Florida State Attorney Says Amazon Driver Armed Robbery Suspects Are Mentally Ill, Needs Resources

According to Fox 35 Orlando, Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell and Rep. Rachel Placon are pushing for changes to the criminal justice system after two suspects with long criminal records were arrested last month for robbing an Amazon delivery driver at gunpoint.

Convicted felons Arkimas Divinard, 23, and Joel Aim, 24, were arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office after dashcam video showed them holding driver Louis Rodriguez at gunpoint before stealing at least 10 packages from a truck on Jan. 13 .

Rodriguez told Fox 35 that he was scared and hoped he didn’t die. Fortunately, he was not physically hurt.

After the two men were identified, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said there were 85 felony charges and 11 convictions between them, a fact that Worrell and Placon said was a matter of concern.

FLORIDA DELIVERY DRIVER PROCESSED BY CONVINCED CRIMINALS WITH DOZENS OF CHARGES APPEAR IN HORRIBLE VIDEO

An Amazon delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint by two convicted felons on January 13 in Florida.
(Orange County Sheriff’s Office)

“You say 87 arrests and only 11 convictions, but that doesn’t take into account the fact that we don’t convict children,” Worrell said, Fox 35 reported.

Placon, who sits on the state’s criminal justice committee, added to Worrell’s remarks and said she was going to “find out what went wrong in this case” during her upcoming trip to Tallahassee.

“We have a great justice system, but at the same time, you can find a loophole from time to time,” Placon said. To which Worrell said, “Is there a loophole? I would call it a fissure, and a fissure that these people are falling into to the detriment of our community.”

NYC armed robbery suspect says he’ll be out on bail in 24 hours

Worrell said that both Divinar and Aime are mentally ill and have long criminal histories dating back to childhood. Divinar reportedly spent six years in an adult prison as a juvenile, got out, committed another crime, and returned to an adult prison.

“These were people who suffered from mental illness from a very young age and were not receiving proper treatment,” Worrell said, adding that she would like to see a change in how juveniles are sentenced. “The maximum amount of time a child will be in custody is between 18 and 36 months. Since we are seeing an increase in the number of violent crimes committed by our children, this is not enough for the purposes of rehabilitation.”

The state attorney also said she wants mental health issues to be addressed while ensuring public safety.

Worrell offered to provide the necessary resources to ensure that those struggling with mental illness do not become repeat offenders, which would ultimately keep society safe from potential crime.

Asked by a Fox 35 reporter if this meant a safe facility, she replied, “It could mean that.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Placon also plans to take steps to make residents like Rodriguez feel safe again.

“Even when you have good prosecutors, even when you have good judges, you have to make sure they have the right tools, the laws they need, so they can enforce them,” she said.