James gets 10-years to consider his crimes

Historic City News was notified that half of a two-man team of thieves, who schemed to steal a 23-year-old St Augustine woman’s purse and its contents, was convicted by a St Johns County jury today and sentenced to 15-years in state prison — followed by 10-years’ probation.

At about 6 minutes after midnight on August 25, 2012, 31-year-old Dameon Keon James, who resides in Palm Coast, pulled his vehicle alongside the victim; as she walked down Riberia Street near the intersection with Orange Street. James rolled down the car window and asked the victim for directions. While James had the victim distracted, 32-year-old Casey Scott Haworth, James’ accomplice who also lives in Palm Coast, walked up from behind and shocked her with a stun gun.

The victim dropped her purse, keys and cell phone, and ran away screaming. James and Haworth grabbed the victim’s purse containing her wallet and cell phone, and then fled the area.

St Augustine Police Corporal William Protami observed the white Toyota Corolla that James was driving, after it turned around quickly; headed north on US-1. Protami attempted a traffic stop in his marked patrol vehicle. His red and blue lights were activated and his siren was on. James sped off, at a high rate of speed, with Corporal Protami in pursuit. James tried to exit the vehicle several times while it was in motion, according to the police incident report.

When the vehicle approached the intersection of San Marco Avenue and Hildreth Drive, James jumped from the moving vehicle; leaving Haworth, who was in the passenger seat, to try and stop the vehicle before it entered the intersection.

James was not located that night, but Haworth was taken to the St Johns County Detention Facility on August 25, 2012; where he remains in custody on charges of first-degree felony robbery, in lieu of $100,000 bond. James was identified by police with assistance from Haworth’s mother. James was located through a search of Haworth’s cell phone, and arrested on February 9, 2013.

Although the jury found James guilty of principal to false imprisonment, accessory after the fact to false imprisonment, principal to aggravated battery, accessory after the fact to aggravated battery and aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude, he couldn’t legally be sentenced to both “principal” and “accessory” to the same crime. James was sentenced on principal to false imprisonment, principal to aggravated battery, and aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude police.