Attorney says prosecution is political
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Anthony Michael Jackomino been locked up for 20 months on a crime his attorney says he didn't commit.
"My client is on the phone pretty darn near the time this alleged crime is occurring," Adam Bantner said.
There's nothing new about a defendant proclaiming his innocence. What's unusual in this case, according to his attorney, is the reason for the prosecution,
"I don't want to speculate on their motives but the only thing I can guess is that its political," continued Bantner. "They're feeling a little bit of political pressure because the guy is a county commissioner that they want to get a conviction for this particular commissioner."
In October 2014, burglars broke into the home of Polk County Commissioner George Lindsey. He wasn't home at the time, but the commissioner's son, Matthew, walked in on the robbers.
One of the men used the commissioner's own gun to threaten him.
"Somebody pulls a gun and puts it in his face and says, 'Get the F out, get the F out,' " explained Bantner.
A sketch was made of the suspect, and Matthew Lindsey pointed the finger at Anthony Jackomino from a photo lineup. But Anthony says it wasn't him. His cell phone records, analyzed by experts, show he was miles away at a storage facility.
Bantner says he was also on the phone with a woman during the time of the crime and that woman is willing to back up his alibi.
"In sum, we got my client on the phone somewhere else when this crime is occurring," said Bantner.
But Polk State Attorney Jerry Hill denies this is politically motivated. "If we dropped a case every time an attorney says his client is innocent, I would have to cut 80 percent of my attorneys. We will check out this alleged alibi. If the alibi holds up, the case goes away."
Bantner admits his client is no saint. He's had his brushes with the law in the past. But he insists, in this case, the evidence that clears his client is being ignored.