A 39-year-old Palm Bay man awaiting trial on felony child abuse charges told a Brevard County judge he was a licensed contractor managing a construction project at a school campus, in a bid to loosen the no-contact order keeping him away from minors. State records show he has never held a Florida contractor license, active or otherwise.
John Eric Vernon was arrested on June 18, 2025, after a child called 911 from a Palm Bay home reporting that he had been choked, according to court records cited by The Space Coast Rocket. Three children told officers Vernon had physically attacked them, per the arrest affidavit. Responding officer Matthew Abad reported seeing visible blood in one child's nostril, bloody tissues inside the home, and redness and scratches on another child's neck and arm, the affidavit states. Vernon reportedly refused to come out and tried several times to close the door on officers before declining to speak with police after receiving Miranda warnings.
Prosecution Details Alleged Abuse
According to a prosecution filing from May 2026, the children told investigators Vernon had been drinking, smashed their phones, choked one child near a bunk-bed ladder, pushed two children into a bathtub, and pushed another into a door. The State Attorney's Office charged Vernon on September 11, 2025, with two counts of felony child abuse and one count of resisting an officer without violence, all in Brevard County. He has not been convicted, and the criminal case remains pending. A judge had ordered Vernon to have no contact with the alleged victims or anyone under 18.
On September 4, 2025, defense attorney Kurt A. Russell filed a motion in Melbourne seeking to remove that restriction. The motion stated that Vernon was a licensed contractor with ongoing Brevard County School Board contracts, that he was responsible for managing a construction project at a local school, and that the work required his regular presence on school property. Circuit Judge Laura Moody granted the motion in part on September 24, 2025, replacing the ban on contact with anyone under 18 with a narrower prohibition on physical contact with minors, except as necessary at business locations or otherwise specified in prior orders.
No License, No School Contract
But Pineapple Cove Classical Academy reported that Vernon has never been under contract for any of its campuses. Florida DBPR records list Vernon's certified residential contractor status as merely eligible for exam, and his construction financial officer registration as still in progress — not an active license. His real estate sales associate license became null and void in 2022. Vernon himself told a messenger, “I am not a licensed contractor and closed my company,” and separately said he closed the business over false allegations against him.
DBPR records also show the agency recorded an unlicensed activity incident involving Vernon on July 1, 2025, and issued unlicensed activity citations to him in October and in November of that year. That case was later sent to a collections agency after fines went unpaid. Vernon admitted, in a messenger exchange, to unlicensed activity and said he paid a fine. Under Florida Statute § 489.127, engaging in contracting or holding oneself out as a licensed contractor without a valid state license is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail for a first offense, and it can rise to a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison for repeat offenses, according to the Florida Legislature.
Why the School Screening Would Have Mattered
Florida law addresses background screening for school vendors and contractors, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Vernon advertised his company, J Vernon Enterprises LLC, as a general contractor offering remodeling, additions, and structural repair work. He filed articles of dissolution for the LLC on April 6, 2026, in Florida, giving the reason that he was no longer doing contracting work and planned to move soon.
A Trail of Liens and Tax Debt
Records reviewed by the Rocket show Vernon filed seven sworn claims of lien against six property owners in Brevard County between 2019 and 2025. An October 2019 lien claimed $10,000 for remodeling, doors, trim, flooring, and management. A September 2021 lien on a Lansing Ridge property claimed $6,000 in management fees. An August 2022 lien in Melbourne sought $19,272.89 unpaid on a $40,272.89 remodel. Two liens filed in May 2023 in Palm Bay claimed $14,600 for a fence, paint, and a well pump and tank, plus $17,600 in rent — both were later released that July in exchange for final payments of $14,600 and $12,600. A February 2025 lien in Melbourne claimed $1,500 for a canceled estimate and lost wages, though court records show no lawsuit was ever filed to enforce it. A December 2025 lien claimed $3,000 for a bathroom installation.
Because Vernon held no valid contractor license, none of those liens carried legal force. Under Florida Statute § 713.02(7) and § 489.128, unlicensed contractors have no legal right to record or enforce construction liens, meaning any such claims filed by an unlicensed individual are void and unenforceable in court, according to the Florida Legislature.
Separately, a criminal court found Vernon indigent for purposes of court costs in August 2026.
Legal Exposure Over the Court Filing
The September 4, 2025 motion asking Judge Moody to loosen the no-contact order was not sworn, a distinction that shapes what criminal exposure Vernon and his attorney could face. Florida perjury law under Statute § 837.02 requires a false statement to be made under oath in an official proceeding to constitute a third-degree felony, according to Florida Legislature records. Because the motion was unsworn, that felony perjury statute does not apply. Instead, Florida law provides for a misdemeanor involving knowingly making a false written statement to mislead a public servant.
Rule 4-3.3 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar separately prohibits attorneys from knowingly making false statements of material fact to a court and requires them to take remedial measures to correct any false statements already made, per the Florida Bar. A court may modify or revoke pretrial release conditions for good cause. False information may lead a judge to impose new conditions, increase bond, or revoke pretrial release.
What's Next in the Case
Judge Laura Moody took over the circuit criminal docket in September 2025. Vernon's trial has been continued several times since early 2026 and is now set for a calendar call before Moody on October 7, 2026. Attorney Matt Reed said he needed to check with the prosecutors handling the case when asked for comment, the Rocket reported.
