A Gulfport man facing a battery charge for throwing a CD at a police officer could see his case go through a pre-trial diversion program similar to probation.
Gulfport police arrested Jesse Lee, 38, in July for allegedly throwing a CD, which then struck a Gulfport Police officer. The incident occurred in front of city hall.
Lee faces a felony battery of law enforcement charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, Dec. 10, Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge William Burgess set a Jan. 31 hearing to potentially explore shifting the case to a pre-trial intervention program.
Pre-trial intervention, or PTI, shifts some criminal cases from traditional trials, convictions and jail time to an alternative resolution path.
Under Florida’s PTI program, defendants can avoid convictions, a criminal record, jail time and have their arrest expunged.
In order to qualify, defendants must not have previous felonies and do not face drug or human trafficking charges. The presiding judge, prosecutors and crime victims also need to be in agreement on the PTI path.
PTI can also have similarities to probation with defendants reporting to a supervising officer, completing community service and attending counseling or therapy depending on the case and agreements.
Lee’s attorney, Rick Fletcher, and the State Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment on the case.
Fletcher did receive a video related to Lee’s arrest from prosecutors on Dec. 9, according to court records.
Lee is accused of throwing and striking a GPD officer with a CD he had received from the police department after a public records request. Lee had come to city hall on July 22 saying the disk was corrupted and not working, according to police.
Lee, a mobile food vendor, also faces a trial on Dec. 16 over charges he violated a Gulfport municipal ordinance by selling ice cream and other frozen items without a permit in November 2020.
Lee has also pleaded not guilty to that municipal ordinance violation.
