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.
Lakeland Man Convicted and Sentenced to Life in Prison
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensA Circuit Judge sentenced Stevin Smith to Life in prison after being found guilty by a Polk County Jury of Attempted Armed Kidnapping and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Smith has an extensive criminal record for Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon, Domestic Battery Strangulation, Robbery with a Weapon, Burglary of a Structure, Robbery, […]
Davenport Man Convicted of Multiple Trafficking Charges
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensCordarrall Hall, 35, was found guilty by a Polk County Jury of Trafficking in Fentanyl, Trafficking in Cocaine, and several other drug related charges. The street value of drugs involved in this case exceeded tens of thousands of dollars. Hall, faces a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years and will be sentenced on April 14th. […]
Man Convicted of Attempted Murder in the First Degree
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensRudy Gonzalez, 27, was found guilty by a Polk County Jury of Attempted First Degree Murder. After sending a threatening social media post about killing the victim, Gonzalez, brutally stabbed him ten times causing life threatening injuries. Luckily, the victim survived although he will be scarred for life. Gonzalez has an extensive criminal history with […]
Lakeland Man Convicted of Multiple Counts of Sexual Battery
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensA Polk County Jury convicted John Aurand of two counts of sexual battery, two counts of lewd molestation, five counts of promoting sexual performance of a child and thirteen counts of child pornography. John Aurand faces life in prison when sentenced on April 10th. State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney’s Ashley McCarthy, Seth […]
Cold Case Murder Prosecution Leads to Four Life Sentences for Lakeland Man
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensDuring the early morning hours of September 4th, 1981, Joseph Mills, broke into the bedroom window of Linda Slaton. Linda, 31, and her two young sons were sleeping in the residence. After sexually assaulting and murdering her, Mills escaped through the same window he entered. For the next four decades, the Lakeland Police worked to […]
State Attorney Brian Haas meets with Lakeland Police Chief Ruben Garcia
/in SAO10 Blog /by Jamie OwensState Attorney Brian Haas met with Lakeland Police Chief Ruben Garcia and members of the Lakeland Police Department this week to discuss the partnership between the two agencies. These meetings take place every few months to keep lines of communication open between LPD and SAO staff. We are grateful for the hard work and dedication […]