Bradenton man refuses to accept plea deal during scheduled hearing

BRADENTON -- A Bradenton man charged with the 2013 kidnapping and rape of a 5-year-old girl in a mobile home park refused to enter into a plea agreement despite his defense attorney setting up the hearing.

Dominick Jerome Hawkins, 38, is charged with kidnapping by a person over 18 years of age on a person less than 12 years old and kidnapping a child under 13 years old to commit a felony. If convicted at trial, he could face life in prison.

Hawkins has been held in custody without bond at the Manatee County jail since his July 17, 2013, arrest in Sarasota.

On Friday afternoon, Hawkins appeared before Circuit Judge Deno Economou in a scheduled hearing for a plea deal. Hawkins however refused to take the State Attorney's Office offer of 30 years in prison in exchange for changing his current plea of not-guilty.

This is not the first time Hawkins has been scheduled for a plea hearing but refused to take an offer once in front of the judge.

Hawkins has never wanted to accept what the state has offered, according to Assistant State Attorney Cynthia Evers, the prosecutor on the case. Each time however it was the defense that scheduled the hearing.

Hawkins case was scheduled to go to trial Monday, but was continued to June after Economou granted his request to have his public defender removed as his attorney due to a conflict of interest with a potential witness at trial.

On July 15, 2013, the then five-year-old girl was kidnapped from near her home in the Wayside Glen Mobile Home Park, 5120 14th St. W., and lured to the India Bazaar store, 5112 14th St. W. Authorities say Hawkins then took her to a vacant mobile home at the Aloha Estates Mobile Home Park, 5310 14th St. W., where she was held against her will, choked and sexually battered.

Afterwards the girl was locked inside the mobile home and Hawkins reportedly walked away, she told investigators. She escaped through an unlocked window and ran home.

The State Attorney's Office has already indicated in previous court proceedings, that they had DNA evidence linking Hawkins to the crime.

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter@JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Bradenton man refuses to accept plea deal during scheduled hearing ."