If you are caught shoplifting or stealing in Polk County, it is a very serious criminal offense. As you can see by the picture, Sheriff Grady Judd and Jerry Hill, the State Attorney for the Tenth Judicial Circuit take this crime very seriously. Not only do the authorities take it seriously, but so do employers....
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Lakeland criminal lawyer files Stand your ground motion in battery case
My client was charged with the crime of battery. This is a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in the Polk County Jail. The allegations against my client were that he had hit a female at a fight outside a bar. Allegedly, there were numerous patrons outside the bar and, during the...
Read MorePlant City criminal defense attorney takes domestic violence case to trial
My client was charged with domestic violence. In Polk County, I can often get Domestic Violence or Domestic Battery charges dismissed without ever going to court. This allows my arrested client to start expunging their domestic violence charge immediately. Even a Domestic Violence charge that has been dropped will cause you problems when seeking employment. ...
Read MoreDifference Between Adjudicated Guilty and Withhold Adjudication for Sealing and Expunging Arrest
Adjudicated Guilt in Florida Explained General Adjudication of Guilt vs. Withholding Guilt During the sentencing phase of a criminal trial the judge has the option of adjudicating a person guilty or withholding adjudication (withholding guilt). This translates to whether you were convicted or not. When adjudication is withheld you are not formally convicted by the...
Read MorePolk criminal attorney quoted on Polk prostitution sting in Newsweek with Sheriff Grady Judd
This weekend Newsweek’s The Daily Beast did an article on Polk County’s prostitution sting. Sheriff Grady Judd was quoted in the article giving his views and insight into the Polk Sheriff cybercrimes unit and Polk sex crime investigations. You can view the full article by Christine Pelisek here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/27/florida-s-prostitution-buster.html Sheriff Judd warned anyone inclined to...
Read MorePolk county sex crime attorney voyeurism and video voyeurism
VOYEURISM Voyeurism is a sex crime and taken very seriously by the prosecutors in Polk County, FL. Recently, there was the case of the foreign exchange students in the Polk area who moved into an apartment where hidden video cameras were planted throughout the apartment. The alleged victims thought they were being secretly recorded. The...
Read MoreProstitution or Solicitation for a Lewd Act - Sex Crime attorney
The Florida legislature has amended the Prostitution statute to increase the civil penalty portion of the statute to $5,000.00!!! This $5,000.00 lewdness fine applies to crimes committed after January 1, 2013 Is this legal? Can they really fine me $5,000.00? there are number of legal challenges to this "civil penalty" Does it have any nexus...
Read MoreProstitution - Solicitation for a sex act - Can my arrest for prostitution be sealed or Expunged?
PROSTITUTION - What can be done to save my reputation? Can I seal or expunge a prostitution arrest? Arrested for Solicitation for Prostitution? In this day and age of Google, internet searches, and background checks, you can not afford to have your reputation damaged by the crime of prostitution. Got a hot date with someone...
Read MoreWhat can an experienced criminal defense lawyer do for my criminal charge?
Unfortunately, today, I was contacted by someone who was arrested for a crime that causes people problems when they are seeking employment and the arrest shows up on their background check. These crimes are usually involve dishonesty, such as Grand Theft, or violence, such as Domestic Violence. Employers are not allowed to discriminate based on...
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