M E D I A

R E L E A S E

October 17, 2013

CONTACT: Richard I. Wallsh Chief Assistant/Executive Director 407-836-2495

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joseph Ivan Jenkins & Charles Bernard Walker Prison Release In response to media inquiries, State Attorney Jeffrey L. Ashton provides the following information: 1. Earlier this week, the State Attorney learned that a member of the victims

family contacted the State Attorneys Office to inform us that inmate Joseph Ivan Jenkins had been released from the state Department of Corrections. This office initiated an investigation and quickly learned that someone had filed a forged Motion to Reduce Sentence in Mr. Jenkins case and had also filed a forged court order granting that motion. The State Attorney requested the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to apprehend Mr. Jenkins.

2.

The State Attorney later learned that another inmate, Charles Bernard Walker,

had obtained his release after a forged motion and a forged order granting the motion were filed in his court case as well. 3. Each of the motions purported to bear the signature of either the State Attorney

himself or Assistant State Attorney James Altman. Both signatures are forgeries. 4. Earlier today the State Attorney issued an office wide email to his prosecutors

directing them to immediately review records to ascertain whether anyone they prosecuted who was sent to prison had also filed similar forged documents or other suspicious court activity. So far, no additional instances have been found. 5. Also in response to recent events the State Attorney, Chief Judge Belvin Perry

and Interim Clerk of Court Colleen M. Reilly met to discuss what occurred and to install security measures to prevent future unauthorized prison releases. 6. The State Attorneys Office is presently prosecuting another inmate, Jeffrey

Forbes, for the felony crimes of Forgery, Uttering a Forgery and Attempted Escape using a similar scheme. Fortunately, Mr. Forbes plans were thwarted when this past Spring the original case detective, Dave Clark, chose to search the prison systems database for felons he had helped convict and, by happenstance, came upon the surprising information that Mr. Forbes was scheduled to be released from the Department of Corrections notwithstanding his life imprisonment sentence for the Attempted First Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. Detective Clark notified the State Attorneys Office and the investigation revealed that someone had forged the State Attorneys name on a bogus motion and someone had also

forged a circuit judges name on a bogus court order reducing Mr. Forbes life sentence. Jeff Ashton had been the original prosecutor who convicted Mr. Forbes. 7. After learning of the forgeries in the Forbes court file, the State Attorney spoke

with both the Chief Judge and representatives of the Orange County Clerk of Court regarding increasing security measures at that time as well. The State Attorney does not fault these or any other state officials for the events regarding Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Walker. It is now clear that the use of forged court documents to obtain release from prison is an ongoing threat which all law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, court clerks and prison officials must address and stop. ###