trial, is now competent to proceed, court documents indicate.
What's next? Peltier has a court hearing scheduled for late September. Presently, Peltier is being held without bail at the county jail.
About the case: Sheriff's deputies were called a large empty property just outside the city limits of Dunnellon in 2023. At the location, officials said, Peltier refused their orders to leave. Peltier pulled out a firearm and was shot by deputies. Prosecutorshave cleared the deputies of any wrongdoing.
State v. Cesar Ramon Estrada Garcia
Judge: Circuit Judge Steven Rogers.
Lawyers: Defense lawyer Jacob Stuart and Assistant State Attorney Adam Smith.
Charges: Vehicular homicide, reckless driving cause serious bodily injury, two counts of reckless driving damage to person or property and racing on highway.
Reason for court? A bail hearing on Aug. 21. Garcia was arrested on Aug. 14. He appeared in front of a judge the next day and was denied bail on the vehicular homicide charge. For the remaining charges, the judge set bail at $50,000. Stuart filed a motion for bail.
What happened in court? Filling in for attorney Stuart was Ian Tudor, who works with Stuart. He told the judge that the state was not seeking pre-trial detention and his client does have a failure to appear for a misdemeanor that was resolved.
Family members of the deceased appeared via Zoom. Christopher Gonzalez, who was driving a Toyota RAV4 SUV that was struck by Garcia's BMW, read aloud from a prepared statement.
He said his parents, who recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, were visiting from Illinois when the crashed occurred. He said the family is trying to cope with the loss and asked the judge, in the interest of public safety, not to grant bail – or, if bail is set, then to set it at a high amount.
Gonzalez's father, Loy Gonzalez, said his wife was his partner and his best friend. He said they did everything together, and he feels a sense of emptiness since her death in the crash.
Smith asked for bail to be set at $300,00. He said Garcia should have no contact with the victim's family, must wear an electronic device, and must not drive.
The defense said the defendant is remorseful, cooperated with law enforcement, and is taking the charges seriously. Tudor asked for bail to be set at $100,000.
The judge said Garcia has had a number of traffic infractions such as speeding, running a red light and careless driving. He said while he gives Garcia credit for surrendering to authorities, he was going to side with the prosecution and imposed a total bail of $350,000.
If Garcia posts a bond, the judge said, he cannot have any contact the victim's family or his co-defendant, cannot leave Marion County, and cannot drive.
Records show his bond was posted on Aug. 22.
What's next? Garcia has a Sept. 15 court date. On that day he will know what charge/charges prosecutors plan to file. As of Aug. 31, prosecutors had not filed any charges.
About the case: Garcia, 28, was taken into custody after surrendering at the county jail. The Florida Highway Patrol said Misaiah Mike Enriquez, 21, of Marion Oaks, and Garcia were driving BMWs and speeding north on Southwest 49th Avenue Road. Gonzalez's Toyota RAV4 SUV pulled out from Southwest 82nd Place Road turning left, when Garcia's BMW struck the car.
Myrna Gonzalez, 77; her 78-year-old husband; and their son were in the SUV.
FHP said Myrna Gonzalez was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, where she died. The other two were injured.
FHP said that three seconds before impact, the BMW was traveling at 105 mph.
Troopers said Enriquez fled the scene. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Aug. 12 in Miami.
Enriquez's charges are vehicular homicide, fleeing and eluding, and reckless driving. Officials said he has a warrant for fleeing and eluding out of Citrus County. Additional charges against Enriquez are pending, officials said.
State v. Wesley John Maye
Judge: Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt.
Lawyers: Assistant State Attorney James Moody and defense lawyers Michael Sawyer and Gilbert Schaffnit.
Charge: Shooting at or into an occupied conveyance. Charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm with weapon or firearm and burglary of a conveyance while armed were dropped by prosecutors.
When was Maye's hearing and what was the outcome? Present with his lawyers, Maye's jury selection was set for Aug. 24. Instead, he pleaded no contest.
In the plea deal, Maye was sentenced to five years of probation and two years of house arrest. He has three days of credit for time already served at the county jail.
While on probation, he cannot contact the reported victim and cannot no illegal substances. He can travel for work to nearby counties.
About the case: Maye, 41, was accused of shooting a man in 2024. Prosecutors later said the victim's injury was more consistent with blunt force trauma.
A co-defendant, Mandilee Danielle Roberts, 39, was accused of driving a vehicle during the shooting incident. Roberts, represented by attorney Bill Ramputi, was charged with principal to aggravated battery with great bodily harm with weapon or firearm, principal to burglary of a conveyance while armed, and principal to shooting at or into an occupied conveyance.
The state dropped the charges in May.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Two men charged in separate shootings have resolved their cases
