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.
JURY VERDICT: Teen who beat, battered, burned man convicted of first-degree murder
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonAfter sexually battering and brutally beating Robert Banks to death, Nathan Johnson took photos of his dead body to keep as trophies. He then discarded Banks’ body in the woods, doused it in gasoline and lit it on fire. Surveillance video then caught Johnson and his accomplices minutes later laughing and smiling while buying refreshments […]
JURY VERDICT: Haines City man convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing his wife to death
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonTommy Lee Jones raised a 12-inch knife above his head, snuck up behind his wife and stabbed her with it. He wrestled 57-year-old Juanita Jones to the ground, stabbing her nine times. He stabbed her in the shoulder arm and head – leaving the tip of the knife embedded in her skull – but the […]
Haas delivers keynote at MADD Dinner, two ASAs are recognized
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonState Attorney Brian Haas delivered the keynote speech Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the MADD Polk County Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Recognition Dinner where two of our attorneys were honored. Haas spoke about how proud he is to live in a community where law enforcement both take DUI and impaired driving cases seriously. Without the dedication […]
SENTENCING UPDATE: Lake Wales man sentenced to 30 years for attempted second-degree murder
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonJohn Decesare was facing a minimum of 20 years in prison after being convicted in July of attempted second-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. A judge imposed a sentence of 30 years on Decesare in his sentencing hearing Friday morning. On Nov. 4, 2014, Decesare fired three […]
SENTENCING UPDATE: Bus driver who molested special needs children sentenced to life
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonCarlos Ojeda used candy to lure his victims to the front of his bus and sexually abuse them. Ojeda, 74, who had been a bus driver for special needs children since 2007, chose four little girls who had intellectual disabilities and behavioral issues, knowing they would be less likely to tell anyone else what he […]
JURY VERDICT: Man who strikes, kills motorcyclist guilty of driving without a license
/in SAO10 Blog/by Kaitlyn PearsonAlbino Contreras drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a motorcyclist, severing his leg and throwing him from his bike into a canal. David Szewczykowski, 68, of Davenport, went into cardiac arrest and died before paramedics could transport him to the hospital. At the time of the crash, Contreras had not been issued a Florida driver’s […]