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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIn late October, though, at the end of a two-day trial, a jury found Kris Fitzgerald not guilty of interference with custody of a minor and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result of the original charges, DeSantis issued an executive order on July 7, 2021, that suspended Fitzgerald from office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that the trial is over, she said she wants to tell her side of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the first time that I\u2019m actually really speaking out about this,\u201d said Fitzgerald. \u201cThe charges that were brought against me didn\u2019t fit what occurred. That\u2019s why the jury had no choice but to come back with a verdict of not guilty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly after news of her arrest surfaced, DeSantis removed Fitzgerald from her position and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, known for having zero tolerance of child abuse, announced that she had threatened a minor with a weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t explain the feeling \u2014 it was terrible,” Fitzgerald said. “I remember going out several months after these claims and hearing people\u2019s whispers. And what people still don\u2019t know is that all of this actually started with my daughter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the June 3, 2021, charging affidavit, Fitzgerald was accused of picking up an 11-year-old boy without permission from his parents and threatening him with a gun over allegations that he touched her daughter inappropriately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have known this relative since they were a baby,” Fitzgerald said. “I watched this person grow up. I did say to leave my daughter alone but there was no kidnapping and there was no weapon involved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, the jury found that Fitzgerald didn’t commit a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI felt like somebody actually listened and heard the evidence and came back with the correct verdict,\u201d she said. \u201cNot guilty on all charges. I remember looking at this one specific juror \u2014 it was the smile on her face and the nod. It was like she was saying, ‘Go get your life back.’\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fitzgerald is eligible to run for city commissioner again, and while she says the interest is there, she hasn\u2019t decided if she will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy focus is on getting me and my daughter\u2019s life back,” she said. “That\u2019s what\u2019s most important right now.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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