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Did the local State Attorney give the son of an FHP supervisor preferential treatment?

Would it have been appropriate for the local State Attorney to have requested that the Governor assign the prosecution to another State Attorney's office

Updated
February 6, 2012

"The corruption in reporting starts very early.
It's like the police reporting on the police."
Julian Assange

R.J. Larizza - State Attorney - 7th Judicial Circuit
"To pursue justice, without fear, favor, reward or the promise thereof"

Recently, a Florida Highway Patrol supervisor's son was sentenced to one year house arrest, and five years of probation, regarding the traffic homicide deaths of two local teenagers. VolusiaExposed invites our readers to review the below media articles that detail Joshua Ritter's sentencing.

Joshua Ritter is the 19 year old son of FHP supervisor, Richard Ritter. According to a 2004 media article, Sgt. Rick Ritter is the Florida Highway Patrol homicide supervisor for Volusia and Seminole counties.

According to the below media articles, the mother of one of the deceased teenagers believes that Joshua Ritter received preferential treatment from law enforcement authorities ( including the State Attorney's office ), due to his father's supervisory position within the Florida Highway Patrol.

It is widely known that Mr. Larizza received heavy support from the local law enforcement community in his 2008 successful bid in defeating then State Attorney John Tanner. Tanner had heavily investigated alleged wrong-doing within the Flagler county law enforcement community. Tanner's investigation got started immediately after the arrest of his daughter, by a Flagler county law enforcement agency. Larizza represented one of the officers attached to the Tanner investigation.

The investigation of Flagler law enforcement by Tanner's Office of the State Attorney, garnered not only high media attention, as detailed in numerous articles that are attached to the below SPECIAL REPORT, by the Daytona Beach News Journal, but also gained the attention of law makers in Tallahassee.

VolusiaExposed.Com has no knowledge if FHP supervisor Ritter supported Mr. Larizza during his 2008 bid for office. However, it is apparent, via the above 2004 News Journal article, that Mr. Ritter is a supervisor in the FHP traffic homicide division. Therefore, an assumption can be made that Mr. Ritter and the Office of the State Attorney have regular professional contact.

VolusiaExposed.Com holds the belief that Mr. Larizza should have avoided any and all situations, whereas such assumptions of preferential treatment could have been inferred.

In a most recent case, the union negotiator for the law enforcement branch of the Teamster's labor union was arrested on domestic violence charges. Due to the fact that Mr. Jeff Candage was an ex-law enforcement officer, and due to the union's assistance in getting Mr. Larizza elected, Mr. Larizza had no difficulty in drafting a request to Governor Scott, requesting that another State Attorney be assigned to the Candage matter.

Then again, Mr. Candage's spouse was well aware of the relationship Mr. Larizza and Mr. Candage shared - and since she was the alleged victim - she might be so inclined to reveal this blatant conflict of interest to the administration of justice.

VolusiaExposed.Com questions why Mr. Larizza did not request that the Ritter matter be transferred, in similar fashion, as was the Candage matter? We believe that Larizza's failure to request such a transfer brings legitimate questions of fairness and transparency to the Office of the State Attorney.

Further, this is not the first time in recent Volusia County history, that a father's law enforcement influences were employed to protect a son from the ramifications of his sins. In November 2010, Mike Osowski (son of then, Volusia Sheriff Department, Captain Alan Osowski) was involved in a traffic accident that killed the grandmother / mother of Mike and Alan Osowski. While the accident was tragic, what occurred after the accident was even more disturbing. Did Captain Alan Osowski, possibly with assistance from other members of the VCSO, obstruct the criminal investigation of his son? VolusiaExposed invites you to review our below article on the Osowski scandal.

History has proven it as a fact, that most fathers will defend their sons. Logically, fathers of fame, wealth or influence can defend their sons more effectively, when their sons find themselves on the wrong side of the criminal justice system. Society might not understand, but has come to accept, to a certain degree, that the rich man's son can hire a better legal defense. But should the influences of the father, demand that the lady of justice drop her sword and scales of justice, in order to lift up her blindfold, so that preferential treatment can be given to the sons of well heeled or influential men?

Another fact remains almost certain, young teenage boys will continue to do things they later regret. Given the passage of some time, we predict similar tragedies, as the ones that brought Joshua Ritter and Mike Osowski to the court's attention will no doubt occur again. If the next young regretful man does not have a well connected father, will he also be afforded the same brand of justice from the Office of R.J. Larizza, State Attorney?
Only time will tell.

VolusiaExposed.Com makes another observation - with the Ritter sentencing - Mr, Larizza has almost certainly ensured the full support of his devoted law enforcement community and their unions - such is an important consideration, in an election year ! Especially given the apparent attitudes of many in the law enforcement community. Many law enforcement officers (and agencies) apparently believe that they should not be held to the very laws that they are entrusted to enforce. VolusiaExposed.Com invites our readers to review the below special report published by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. We believe you will find it very thought provoking.

R.J. Larizza - State Attorney - "This was a transparent sentencing and there was no preferential treatment here."

Although we appreciate Mr. Larizza's above statement, we believe that the Ritter and Osowski situations are more appropriately attached to the Creedence Clearwater Revival song - Fortunate Son.