On November 29, 2004, William Westervelt was arrested by the Martin County Sheriff s Office (M.C.S.O.) numerous serious felonies. According to reports filed on the morning of 11/28/04, William broke into the home of his ex”‘girlfriend, Marie Becker Smith, and threatened her life.He was charged with Attempted Murder and Armed Burglary. Later that evening Marie Becker Smith claimed while driving to a convenience store William jumped from behind a tree and threw a brick into the windshield of her car. He was charged with Throwing a Deadly Missile into a Vehicle. The following the M. C.S.O., without a warrant for arrest, or search warrant, began breaking into William’s family mobile home rentals in search of him. He was located and allegedly attacked the Sheriff Deputies. He was then charged with three counts of Battery on Law Enforcement, one count Resisting with Violence, and one count Attempting to Relieve an Officer Protection.

During the arrest William was brutally beaten by the officers, which required him to be rushed to the Martin Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. After receiving treatment, William was booked into the Martin County Jail and placed in Medical.

Within days William was seen by the jail’s psychiatrist and prescribed powerful psychotropic medications and tranquilizers consisting of Haldol, Trazadone, Depakote, and Prozac. He was then placed in solitary confinement and shortly thereafter became incoherent.

Thirty days after William’s Arrest, State Attorney Vickie Nichols, who had been assigned the case, she filed three additional charges against William. Two counts of Aggravated Battery, and one count of Attempted Murder. There were no facts or information given on the arrest report, only that State Attorney Nichols filed these charges on her own.

From the onset, William`s family, who lived in Pennsylvania, were aware of his arrest and the charges being made against him. William began calling his family and claimed that although the incidents took place, the versions/accounts reported by the M C.S.O. and Marie Becker Smith were not true. The family was unsure what to believe and as time went by William’s thoughts and speech became confused and incomprehensible due to the psychotropic medications being administered. Concerned, the family contacted jail officials, and the Medical Department, who assured them that William was being monitored closely, and the symptoms were only temporary.

The family began contacting William’s Public Defender, John Heatherington, whose incompetence and misconduct reached immense proportions during the three months he handled William’s case. Finally they were forced to contact his Superior, Diamond R. Litty, Public Defender. 19th Circuit Public Defender’s Office. Diamond Litty did in fact have him removed from William’s case. In October of 2005, Attorney Jerome Stone of Stone & Capobianco, P.L. 219 SE Ocean Blvd Stuart, FL 34994 was appointed.

William had now been incarcerated almost one year and during that time the family became aware of many alarming inconsistencies and discrepancies pertaining to the M.C.S.O.and Assistant State Attorney Vickie Nichols version of events, and evidence being presented. Attorney Stone was given all the information the family had acquired, and the names of the witnesses. Attorney Stone promised the family he would have everything checked into.

The story has many twists and turns and daily posts will be detailing this journey adding more facts and fury. Please follow.