Florida prosecutor drops sex with minor charges against Brett Parson Memo says youth declined to participate in case

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A prosecutor with the Broward County, Fla., State Attorney on Monday dropped two charges of unlawful sexual tenant Brett Parson by Boca Raton, Fla. police in February 2022.

Washington Blade the charges were dropped at an 8:30 a.m. hearing before a judge at the Broward County Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, March 13.

In a three-page Closeout Memorandum released by the ecutors decided to drop the charges after it became clear that the then 16-year-old boy, who told authorities that his sexual encounter with Parson was consensual, did not want to participate in the prosecution against Parson. the time of Parson’s arrest on Feb. 18, 2022, says Parson allegedly had a consenting sexual encounter with a 16-yearold boy who told police he met Parson on the gay online dating app Growlr and agreed to meet for a sexual encounter after the two exchanged “explicit” photos of each other.

The age of sexual consent in Florida is 18, which made it illegal for Parson to engage in sex with the youth, even though the age of consent in several other states, including

Charging documents say the youth and Parson agreed to meet at a gas station in Coconut Creek near where the youth lived. The documents say both arrived in separate cars and, at the suggestion of the youth, drove separately to another location at a secluded parking lot at about 1 a.m., where they engaged in sex in the car Parson had been driving.

Police became involved, according to the charging documents, after the youth noticed people were walking near where they were parked and asked that they drive to yet another location. With Parson following the youth as the two drove in their separate cars, the youth drove into a restricted location. Police stopped both cars, the charging documents say.

Comings & Goings

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com

Congratulations to Danilo Gambini on his new role a wealth of relevant experience, an interesting artistic sensibility, and, maybe most importantly, a warm collaborative spirit. We’re very excited to welcome him into the fold.”

Upon the announcement, Gambini said, “I am absoat Studio Theatre. I always say that if music is the art of sound, dance is the art of movement, and painting is the

Parson said he was lost and did not know the person in the car. But for as yet unexplained reasons, the youth, when involvement with Parson, which enabled police to locate Parson through text messages between the youth and Parson that police obtained from the youth’s cell phone.

“The defendant was a 53-year-old man who was in Broward County visiting family after one of his parents had surgery,” the memorandum released by prosecutors says. “The defendant and the victim, a then 16-year-old boy, met on Growlr, which is a gay dating application,” the memo continues.

“It should be noted that in order to have an account with Growlr, the user must be 18 years of age or older,” the age,” the memo states.

The memo says the youth told police at the time they stopped him that Parson “never forced him or threatened him” and that while at times he was uncomfortable, “he never showed signs of wanting to stop or never told the defendant to stop.” It says the youth’s parents, who charging documents say were called by police to the scene where the youth was stopped, told police their son did not want to talk about what happened “but was starting to realize what happened was wrong.”

The charging documents state that at the request of the unlawful sexual activity with a minor against Parson. But the March 13 at the time the charges were dropped in court states that in the months following Parson’s arrest, the youth and his parents were reluctant to speak with a victim advocate to arrange for interviews needed to go forward with the case.

“She left multiple voicemails in early April of 2022 and did not receive a call back,” the memo says. It says between then and February of this year, the youth’s parents continued to decline to make the youth available for an in-person interview needed if the case against Parson was to contin- with the victim’s parents and the potential scheduling of a deposition of the victim, the State believed it was in the best interest of the victim to not require him to come in for deposition and subsequent trial testimony, to respect his wishes and announce a nollo prosequi in the case,” Assistant State Attorney in Charge Neva Rainford-Smith concludes in the memo. art of colors - theater is the art of community, the art of togetherness. I can’t wait to join the exceptionally talented team at Studio.”

“Myself and [the youth’s mother] wanted to move forward, but do not want to put him through this against his will,” the memo quotes the youth’s father as saying in an email to one of the assistant prosecutors, according to the memo. “If there is a way to proceed without his involvement, we would like to. But if this requires his involvement, then we prefer to drop the case,” the memo quotes the father as saying.

“Obviously, even though lack of knowledge of age or misrepresentation of age is not a defense to the crime charged, the defendant’s position has always been that he the victim had listed as his age in the dating application,” the memo continues.

The term “nollo prosequi” is a Latin phrase used in criminal law for a decision not to prosecute a case.

Parson has declined to speak with the media since the time of his arrest.

Gambini is a native of São Paulo, Brazil, and recently received acclaim for directing the one-person show, Ni Mi Madre, at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The producLeague Award, and an Outer Critics Award and was selected as a New York Times Critic’s Pick and a Theater Mania Editor’s Pick.

In his new role Gambini will serve as Studio’s local casting director, act as a primary liaison for visiting directors, and help shepherd shows through the production process, as well as helping lead community engagement and education efforts. He will also direct some produchas worked as both a director of opera and musical the-

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

Whether on matters concerning climate change or LGBTQ rights, members of Congress ought to focus on