Criminal Justice in Bartow, Polk County, Florida

Polk County Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have been arrested for a misdemeanor, DUI or felony criminal offense in Bartow, Polk County, Florida, contact an experienced attorney at the Sammis Law Firm about the best way to fight the charges against you. Our attorneys focus exclusively on criminal defense.

Our website provides general information on various criminal offenses in Florida, including the special procedures and considerations that may apply to your criminal case in Polk County, FL. At the Sammis Law Firm, P.A., we represent clients charged with felony and misdemeanor crimes including the following offenses:

• DUI - including "refusal" to submit to a breath, blood or urine test to determine the alcohol concentration or presense of controlled subsubstances after a DUI arrest, the drunk driving case involving a breathalyzer result over .08 on Florida's Intoxilyzer 8000.
• Driving on a Suspended or Revoked Driver's License - including with or without knowledge and habitual traffic offender cases;
• Reckless driving - which is a serious criminal traffic charge punishable by up to 90 days in jail for a first offense.
• Habitual traffic offender (HTO) - including fighting to remove the five year revocation through a post-conviction motion to undo one of the underlying offenses that caused the HTO revocation;
• Violation of Probation (VOP) -including motions for early termination of probation;
• Theft offenses - including shoplifting (petit theft), grand theft, dealing in stolen property, employee theft, fraud, or credit card fraud;
• Domestic violence - including domestic assault, domestic battery, battery, stalking, aggravated battery, retraining orders, or violation of protective order;
• Domestic Battery - an allegation of a push, shove or other offense touching between a husband and wife, blood relatives, or former intimate partners.
• Drug crimes from possession of marijuana to trafficking, nebia / nebbia hearings;
• Vehicle forfeiture or asset forfeiture;
• Juvenile Court criminal cases;
• Criminal appeals;
• Extradition to Bartow, Polk County, FL on a Fugitive Warrant;
• Resolving an outstanding warrant including a bench warrant, an arrest warrant, or a capias for your arrest after a failure to appear or failure to comply with a court order;
• Seal or Expunge - erase a criminal record from Bartow, Polk County, FL.

Contact an experienced and aggressivecriminal defense attorney for Bartow, Polk County, Florida. Call us today at 813-250-0500 to speak with an attorney about your criminal case.

Particular Criminal Justice Programs Unique to Polk County

The prosecutor's office in Polk County has certain "diversion" programs that may be available to individuals with no prior criminal record. In certain misdemeanor cases your attorney may be able to convince the prosecutor to allow you to participate in a pretrial deferred prosecution "PDPP" program.

Different types of "diversion" programs may be available if you are charged with a third degree felony or if the prosecutor agrees to reduce the charge to a third degree felony for purposes of allowing you to enter a diversion program.

If the prosecutor agrees to a misdemeanor diversion program, then you will typically be requirested to fill out a PDPP recommendation sheet. Within two (2) weeks the director of the program will contact you to schedule an interview. During the interview certain requirements will be assigned such as: 

1. Payment for investigative costs to the appropriate law enforcement agency (if any);
2. Payment of a cost of prosecution to the State Attorney's Office in Bartow;
3. Completing community service hours (the number of hours can often be negotiated with the prosecutor prior to being referred to the program);
4. Payment of restitution to the alleged victim in the case;
5. Attending a behavior modificaiton or conseling program such as an anger management class called A.I.M., which stands for "Anger is Management");
6. Having no contact or at least "no violent" contact with the alleged victim unless approved by the court (this can often be negotated with the Polk County prosecutor prior to the PDPP referral); and
7. Agreeing not to use or possess alcohol or illegal drugs.

Polk County DUI Lawyer - Criminal Defense and DUI Attorney representing men and women in Polk County, Florida, including the cities and towns of Bartow, Frostpoof, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Haines City, Auburndale, Polk City, Davenport, Mulberry, Fedhaven, Lake Hamilton, Dundee, Heights, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Highland Park, Hillcrest, Indian Lake Estates, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Nalcrest, and Providence, FL. Contact a DUI Attorney / Lawyer for Bartow, FL for more information.

Criminal Case Resources in Polk County, Florida

Clerk of Court for Polk County, FL - Includes a criminal search database to track your criminal case prosecuted in Polk County, Florida, by name or case number.

Clerk of the Circuit Court for Polk County
255 N Broadway Ave
Bartow, FL 33830
Phone Number: (863) 534-4540

State Attorney's Office in Polk County - For the Tenth (10th) Judicial Circuit of Florida.

State Attorney's Office

255 N. Broadway Ave.

Bartow, FL 33830

Telephone Number: (863) 534-4800

Polk County Sheriff's Office - The Polk County Sheriff's Office is a full service law enforcement agency serving Polk County Florida. Polk County is the fourth largest county in the state by size at over 2,000 total square miles. The Sheriff of Polk County is an independent constitutional officer who is statutorily charged with the responsibility of providing all primary law enforcement services within Polk County.

Sheriff Grady Judd

Polk County Sheriff's Office

455 North Broadway Avenue

Bartow, FL 33830

Phone Number: 863-533-0344 / 863-534-6200 / 1-800-226-0344

Bartow Police Department -

Bartow Police Department

450 N. Broadway

Bartow, FL 33830

Phone Number for Non Emergencies: (863) 534-5034

Winter Haven Police Department - The Winter Haven Police Department consists of 83 sworn police officers and and 23 civilian employees serving the second largest municipality in Polk County, Florida, with a population of more than 26,000.

Winter Haven Police Department

125 N. Lake Silver Drive NW

Winter Haven FL  33881

(863) 291-5858

Haines City Police Department

Haines City Police Department

35400 Highway 27

Haines City, FL 33844

Phone Number: (863) 421-3636

Fax: (863) 421-3640

DUI School in Polk County, FL

Polk County DUI School

Tri-County Human Services, Inc.
1811 Crystal Lake Drive
Lakeland, FL 33801
Telephone Number: (863) 701-1919
Fax Number: (863) 293-1214

Lakeland Police Department - visit the website to find out more information about DUI arrests in Lakeland, FL.

Lakeland Police Department

219 North Massachusetts Avenue

Lakeland, Florida 33801

Non-emergency Phone Number: (863) 834-6900

Florida's 10th Judicial Circuit - Find out more information about the criminal justice system in for the judicial circuit that comprises the following counties: Polk County, Hardee County, and Highlands County.

Map to Polk County Courthouses