Jail inmate facing 40 new charges after allegedly calling domestic battery victim 245 times from jail
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ellis James Ezeb, Jr., 33, is facing 40 charges of violating pre-trial release conditions after allegedly calling his domestic battery victim 245 times from the jail.
Ezeb was arrested on November 30 and charged with domestic battery; at his First Appearance hearing, he was instructed to have no contact with the victim.
However, Ezeb allegedly asked another inmate on his pod to make a three-way call to the victim; once the victim was on the phone, Ezeb allegedly spoke to her and also asked the other inmate to tell the third person to text the victim and ask her to provide a second phone number because her number was blocked within the jail.
Once Ezeb had the new number, he allegedly called the victim on that number and also asked her for a third number in case he couldn’t reach her on the new number.
All calls from the jail have a pre-recorded message informing inmates and the people they call that calls are monitored and recorded; the Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy investigating this case reported that Ezeb often used “controlling measures” such as repeatedly asking why she didn’t answer the phone when he called.
Ezeb allegedly contacted the victim directly or indirectly a total of 245 times. Phone calls from the jail are free and unlimited for inmates; Alachua County taxpayers pay $0.029 a minute plus regulatory fees for the calls.
Ezeb has been charged with 40 counts of violating pre-trial release conditions.
Ezeb has juvenile convictions between 2006 and 2009, one adult felony conviction, and two adult misdemeanor convictions. He has been in the Alachua County Jail since November 30 on $15,000 bail, and today Judge Adam Lee added $558,000 to that ($75,000 for each of the first seven counts and $1,000 for each of the remaining counts) with an added condition that Ezeb will be limited to calls to his attorney only.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Â
Free jail calls for all!!!
The county commission forced the jail to provide free phone calls to inmates and all it’s done is create a new bartering system in jail resulting in fights and extortion; and made it possible for this disgusting man to badger his DV victim 245 times in one month.
And we wonder why DV victims don’t leave, don’t report and, ultimately, often don’t survive. The system protects and provides for the cretin, not for the victim.
Amen, what a piece of work. The so-called victim played a part in this so-called violence. reporting after initial call was the proper thing to do. She provided the new number.
Didn’t understand him getting charges when she provided him with not just one number but two in case he couldn’t get ahold of her on one of them he then had a back up number to call her on. Agent she be charged as well because she violated too because she gave him multiple numbers for him to reach her on.
@JamieRowe I have learned from experience that she cannot be charged. The Judge’s order were made to the defendent, not the victim. Therefore, she will not be charged with violating the order.
They needs free calls for those in mail in Lake City also. That would be great for those that don’t have the money to pay for calls and they want to teach our to their love ones.
You clearly have no understanding of the judicial systems in Florida. There not so fair giving free phone calls is the least they can do. Hell 75% of men locked up is because of the way the system is in Florida in and the U.S. So step down off your high horse for a second and actually pay attention to what’s going on.
Well , well . The ACC own’s this. What a Lets Go Brandon group.
Free ( for the inmates) unlimited phone calls for the inmates. Gosh what could go wrong?? Nobody wants to hear from those inmates THAT much. Stupid ACC.
Law enforcers. If you read this, 245 calls should equal 245 charges. Not 40.
It’s not like local law enforcement didn’t warn them.
I think a lawsuit against the Alachua County Commission for the harassment and mental cruelty the victim endured is in order. These Democrat politicians were warned what would happen with their stupidly, but they were too dumb to listen.
This a problem the county has caused
Unlimited free jail phone calls….yippee…..what could go wrong?
You mean they will harass victims and commit witness tampering too?
Who would have known? Certainly not the brain dead leftist commissioners that’s for sure.
Take the .029 cent for all these calls from inmates directly out of the commissioners paychecks. Maybe we can recoup some of the taxpayer’s money they waste.
Why on earth would she give him her new number? These people are, ah, um, well, not the brightest blubs on the tree.
Well, he’s not going to be in jail forever, and remember that he contacted her through friends on the outside, so she may have been afraid to not do what he said.
Aren’t prisoner calls monitored? What if he was ordering a hit?! How is the prison staff/management not losing their jobs for allowing this to happen? You would think they’d at least be responsible for maintaining a do-no-call list for each inmate, wouldn’t they?
They are not monitored – the County Commission voted to get rid of the software that monitors phone calls for keywords. Just another way they’ve decreased the ability of law enforcement to keep victims safe.
I remember my tenure…..
Many, many moons ago, we didn’t need $$$ for phone calls.
My ex visit my aunt’s friend, and my aunt visited me, and then we simply switched visitation booths.
Those were the good ole days.
“But I Was In Love With That Woman” !!!
🤣
is the victim too stupid to get a new phone number?