Lawyer for Pastor’s Son Motions to Keep Chief Judge William Davis on Sex Abuse Cases
On June 25, Christian Vargas' lawyer, Gilbert Schaffnit, filed a motion to keep William Davis as the judge for his sex abuse cases.
Vargas, who is the son of Ignite Life Center (ILC) head pastor Mark Vega, was arrested in July 2023 on two counts of lewd or lascivious behavior for allegedly raping a 12- to 13-year-old girl when he was 16 and sexually coercing a 14-year-old girl when he was 17–18. The incidents occurred at ILC, and Vargas has been out on bond for two years, continuing to attend the church.
The June 25 motion is not publicly available on the Alachua County Court Records website, and GnvInfo had to submit a public records request to obtain it.
On June 13, Davis took over as Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit after Judge Mark Moseley retired. Davis subsequently announced that he’d be leaving the criminal court circuit on July 1.
“Due to the complexity of this case and the interest of judicial economy, the Defendant respectfully requests that Judge Davis continue to preside over these cases until their conclusion,” Schaffnit motioned.
According to the motion, Vargas’ cases are likely to conclude roughly 60 days from when it was filed, lining up with his next case management hearing in August.
The motion confirms that Vargas is planning to take a plea deal, stating the State Attorney’s Office has begun negotiations with Schaffnit.
The hearing for the motion hasn’t been scheduled yet, but it will likely be heard by Judge Robert Groeb, as he presided over Vargas’ most recent case management hearing on July 14.
