By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. During this sworn testimony, Calkins explains not having taken Terrance Williams to jail with the memory that the young man "seemed like a really nice guy." They were all buddies. The lawsuit gained national attention when it was filed because it involved Crump and actor and film director Tyler Perry, who commented on the case on social media and in People magazine, according to the Naples Daily News and other outlets. That didnt happen until 2009. We reached out to attorneys on both sides of the lawsuit, and we are still waiting to hear back from them. The lawsuit was sent to a neutral party or non-binding arbitration that found no evidence that incriminated Steve in Terrances disappearance, though the arbitrator found Steve uncooperative. Those inconsistencies, combined with his decision to not cooperate in an investigation or appear before a grand jury, eventually resulted in Calkins' termination, according to authorities and the lawsuit. The sheriff's office partnered with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI to investigate Calkins, the former sheriff has said, but law enforcement has been unable to solve the longstanding mystery. Not only was there a game, but college students showed up for a dunk contest. He was named that because sketches of the victims would often be found near their bodies. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. When questioned he claims to not even know her, though its proven he does. Film-maker Tyler Perry, center, speaks during a news conference announcing a lawsuit against former Collier County sheriffs deputy Steven Calkins on Monday in Naples, Florida, in the 2004 disappearance of Terrance Williams. The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance has been working since Hurricane Irma to get this type of housing to people in Collier County. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. In 2019, a judge denied a motion from Calkins to dismiss the suit. The case was supposed to be heading to trial, but the attorneys representing the family forgot to file the motion for trial in time, so that means the arbitrators decision is now final. Both men were reported missing more than 15 years ago, after last being in contact with former Collier County Sheriff's Office deputy Steven Calkins. He did say hell study a second defense motion to dismiss. Firefighters are battling several brush fires in Charlotte County; the one off McCall Road threatens several buildings, including a church. As to why he finally came forward, she said he was at a breaking point., When you bottle something in for so long, it bothers your mind, she said. Perry offered a $100,000 reward which has since doubled for information in the decade-old case of the two men, who went missing after separate encounters with Collier County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Calkins. I just don't see how that is possible.". Boyfriend was older and abusive. Zachary Steven Johnson, 33, was found guilty as charged of burglary of a dwelling and two counts of dealing in stolen property after a two-day trial in Collier County. It turns out a tow company did indeed pick up Terrance's white Cadillac at the Naples Memorial Gardens Cemetery on January 12. was the killer, although he does love to talk about how it would have gone down had he done it. u/mcwjdw33, Had an affair with co-worker. Marcia Williams remembers how, in the immediate aftermath of her son Terrance's disappearance, she and other family members launched an intensive search around Naples. Calkins said he dropped Williams off at a Circle K convenience store. Sure its possible she was abducted elsewhere, but the fact is she was incapacitated and with those three men, then never seen again. the_expert_jd. Tyler Perry boosts reward in cases. Both men were reported missing more than 15 years ago, after last being in contact with former Collier County Sheriff's Office deputy Steven Calkins. The mother's Tallahassee attorney, well-known civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, didn't respond last week to emails seeking comment. Emotional moments rushed through the crowd like waves as loved ones came to the site where the [], The Collier County Sheriffs Office is investigating a shooting at a Waffle House near Collier Boulevard and I-75. 3, 2023 1:30 pm7h ago, By Caleb McCullough and Erin Murphy, - Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau State Government 3h ago3h ago. Steven Henry Calkins. A court appointed arbitrator ultimately ruled against the lawsuit, citing a lack of evidence. They have been trying to nail him for years, but much of the evidence is circumstantial. headlighted1, Some students basically solved the case but refused to name the perpetrator out of respect for surviving family noodlesandpizza, Her body was found nude, bound at the wrists and ankles and hanging by the neck from her balcony. Both Terrance and Felip were declared dead after going missing for 5 years. According to . 2019: Attorneys for Terrance Williams' estate given 20 days to amend complaint against ex-Collier deputy. O.J. Calkins attorney, John Hooley, said during a civil court proceeding that enough is enough. Missing Terrance: A mother's search for answers in her son's disappearance. The only other person at the mansion was her brother in law. The Doodler was a serial killer in the 70s who killed up to 14 people, mostly gay men. We reached out to Williams mother about the decision, who referred us to her attorney. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Lawyers blamed the missed deadline in the 2018 suit on miscommunication and an extended office shutdown due to the pandemic, court records show. During this call, Calkins made 'racially insensitive comments about the type of person who owned a 'homie Cadillac, according to the lawsuit. Nothing was filed until Dec. 23. The only common link between those two men is that they had been approached by then-officer Steve Calkins and were last seen getting into his car. The bank accounts were closed, the lease on the house ended, etc. He has never been charged in either case. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Terrance_Williams_and_Felipe_Santos 462 123 123 comments Best Add a Comment bz237 6 yr. ago Marcia Williams, the mother of Terrance Williams, sued Calkins in a 2018 wrongful death action on behalf of her sons estate and four children. On Friday morning, Fort Myers will hold a public memorial to the life of Police Chief Derrick Diggs, who died on Feb. 15 after a battle with cancer. The officer that reported to the scene was Corporal Steven Calkins - put a pin in him, we will be discussing him at length later. Later, witnesses also said that Calkins returned to the cemetery, without Williams, and moved Williams' Cadillac outside the cemetery, parking it on the shoulder of the road, the lawsuit and arbitration states. Gabby Petitos Family Says There Is No Doubt Brian Laundrie Murdered Her, The Mystery Of Who Betrayed Anne Frank And Her Family May Have Finally Been Solved. Details of the racially charged cold case came to light at a press conference in Naples on Tuesday, at which Tyler Perry, the prominent African American film-maker and activist, offered a $200,000 reward for information resulting in a criminal conviction of the officer. Nor could she have known that her search for Terrance, a 27-year-old Black man, would lead her to suspect that a White police officer was involved, and that the officer had also been implicated in the disappearance of another young man of color, a 23-year-old Mexican immigrant named Felipe Santos. Listening at rear are the Rev. A Collier County judge allowed a wrongful death lawsuit against a former Collier County sheriff's deputy to move forward Thursday. Steve Calkins has reached the age of 67 at the current date, where his exact date of birth is still missing from the web. Calkins claims that he changed his mind about both arrests, and last saw the men after he dropped them at Circle K convenience stores. Benjamin Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the family of Terrance Williams, said the legal filing was the culmination of more than a decade of investigative work with the cooperation of the Collier county sheriffs office, and would compel Calkins to explain his actions in a formal deposition. In Naples, city council authorized the city manager to spend up to $100,000 to expedite the cleanup of dead fish within the city waterways []. "I just want answers for Marcia and the Santos family to know what happened," says Tyler Perry, "I think that's only fair. A former Collier County Sheriff's deputy, then Corporal Steve Calkins, is believed to be the last person to see both of the men. The lawsuit alleges that Calkins was on traffic patrol in January 2004 when he pulled over Williams, who was driving a white Cadillac. And the last person Felipe was seen with was Deputy Steven Calkins. Crump filed suit Friday against former Collier County deputy Steven Calkins on behalf of the family of Terrance Williams, a 27-year-old black man who vanished in January 2004 after Calkins. Felipe Santos, a Mexican immigrant and Immokalee resident, disappeared at age 23 in October 2003 after his brothers saw him get into Calkins patrol car. These two young men disappeared off the face of the earth and the last man to see them was this deputy. If I didn't have to work and go on, I could spend all my time searching for my son. If you are decent, human, kind person with a soul, I dont know how you cant be upset these two people were put in the back of a sheriffs car, disappeared, and have not been seen for 14 years.. All evidence points to her husband who was having a 14 year affair that involved property ownership with his mistress. Tyler Perry posts about Collier disappearances of minority men last seen with ex-deputy, Attorneys for Terrance Williams' estate given 20 days to amend complaint against ex-Collier deputy, Ex-deputy thought to be last to see two men in Collier contests wrongful-death lawsuit, Former CCSO deputy faces civil lawsuit in decade-old disappearances of 2 Collier men, Missing Collier men Terrance Williams, Felipe Santos remembered at ceremony, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Despite not calling in the stop, Calkins drove off with Williams in the back, and later returned alone with the mans keys to move the car. Calkins lawyer in Naples, John Hooley, declined to comment on the decision beyond writing in an email: Judge Brodie heard the evidence and reached a conclusion that was upheld on appeal as the proper disposition of the case., In an interview last year, Hooley said about his client: This is not a guy who took Terrance Williams on a one-way ride to the swamp. But late in December, Crump did file a motion for the judge to reconsider the arbitration as the final judgment and asked for a new trial.