OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and one other person are still in the Lake County Jail in connection to running an illegal gambling operation.
Lopez was given a $1 million bond on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, meaning he’d have to come up with $100,000 to post bail. His attorney says his family can only pay a fraction of that. So for now, he’ll stay locked up.
Stripped of his green uniform after being placed in handcuffs, Lopez is now in a jail cell in an orange jumpsuit. He virtually went before a judge, seeming to be concerned only with when he could get out.
“How do I get the bail process started?” Lopez stated.
Two others facing charges for their alleged roles are also going before a judge. Sharon Fedrick is still behind bars with a $300,000 bond. Prosecutors say her rap sheet dates to the 1990s. Online court records show she has an active fraud case in Orange County.
“For criminal use of personal ID, a scheme to defraud and a conspiracy to commit fraud,” said a statewide prosecutor.
Carol Cote is the another co-defendant. Our cameras were rolling as she walked out after posting bail. When asked if she had anything to say, she gave our cameras the middle finger.
So what’s next? More than 200 pages are still waiting to be released detailing what led to the charges. As for the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department, the governor appointed Chris Blackmon as interim sheriff, getting things back to business. A former colleague of his said he will work to gain the community’s trust.
“His goal will be to focus on the citizens so they can have faith in the sheriff’s office again,” said Kim Montes.
There are a couple of other things to note. We’re still waiting to see when the two other people in this investigation, Sheldon Wetherhold and Ying Zhang, will be in custody. The affidavits detail what led to the charges aren’t expected to be available until next week.
We also know Lopez could go before a judge in person on Monday, but we won’t know for certain until then.
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