VIERA, Fla. – Citing the Stand Your Ground law, the Fifth District Court of Appeals dismissed the longstanding charges against a Port St.
John man accused of shooting a Brevard County Sheriff’s deputy during a botched arrest in front of his home in 2015. The decision, issued Wednesday, ends the prosecution of John DeRossett, 60, on the attempted premeditated first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer while discharging a firearm, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.
DeRossett spent nearly five years at the Brevard County Jail Complex in Sharpes as he awaited a trial. He was allowed to leave on bond in March. “The appellate decision is better than a jury acquittal.