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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.
JURY VERDICT: School janitor guilty of lewd conduct on 6-year-old student
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonJose Baez-Ortiz admitted he had an urge to touch a 6-year-old girl like a woman. After about an hour of deliberation, jurors convicted Baez-Ortiz Nov. 15 of lewd conduct. He is facing 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Jan. 11. Assistant State Attorney Lauren Randall told jurors that the principal of the school […]
JURY VERDICT: Lakeland man guilty of attempted second-degree murder, faces life
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonRobert Van Den Bosch had been making threats to shoot someone because residents in his neighborhood were being loud. Van Den Bosch testified that he’d reached a boiling point on the evening of Sept. 1, 2017. So when Morris Parker drug his trash can to the dumpster, Van Den Bosch followed and shot him in […]
JURY VERDICT: Haines City man guilty of trafficking heroin
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonSteven Rivera-Torres was found guilty Nov. 8 of trafficking in heroin, four grams or more, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is facing up to 30 years in prison and will be sentenced Jan. 4. We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of Assistant State Attorney Eric Ebbole in securing this conviction.
JURY VERDICT: Frostproof man arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer, faces 10 years
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonIn an attempt to avoid being arrested, Johnny Simon wriggled his arms free of a deputy’s grasp and punched him in the face twice. Simon was found guilty on Nov. 7 of Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and Resisting an Officer with Violence. Simon is a prison release reoffender and is facing 10 years in […]
JURY VERDICT: Davenport man guilty of attempted lewd battery on a child
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonWhen Bentley Hawkins found out that the person he planned to have sex with was only 14, it didn’t deter him from attempting to meet with the child. But upon arriving at the child’s address, Hawkins was arrested by law enforcement in an undercover sting to identify those who wish to exploit children. A jury […]
JURY VERDICT: Lakeland man convicted of aggravated child abuse for beating 11-month-old
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonShawn Tucci testified that he didn’t think it was important to call his girlfriend and tell her that her child was bleeding from his head. He claimed he fell with the baby, whose significant injuries included a bite mark, while Tucci walked away with no injuries. After about four hours of deliberation, a jury found […]