State Attorney Monique Worrell’s office said an investigation revealed an Orlando student who was accused of bringing a loaded gun to Boone High School was not in possession of the firearm when it was discovered, nor did he make any admission of guilt.
“From the investigation which has been made, it is the opinion of the writer that this case is not suitable for prosecution,” a court filing by the Assistant State Attorney said.
19-year-old Lovensky Cesalien was arrested by Orlando police after he allegedly told a female student to put a loaded 9mm handgun in her backpack.
He had been charged with possessing a firearm on school property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Apparently, the State Attorney’s office believed it would have been difficult to charge the Orlando adult student with possession of a gun because the female student told officers the weapon was placed in her bag off of the Central Florida school campus, according to reports.
The State Attorney’s office sent West Orlando News the full statement:
The investigation revealed the 19-year-old student was not in possession of the firearm when it was discovered, nor did he make any admission of guilt. There also was no evidence to support he was in possession of a firearm on school property. While there may have been probable cause to make an arrest, prosecuting a case requires meeting a higher burden of proof, which was not present in this instance and the case did not meet the legal standard required to file a formal charge of Possession of a Firearm on School Property.
While the decision was made to not file charges this week, this case was sent to the office in September 2024 before State Attorney Worrell came into office. The only charge we could have potentially moved forward with for the 19-year-old was a misdemeanor charge of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor but the previous administration failed to act within the required timeframe, allowing the speedy trial period to expire for the misdemeanor charge on Dec. 12, 2024.
We are unable to provide additional information on the charges against the juvenile since we don’t comment on juvenile cases.
