The Office of the State Attorney is committed to transparency and responds to all records requests in a timely manner. If you wish to make a request, you can do so by contacting Paul Sessions, custodian of Public Records, at (863) 534-4844 or by clicking the button to submit a request.
Recent Press Releases
Please be advised that Florida has a broad Public Records law and all e-mail correspondence to this office or anyone employed here may be subject to disclosure. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this agency. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
Judge sentences man to die for fatal stabbings of mother, daughter
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA circuit judge sentenced a man to death today for the fatal stabbings of a mother and daughter in Haines City in 2015. Circuit Judge Jalal Harb upheld the unanimous death penalty recommendation for Michael Gordon by a jury from 2019, writing in a sentencing order that Gordon’s actions were “consistent with the conclusion that […]
Frostproof man convicted of robbing man in restaurant with flare gun
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA Frostproof man was convicted Wednesday of robbery. Wearing a mask over his face, Julio Aponte, 33, used a flare gun to rob two people in the La Botana restaurant food store in Lake Wales. Jurors took 30 minutes to convict Aponte of robbery with a weapon, attempted robbery with a weapon, and […]
Haines City man convicted in rape of 81-year-old woman in her home
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA 45-year-old Haines City man was convicted today of breaking into an 81-year-old woman’s home and sexually assaulting her in 2017. Julio Alfredo Ruiz faces life in prison after jurors found him guilty of sexual battery and burglary with assault. Jurors deliberated for three hours. Circuit Judge Wayne Durden is scheduled to sentence Ruiz […]
Lakeland man sentenced to 30 years for raping woman at gunpoint
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA Lakeland man was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping a woman at gunpoint in her Lakeland home in 2017. Circuit Judge Kevin Abdoney also designated Jerald Dixon, Jr., 27, a sexual predator and ordered him to serve 10 years of probation when he is released. Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Swenson read […]
Man convicted of trafficking cocaine in Davenport
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA man from Puerto Rico has been convicted of trafficking $35,000 worth of cocaine during a drug deal at Posner Park in Davenport in 2017. Misael Garcia-Sterling, 24, faces up to 30 years in prison after jurors found him guilty of trafficking more than 400 grams of cocaine and resisting arrest . Jurors deliberated […]
Gang member who fired shots at family in SUV convicted of attempted manslaughter
/in SAO10 Blog /by john chamblissA gang member who fired gunshots into an SUV traveling on Havendale Boulevard with a family of four inside has been convicted of attempted manslaughter. The family, which included 11-year-old twins, were traveling in September, 2018, to a birthday party at a nearby park. No one was injured, but two bullet holes were […]