SAO10 Blog Archives - Page 25 of 68 - State Attorney Office 10th Judicial Circuit

Lakeland man convicted of raping woman at gunpoint in her home

December 12, 2019/in SAO10 Blog /by john chambliss

Jerald Dixon

A Lakeland man has been convicted of raping a woman at gunpoint in her home in 2017.

Jerald Dixon, 26, faces life in prison after jurors deliberated for 30 minutes before finding him guilty of sexual battery. Circuit Judge Kevin Abdoney is scheduled to sentence Dixon on Jan. 24.

At 5 a.m. on June 18, Dixon entered the Lakeland home after removing an air conditioning unit.

Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Swenson told jurors the victim was asleep when she heard a noise outside the home. Seconds later, she saw a man wearing a shirt over his face climb through the window armed with a handgun.

“Don’t move,” he said, holding her at gunpoint.

He demanded she take off her clothes then raped the woman. Dixon then ordered her to walk him out of the house.

The woman told her roommates about the rape before they heard a noise outside the home. It was Dixon climbing back inside the woman’s room through the same the window.

A roommate tackled Dixon once he re-entered the room. The victim recognized it was the person who raped her when she passed her room to leave the home.

Roommates detained Dixon until Polk County Sheriff’s detectives arrived to arrest him.

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Swenson and Sheriff’s detectives for their work on the case.

Lakeland man who fired at 7 deputies sentenced to life in prison

December 9, 2019/in SAO10 Blog /by john chambliss

Joshua Imhoff

A Lakeland man who fired gunshots at seven Polk County Sheriff’s deputies after a high-speed chase in 2018 was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.

Joshua Imhoff received the life sentence for the charges of seven counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. In addition, Circuit Judge Keith Spoto sentenced Imhoff to five years of aggravated stalking and 15 years for fleeing to elude.

Imhoff, 34, was convicted in November after jurors deliberated for about 90 minutes.

Assistant State Attorney Seth Solomon prosecuted the case.

Imhoff led deputies on a chase on State Road 33, was struck by a deputy’s cruiser when the deputy attempted to stop him, then later tried to run away after stop sticks caused the tires on his truck to deflate. Imhoff got out of his truck and started firing shots at the deputies, who described “bullets whizzing by their heads” in testimony.

The incident started in Davenport about 4 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2018 when Imhoff began exchanging Facebook messages with his ex-girlfriend.

He became angry when she told him that she couldn’t see his child at that particular time.

“Whatever man I see you with, I’m going to pop him,” Imhoff wrote. “The only way you’re going to get rid of me is to have me killed.”

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Solomon and Polk Sheriff’s deputies for their work on the case.

Winter Haven man convicted of strangling, beating girlfriend

December 5, 2019/in SAO10 Blog /by john chambliss

Deandre Coffer

A Winter Haven man was convicted today of strangling and beating his former girlfriend in 2018 in their home after he became angry with her while she read to his 3-year-old son.

Jurors deliberated for three hours before returning with a first-degree murder conviction.

Circuit Judge Dennis Maloney sentenced DeAndre Coffer, 23, to life in prison.

Kiara Butler, 32, died at the couple’s home.

Defense attorneys for Coffer argued that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

In closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson said that Coffer was angry on Feb. 18, 2018, because Butler had corrected his son while they were reading a book. “He strangled her unconscious then continued to beat her,” Johnson said. “This was a forceful strangulation that lasted two to three minutes.”

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Johnson and Polk Sheriff’s detectives for their work on the case.

Jurors deliberate 15 minutes to find man guilty of sending lewd photo to teen

December 5, 2019/in SAO10 Blog /by john chambliss

Cristhian Villanueva-Rosado

An Orlando man was sentenced to five years in prison after jurors found him guilty Tuesday of sending a lewd picture to a 14-year-old Winter Haven girl in 2015.

Cristhian Villanueva-Rosado, 31, was immediately detained after a jury of six deliberated for about 15 minutes before finding him guilty.

During the trial Assistant State Attorney Monica Smith explained to jurors how Villanueva-Rosado texted and sent lewd pictures of himself to the teenager’s cell phone.

Villanueva-Rosado buried his hands in his head when Circuit Judge Kevin Abdoney sentenced him. Before he was sentenced, Villanueva-Rosado told Abdoney he had just been released from prison before facing the current charges. He continued to deny the charge and said he didn’t even send pictures like that to his girlfriend.

Abdoney listened to Villanueva-Rosado, then sentenced him to five years in prison, the maximum allowed by law, as requested by the State Attorney’s Office.

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Monica Smith and Polk County Sheriff’s investigators for their work on the case.

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