Criminal Justice in Sumter County, FL

Criminal Defense Attorney for Sumter County

After an arrest for a DUI, felony or misdemeanor offense in Sumter County, Florida, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the Sammis Law Firm to discuss the details of your case and possible legal defenses. Call 813-250-0500 to talk with a lawyer at the Sammis Law Firm about your criminal charge in Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida. Our offices are located in Tampa, FL.

The attorneys at the Sammis Law Firm created this website to provide you with general information about a variety of specific criminal offenses under Florida law. We have listed information on many common criminal defenses, possible maximum and minimum penalties, and certain indirect consequences of the arrest and conviction. Although looking for additional information may be helpful, speaking directly with an attorney about the specific facts of your case is the ONLY way to obtain legal advice.

Our Services

Our criminal defense lawyers take a scholarly approach to criminal defense by filing and litigating viable motions to dismiss charges and motions to suppress or exclude evidence, which is often the best way to fight the criminal accusations. We represent individuals charged with felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses in Bushnell, Sumter County, FL, including the following:

• DUI (drunk driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs);
• Reckless driving;
• DWLSR - Driving while license revoked or suspended with knowledge which can be charged as either a first degree misdemeanor of a second or subsequent offense, or a second degree misdemeanor for a first offense;
• Fighting to remove a five year habitual traffic offender (HTO) revocation of your Florida driver's license;
• Felony offense of driving while license revoked or suspended;
• Extradition on a fugitive warrant to Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida;
• Violation of probation in Bushnell, Sumter County;
• Domestic violence including domestic battery, stalking or violation of protective order or restraining order;
• Fighting a restraining order or protective order against domestic violence;
• Expunge or Seal an Arrest Record in Sumter County, FL;
• Theft offenses including burglary, robbery, grand theft, fraud, shoplifting and petit theft.
• Early Termination of Probation, Community Control or House Arrest;
• Drug offenses, from possession, possession with intent to sell to trafficking in a controlled substance;
• Marijuana or cannabis offenses from possession, cultivation, grow house operations in Sumter County and Bushnell, Florida, to trafficking in marijuana;

At the Sammis Law Firm, P.A., we understand that your time is valuable. Call today to schedule a consultation to speak directly with a criminal defense lawyer for Bushnell, Sumter County, FL. Call 813-250-0500 to speak with our criminal defense lawyers about the particular facts and circumstances of your case.

Misdemeanor Cases in Sumter County

Recently, many people have contacted us after entering a plea in Sumter County. The reason the person contacts us is because they find out the court has entered an "order of commitment" which is a warrant for their arrest which then requires them to serve time in jail.

The individual researches the term "order of commitment" and finds very little information about this unusual sentencing procedure used in certain Florida courts, including Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida. The typical situation involves a client charged with a second degree misdemeanor (such as driving on a suspended license charged as a first offense). A second degree misdemeanor is punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a five hundred dollar fine. At arraignment, the person accused of the crime might waive their right to counsel without fully understanding the consequences of the plea.

Consider this hypothetical. A person is charged with driving while license suspended in Bushnell, Sumter County. The individual goes to arraignment without an attorney. The public defender is not assigned to the case and the individual has not hired a private criminal defense attorney. The individual decides to waive their right to counsel so the case can be resolved that day. The individual enters a plea. The court accepts the plea and does the following:

1. Adjudicates the individual guilty of the offense (so they will never be eligible to seal or expunge any criminal record, including the most recent arrest);
2. Sentences the person to 59 days in the Sumter County jail (which is the maximum sentence allowed by law for a second degree misdemeanor);
3. The court announces that it will "suspend" the jail sentence if the person shows proof that he or she has obtained a valid driver's license and shows that proof to the clerk's office in Sumter County within 45 days;
4. The court also announces that it will "suspend" the jail sentence if the person shows proof of paying all the court costs and fines within 90 days;
5. The court also announces that it will "suspend" the jail sentence if the person shows proof of completing a ADI course (an advanced driver improvement course);
6. The court then releases the person ROR to show proof of a valid driver's license, completion of the ADI course, and payment of the fines and court costs;
7. The individual is then required by the Sumter County clerk's office to sign a "Deferred Payment Plan" before they leave the courtroom;
8. If the person does not obtain a driver's license, take the ADI course, or pay the fines and court costs within the allotted time, then the clerk's office in Bushnell, FL, will complete a "certificate" which alleges which court ordered requirements were not met (sometimes called a "default"); and
9. The judge in Bushnell for Sumter County then signs an "Order of Commitment" which is a warrant for the individuals arrest which authorizes any sheriff in the State of Florida to arrest the individual and hold them until they are transported to the Sumter County jail.

A person sentenced under this type of sentencing scheme may be in a difficult position. The failure to obtain a valid Florida driver's license may not be willful. The individual may not even be eligible to obtain a valid driver's license or may not be able to avoid to resolve any outstanding traffic tickets within the time limit. The individual may not be able to pay the court costs or fines or complete the ADI course.

After calling the Sumter County clerk's office in Bushnell, Florida, the individual finds out that the court will not even entertain a "motion to modify" the sentence until after the person is sitting in the Sumter County Jail. This sentencing scheme is problematic for several reasons.

The sentencing scheme helps the court avoid putting the individual on probation to complete certain special conditions. Being placed on probation provides for greater protections, however, because in a violation of probation case the individual is entitled to a hearing to determine if the violation was substantial and willful. Certain due process concerns arise when the individual is put in jail based on the "order of commitment."

In many ways, this type of conditional suspended sentence acts like a "furlough" which may entitle the individual to receive credit for the time he spend out of jail after sentencing but before the "order of commitment" was issued. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to find out more about possible options to fight the "order of commitment" including the possibility of filing a "Petition for Mandamus" or a motion to correct an illegal or improper sentence.

Sumter County Clerk's Office - Obtain a copy of any criminal court record from the Sumter County Clerk's Office. Currently, felony and misdemeanor court records are not available on-line to the public.

Sumter County Clerk's Office

Sumter County Judicial Complex

Sumter County Sheriff's Office- Click here for information about who has been arrested in Sumter County, their pending criminal charge and other information about the case. Find out more about Sheriff William "Bill" O. Farmer, Jr., efforts to fight crime in Sumter County.

Sumter County Sheriff's Office

Lake Panasoffkee Annex of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office

The Villages Annex of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office

Wildwood Annex of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office

Sumter County Jail - The medium/minimum security jail which opened on July 1, 2000 was designed to houses fifty (50) inmates are in an open bay setting.

Sumter County Jail

Sumter County Jail Expansion Project

Official Website for Sumter County - Find out more about Sumter County government agencies.

Fifth Judicial Circuit - State Attorney

Fifth Judicial Circuit - Clerk of Circuit Court

Fifth Judicial Circuit - Public Defender

Misdemeanor Probation Office for Sumter County in Bushnell, Florida