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ORLANDO---The wife of a former Orlando Police Department sex crimes detective, convicted in 2002 of sexual battery against a minor, has been arrested for trying to hire a hit man to murder the victim's grandmother.
Edwin Mann, 44, is serving 26 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of lewd and lascivious battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a 14-year-old girl.
Mann, former leader of Cops for Christ, was arrested in April 2001 for having sex repeatedly with the underage girl in motels, his police car and even her own bedroom.
Since his conviction, the victim's grandmother has been a staunch advocate against Mann in his appeal attempts and worked diligently following his arrest for his incarceration.
Mann's wife, Janice Dowd-Mann, 42, was arrested last week when she went to visit Mann and was charged for allegedly trying to hire a hit man to murder the grandmother.
Mann allegedly approached two undercover agents at the Martin Correctional Institution regarding a murder-for-hire scheme allegedly set up by her husband in prison. Mrs. Mann allegedly offered the undercover agents two handguns and a check for $15,000, made to cash written from an account that belonged to the Manns, to murder the grandmother of Edwin Mann's victim. Mann had allegedly instructed his wife to bring the guns, money, a cell-phone charger, clothing and a separate checkbook to the prison to meet the hit man.
She has been booked into the Martin County Jail without bail, charged with one felony count of solicitation to commit murder. Edwin Mann has not yet been charged in the alleged scheme. The investigation is continuing according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Mann met his victim, who had dated one of his teenage sons, at a church where he was a deacon. Circuit Court Judge John Adams had originally sentenced the sex crimes cop to two years of house arrest and 25 years of probation despite state guidelines calling for a minimum of 26 years in prison, saying it was unlikely Mann would repeat his crimes. The judge outraged prosecutors, the victim's family and the public when he told the teenage girl that "you're not damaged".
Court records show Janice Mann had asked the judge to keep her husband out of prison so that he could contribute to the family income and help raise his teenage daughter.
"You're not growing up in Afghanistan, you can rise above this", the judge told the alleged victim. There was no indication that any force has been used by Mann against the girl.
Following an appeal, the 5th District Court of Appeals ruled that the judge's sentencing was two lenient and in August 2004, Mann was resentenced to 26 years in prison. 1-15-06
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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