Yesterday Miami learned - thanks to the Herald's Joan Fleischman - that Carlos Alvarez Jr., son of Miami Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez, has been released from prison after doing 13 ½ years for kidnapping and a series of violent sexual assaults committed in 1994.Joan apparently got tipped to this story and did some old-fashioned digging and broke it exclusively, leaving the rest of the Miami media to play catch up.
Not much has been written about Carlos Jr. since he went to prison in 1995. I could find only one story in the Herald archives that was published after his sentencing:
POLICEMAN'S SON GETS 18 YEARS FOR SEX ASSAULTSJoan's story yesterday was only the tip of the iceberg and leaves many questions unanswered.
Miami Herald, The (FL) - Saturday, March 25, 1995
Author: MANNY GARCIA Herald Staff Writer
Carlos Alvarez Jr ., son of a high-ranking Metro-Dade police chief, pleaded guilty Friday to sexually assaulting three girls and terrorizing several others.
Judge Lauren Levy Miller gave Alvarez Jr . 18 years in prison followed by 10 years probation -- a sentence agreed to by the Dade state attorney's office and defense lawyers.
Margaret Bisignani, assistant chief prosecutor with the sexual battery unit, explained the deal: "The victims collectively had expressed a desire that they did not want to testify," she said. "Everyone just wanted an end."
Alvarez Jr . is the son of Carlos Alvarez Sr., Metro's assistant director for police services. He could have received up to 30 years under the plea agreement, life in prison if he had gone to trial and lost.
Defense attorneys Douglas Hartman and C. Michael Cornely argued against prison time, saying Alvarez Jr . needs long-term psychological care.
Hartman said Alvarez Jr . had been repeatedly hospitalized for behavioral and psychological problems just before his arrest.
Alvarez Jr ., who had no prior criminal record, went on a two-month sexual rampage last year in Kendall:
* On March 23, Alvarez Jr . asked a girl for directions on Southwest 108th Avenue and 88th Street. He said he had a gun, threatened to kill her and demanded she show him her breasts. The girl ran away.
* On April 25, Alvarez Jr . asked a girl for directions on Southwest 108th Avenue and 93rd Street. He said he had a gun, ordered the girl into his car and exposed himself. She ran off.
* On May 13, Alvarez Jr . accosted a 20-year-old woman while she skated on Southwest 123rd Avenue and 82nd Street. He threatened to run the woman over unless she climbed into his car. Once she did, Alvarez Jr . showed her a knife and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
* On May 26, Alvarez Jr . tried to kidnap a girl at knifepoint while she sat on a bus bench at Southwest 117th Avenue and 88th Street. The girl ran off.
* One hour and 15 minutes later, Alvarez Jr . lured two teenage girls into his car at the Town & Country Center in Kendall. He pulled a knife and sexually assaulted the girls, ages 14 and 16.
Alvarez Jr . will serve time in a youthful offender prison, where young inmates have more opportunity for schooling and psychological counseling. Both sides agreed to house him with younger inmates because he is the son of a police officer.
Hartman, the defense lawyer, complained that his client was harshly punished because he is the son of a cop.
"I really think because he was Carlos Alvarez Jr . he paid the price."
The case was a sensitive one for both prosecutors and Metro police, two agencies that have to work together to prosecute criminals.
Metro conducted an internal review after a photographic lineup could not be found in the property room. It turned out to have been temporarily misplaced.
Here are a few follow-up questions that need to be asked by the Herald and the rest of Miami's media:
Carlos Alvarez Jr. is an extremely violent and dangerous sexual predator. He didn't spend almost 14 years in prison for singing too loud in church or for having sex with an under aged girlfriend. He terrorized innocent young women. He needs to be watched closely.
Alvarez was released on Oct 1. Was there any warning given to the public that an extremely violent sex offender was being released into the community? According to the FDLE's website Alvarez is living at 6890 SW 44th Street in Miami. That places him very close to many different municipalities: Miami, West Miami, South Miami, Coral Gables, and Pinecrest. Has the Fla Dept. of Parole and Probation notified the law enforcement authorities in these cities? Have officials at neighboring schools been notified of this man's release into the community? Did anyone have to approve of Alvarez's move into this apartment complex and did anyone tell the complex management of Alvarez's violent past? Are there children living in his apartment complex? How often do parole and probation officials check on Alvarez's movements? What restrictions are placed on his travel? Does he have a car that allows him to move freely about the community? And last, will Alvarez be required to live under a bridge at night? And if not, why not?
Any law enforcement official will tell you that a criminal with a violent past such as Alvarez Jr. will more than likely offend again. They'll also tell you that the next time he'll probably be more careful and won't leave any witnesses.
And that's a frightening thought. Especially for women who live near SW 68th Ave. and 44th Street.
