FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—April 17, 2013

State Attorney Phil Archer Names

Top Cop, Advocates, for Victims' Rights

In observation of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, State Attorney Phil Archer and Seminole Sheriff Don Eslinger and their staffs hosted a commemorative luncheon and awards ceremony at the Longwood Community Building on Monday.

The gathering of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim advocates and other service providers heard a presentation from Susan Still, a nationally known women’s rights activist who suffered through an abusive domestic relationship. She outlined, from a victim’s point of view, how actions by each of the groups of people she encountered in the criminal justice system impacted her and her children’s lives.

State Attorney Archer recognized local activists for their roles in the past year advocating on the behalf of victims. Archer and Sheriff Eslinger presented the Hugh E. Thomas Law Enforcement Officers of the year plaque to Lake Mary Police Department Detectives Jorge Reguero and Ron Tomassi. Archer also honored Assistant State Attorney Becky Denham as the Attorney of the Year; Iajni Fennell, secretary in Victim Services at the State Attorneys Office, for the Outstanding Service Award; Michelle Jewett, SafeHouse of Seminole, Victim Advocate of the Year; and, receiving the Norman R. Wolfinger Leadership Award for 2013, Lake Mary Deputy Mayor Jo Ann Lucarelli.