Former Councilor Florez Settles Crank Telephone Call Case

NEWPORT, RI — Former City Councilor John Florez settled his case in Newport District Court last week. He had been accused of making crank or obscene calls to a 13-year-old boy after the youngster sent sexually explicit and threatening messages to his daughter, who just turned 13. The boy is a student at the Thompson School. The councilman's daughter attended a parochial school in Middletown.

Florez, 47, resigned from the council in January, saying he decided to leave his post because he wanted to expand his business in Texas. He made the announcement at the end of November. He has since moved his family to Austin and put his Newport home on the market. He was charged with the misdemeanor in December.

According to the judicial portal, as part of the plea, Florez agreed to donate $100 to a Violent Crimes Indemnity Fund and pay $96.75 in court costs. He also was ordered not to have contact with the 13-year-old. The charge was filed, meaning it will disappear in a year, if he stays out of trouble. Florez took a plea that did not require him to admit guilt but only to acknowledge there was sufficient evidence to convict him.

Here is what Newport police said about the case.

The charge stems from a report filed by a family member on December 4, 2017 in regards to Mr. Florez' minor child receiving sexually explicit text messages on their phone from another minor. The messages were discovered on December 2, 2017.

The family member indicated that Mr. Florez contacted the minor on December 2, 2017 and advised that he did not want his child contacted any further by this minor. The family member also indicated that the minor then called Mr. Florez repeatedly throughout the course of the night.

The family member indicated they were only filing the police report on the recommendations of a Family Court Judge in an effort to obtain a restraining order against the minor child who was sending the text messages. The family member indicated to Newport Police Detectives that they did not wish to pursue charges; they only wanted the minor to stop sending the messages.

During the course of their investigation, Newport Police Detectives developed probable cause that Mr. Florez had called the minor and made several explicit threats to harm the minor.

Florez maintains he did not threaten the teen.

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