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State Attorney's Office, 10th Judicial Circuit
Heather Beato, a prosecutor in the Sebring office, was appointed to the Circuit bench in June.

Longtime Assistant State Attorney appointed to Circuit bench
State Attorney Brian Haas congratulates Assistant State Attorney Heather Beato on her appointment to the 10th Judicial Circuit bench.
sao10.com
State Attorney's Office, 10th Judicial Circuit
𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟐-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Two months after returning home from serving his country in Afghanistan, 21 year-old and engaged to be married Army Veteran Michael Millan-Perez was on his way to work in the early morning hours of February 25, 2015. At that same time, drunk driver Nick Nicholas was on his way to a casino in Tampa, when he decided to stop his Chevy Tahoe, without any reason, in the left lane of Interstate 4.
Perez was killed when he crashed into the back of the Chevy Tahoe. Nicholas, who walked away from the crash, had a blood-alcohol level of .171, more than double the legal limit. With no plea agreement from the State Attorney’s Office, Nicholas entered an open plea to DUI Manslaughter on August 2, 2018.
Although Nicholas scored 10.5 years in Florida State Prison, according to state sentencing guidelines, Judge William Sites sentenced Nicholas to 12 years in prison, followed by 3 years of probation.
Through a series of legal maneuvers and appeals, Nicholas was able to delay serving his prison sentence until yesterday, when he was finally taken into custody after exhausting his appellate options.
Assistant State Attorney Steve Alamia, a prosecutor who has been recognized by MADD for his advocacy on behalf of DUI victims, and former Assistant State Attorney Lori Winstead, represented the State during this 5 year prosecution. State Attorney Brian Haas is grateful for the work of the ASA’s and the Florida Highway Patrol. While Mr. Perez’s family will forever suffer because of Nicholas’ criminal act, we hope the defendant’s prison sentence provides at least some level of justice for the family.
Two months after returning home from serving his country in Afghanistan, 21 year-old and engaged to be married Army Veteran Michael Millan-Perez was on his way to work in the early morning hours of February 25, 2015. At that same time, drunk driver Nick Nicholas was on his way to a casino in Tampa, when he decided to stop his Chevy Tahoe, without any reason, in the left lane of Interstate 4.
Perez was killed when he crashed into the back of the Chevy Tahoe. Nicholas, who walked away from the crash, had a blood-alcohol level of .171, more than double the legal limit. With no plea agreement from the State Attorney’s Office, Nicholas entered an open plea to DUI Manslaughter on August 2, 2018.
Although Nicholas scored 10.5 years in Florida State Prison, according to state sentencing guidelines, Judge William Sites sentenced Nicholas to 12 years in prison, followed by 3 years of probation.
Through a series of legal maneuvers and appeals, Nicholas was able to delay serving his prison sentence until yesterday, when he was finally taken into custody after exhausting his appellate options.
Assistant State Attorney Steve Alamia, a prosecutor who has been recognized by MADD for his advocacy on behalf of DUI victims, and former Assistant State Attorney Lori Winstead, represented the State during this 5 year prosecution. State Attorney Brian Haas is grateful for the work of the ASA’s and the Florida Highway Patrol. While Mr. Perez’s family will forever suffer because of Nicholas’ criminal act, we hope the defendant’s prison sentence provides at least some level of justice for the family.
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: Bartow man guilty of shooting into ex’s house
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonLeo Jackson parked his scooter in the shadows and walked toward his ex-girlfriend’s house with a loaded firearm. About 11 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2015, Jackson walked around his ex’s house, yelled obscenities and shook the window air conditioning units. He then lifted his firearm and shot twice – first into the dining room window, […]
JURY VERDICT: Lakeland man convicted for murder of rival gang member
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonAfter two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury found Wesley Booker guilty of first-degree murder. Booker, 26, of Lakeland, shot and killed Maurice Knight – a rival gang member – in Feb. of 2015. Booker was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Harb immediately following his conviction at the end of a […]
State Attorney Jerry Hill honored by FPAA
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonPANAMA CITY – State Attorney Jerry Hill was honored alongside State Attorney Willie Meggs, Second Judicial Circuit, for 32 years of public service as State Attorney. Both Hill and Meggs were elected in 1984 and are retiring at the end of this year. They were presented with the Eugene Whitworth Memorial Award for outstanding leadership […]
JURY VERDICT: Man guilty of killing two students, shooting another
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonJoshua Davis stood in front of his third victim, the gun facing his forehead at point-blank range. Davis had just shot and killed Polk State College students Joe Palacios and Christian Rodriguez, both 19, before turning the gun on Esteban Zavala, who feared he would be shot next. “I didn’t see any hesitation, any doubt,” […]
SAO INVESTIGATION: Golf cart shop used as front for fraud
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonLAKE ALFRED – Shawn Marlow was arrested Friday, Oct. 14, by investigators with the State Attorney’s Office for stealing $44,175 from his customers and failing to provide them with the goods and services they paid for. An SAO investigation revealed complaints on Marlow had been filed with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office , Lake County […]
SENTENCING UPDATE: Habitual offender sentenced
/in SAO10 Blog /by Kaitlyn PearsonReginald Leon Streeter was sentenced to life in prison Monday. Streeter, 21, of Lake Wales, was convicted by a jury in August of burglary of a dwelling with an assault while armed, attempted robbery with a firearm, resisting officers without violence while wearing a mask, giving false info to law enforcement and possession of cannabis […]