ORANGE COUNTY, FL (February 23, 2023) — Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique H. Worrell released the following statement yesterday following the tragedy that took place in Pine Hills:

“Today, we grieve with our community. There are no adequate words to describe the tragedy of yet another senseless act of gun violence. Our sincere condolences go out to the families of those whose lives were lost today. We are praying for the victims, their families, and their loved ones. We are also praying for the Spectrum News 13 family and the broader Orlando journalism community, including the other reporters who were on scene and rendered aid. Our office is prepared to provide resources and services to the victims and their families. Our homicide team was on site today, and is working closely with our law enforcement partners to learn the details of this incident.”

While the focus should be and remains on those we’ve lost, we recognize that our community is seeking clarity about Keith Moses’ previous arrests. Moses’ sole arrest as an adult was for marijuana possession in 2021. Moses possessed 4.6 grams of marijuana, which did not meet the threshold for testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (“FDLE”). As such, the case was unable to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and was dismissed.

We look forward to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure accountability in this unfathomable tragedy related to yesterday’s shooting in Pine Hills.

Background

• In order for the State to file a cannabis case, the State needs to have a THC threshold analysis done on the plant material. We must be able to prove it is cannabis and that the THC concentration exceeds .3% of the dry weight. If FDLE does not perform the threshold analysis, we are unable to move forward with charges.
• When a juvenile is taken into custody for a felony offense, ALL INFORMATION AND RECORDS REGARDING DISPOSITION ARE CONFIDENTIAL pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 985.04. If the juvenile was taken into custody for a misdemeanor, all records and information are confidential.

985.04 Oaths; records; confidential information.—

(1)(a) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), (6), and (7) and s. 943.053, all information obtained under this chapter in the discharge of official duty by any judge, any employee of the court, any authorized agent of the department, the Florida Commission on Offender Review, the Department of Corrections, the juvenile justice circuit boards, any law enforcement agent, or any licensed professional or licensed community agency representative participating in the assessment or treatment of a juvenile is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This exemption applies to information obtained before, on, or after the effective date of this exemption.

(b) Such confidential and exempt information may be disclosed only to the authorized personnel of the court, the department and its designees, the Department of Corrections, the Florida Commission on Offender Review, law enforcement agents, school superintendents and their designees, any licensed professional or licensed community agency representative participating in the assessment or treatment of a juvenile, and others entitled under this chapter to receive that information, or upon order of the court.