Land O’ Lakes Criminal Defense Lawyer

King Law Group defends adults and juveniles accused of misdemeanors and felonies, and people from Land O’ Lakes and the rest of Pasco County are among the clients we serve, along with those throughout Pinellas County and the wider Tampa Bay area. A Land O’ Lakes criminal defense lawyer has a particular vantage point on this community, because Land O’ Lakes is where a great many Pasco arrests end up first: the county’s main detention facility sits here, and people booked from every corner of the county pass through it before they ever see a courtroom.

That detail matters more than it sounds. Living in Land O’ Lakes does not necessarily mean your case will be heard here, and being held at the jail here does not mean the courthouse is nearby. Felony and juvenile matters go to Pasco Circuit Court, while misdemeanors, criminal traffic offenses and traffic infractions go to Pasco County Court, and both are heard at the county’s two judicial centers in Dade City and New Port Richey. Knowing which door your case walks through, and what happens in the hours before it does, shapes how a defense gets built.

Whether the accusation is a first-time DUI, a theft allegation, a domestic violence arrest or a probation violation warrant, the early decisions tend to determine the range of outcomes available later.

Why Choose King Law Group for Your Land O’ Lakes Defense

King Law Group is a criminal defense firm led by Cameron King, the firm’s founder and a former felony prosecutor for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which covers Pasco and Pinellas Counties. The firm’s practice is focused solely on criminal defense, and it represents adults and juveniles from Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Zephyrhills as well as West Pasco communities like New Port Richey, Hudson and Trinity, and Pinellas communities from Clearwater to St. Petersburg. Cases are handled from pre-arrest investigation through trial and, when eligible, record sealing or expungement. Our phone is answered around the clock, and the first consultation and case evaluation cost nothing.

Cameron earned both his business degree and his law degree at Florida State University, with his legal studies centered on criminal law. As a prosecutor he moved up to felony cases and handled thousands of them, from murder, manslaughter and armed robbery to DUI, drug possession and domestic violence. He then practiced criminal defense at a prominent litigation firm before building a practice devoted entirely to defending people in his own community. For a Land O’ Lakes client, that history means your lawyer has sat at the prosecutor’s table in this circuit and knows how arrests are reviewed, which evidence prosecutors lean on, and what it realistically takes to secure a reduction, a withheld adjudication, a diversion agreement or a dismissal.

Clients describe Cameron as honest, straightforward and quick to return calls, and several mention that he explains each step and answers every question. One reviewer who hired him for a serious felony accusation wrote about how much the experience mattered; another said he kept them informed throughout and that their charges were ultimately dropped. We do not promise results, but we do promise that you will know where your case stands.

Charges We Defend for Land O’ Lakes Residents

• DUI and Refusal Cases: A first DUI conviction carries a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to six months in jail, monthly reporting probation, a DUI program course with a psychosocial evaluation, and a license revocation of at least 180 days and up to one year. A court may order an ignition interlock for at least six continuous months when the breath or blood alcohol level was .08 or higher. Refusing a breath test brings its own one-year suspension for a first refusal, and under the recently updated implied consent law a first refusal is itself a second-degree misdemeanor.
• DUI Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide: When a DUI causes a death, including the death of an unborn child, the offense is at least a second-degree felony, and a conviction for manslaughter, DUI serious bodily injury or vehicular homicide carries a three-year license revocation. These cases turn on crash reconstruction, blood evidence and causation.
• Theft Crimes: Florida’s felony line is $750. Petit theft under $100 is a second-degree misdemeanor, and $100 up to $750 is a first-degree misdemeanor. Grand theft of $750 to under $20,000 is a third-degree felony, $20,000 to under $100,000 a second-degree felony, and $100,000 or more a first-degree felony. Theft of a firearm or most motor vehicles is grand theft regardless of value, and property taken from a dwelling can be a felony at much lower values.
• Drug Crimes: Possessing 20 grams or less of cannabis is a first-degree misdemeanor, and possessing any controlled substance without a valid prescription is unlawful. Trafficking and delivery allegations carry far heavier exposure, and the legality of the stop or search often decides them.
• Domestic Violence and Battery: Simple battery is a first-degree misdemeanor, while domestic battery by strangulation is a third-degree felony. If a person is adjudicated guilty of a domestic violence offense involving intentional bodily harm, the law requires jail time, with 10 days for a first offense, and longer minimums when a child under 16 was present. Related injunctions often arrive alongside the arrest.
• Probation Violations: A violation can lead the judge to revoke probation and impose any sentence that could have been imposed originally. Technical violations, such as missed reporting or unpaid costs, are treated differently from new offenses, and the probation clock stops once a violation affidavit and warrant are filed.
• Sex Crimes, Child Abuse and Juvenile Offenses: These accusations carry long-term consequences and sometimes registration requirements. Juveniles are handled in Pasco Circuit Court under separate rules, and the goal is often a resolution that does not follow a young person into adulthood.
• Guns, Weapons and White Collar Charges: Weapons offenses often depend on how the firearm was found and who had access to it, while white collar and conspiracy cases depend on records, communications and the State’s ability to prove intent.

What to Do After a Land O’ Lakes Arrest or Investigation

If you or someone you care about has been taken into custody in Pasco County, the first thing to understand is the timeline. A person is usually booked at the county detention facility in Land O’ Lakes, and a first appearance before a judge generally follows within about 24 hours. That hearing reviews probable cause and sets bond or other release conditions, and a lawyer who is involved beforehand can argue for a lower bond or release without cash bail. If bond is set too high, a separate bond hearing can revisit it, so call us as early as you can, even from the jail.

Say very little to officers. Politely decline to answer questions, decline consent to searches of your car, phone or home, and ask for a lawyer. Statements made casually, before or after an arrest, are among the most common ways a defensible case becomes a hard one. If you learn that detectives want to talk to you, or that a warrant may be coming, contact us before you agree to an interview. We handle investigations that have not yet produced charges.

Write down what you remember while it is fresh: who was present, what was said, the time and place, and anything about how the stop or arrest unfolded. Keep any paperwork you were given, including the notice to appear, bond documents, a DUI citation and the temporary driving permit that comes with an administrative suspension. Do not delete messages or social media posts, and do not contact the accuser or anyone connected to the case, because that can create new charges or violate release conditions.

Know where your case will actually land. Felony and juvenile cases go to Pasco Circuit Court and misdemeanor and criminal traffic cases to Pasco County Court, at either the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey or the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City. We appear at both. Missing a court date is among the costliest mistakes, since it can lead to a new warrant and a revoked bond, so confirm every date with us.

Also watch the clock on a DUI. An arrest triggers an administrative license suspension that runs separately from the criminal case, with its own short window to challenge it, so do not assume the license issue can wait until the criminal case ends.

How Pasco Prosecutors Evaluate a Case, and Where Defenses Come From

Because Cameron prosecuted in this circuit, we think about a case the way the State Attorney’s Office does: what can actually be proven, what the witnesses will say on the stand, and which parts of the file are weak. That perspective shapes our approach to every charge. In DUI cases we look hard at the reason for the stop, how field sobriety exercises were given and scored, how breath testing was administered, and whether a refusal was properly documented. In drug and weapons cases, the legality of the search and who actually possessed the item are often the whole case, and a successful motion to suppress can end it.

Theft and white collar cases often come down to value and intent. The $750 line can be disputed, and the State must connect the person charged to the taking. In domestic violence cases, the accuser’s account, the physical evidence and the circumstances of the 911 call all matter, and a case can look very different once the full picture is gathered. In probation matters, the difference between a technical violation and a new offense can change both the judge’s options and our strategy.

Not every case is about proving innocence. Sometimes the best result is a reduced charge, a withheld adjudication or entry into a pretrial diversion program that ends in dismissal. Those outcomes can keep a record eligible for sealing later, which is why we think about the end of the case at the beginning. A “conviction” for sentencing purposes includes a guilty or no contest plea even when adjudication is withheld, so the details of any plea matter.

We also account for the consequences beyond the sentence: a driver’s license, a professional license, a job, immigration status, a firearm right or a family situation. Those concerns, not just the charge, drive the strategy we build with each client.

Common Questions About Criminal Defense in Land O’ Lakes

Will my case be heard in Land O’ Lakes?

Probably not. Land O’ Lakes is where people are booked at the county detention facility, but criminal cases are heard at Pasco County’s two judicial centers, in New Port Richey and in Dade City. Which one applies depends on where the case arose and how the court assigns it. We handle cases at both.

What happens at first appearance?

Within about 24 hours of arrest, a judge reviews whether there was probable cause and decides on release and conditions. Having a lawyer prepared to argue for a lower bond or non-monetary release at that stage can change whether you spend the next weeks at home or in jail.

What are the penalties for a first DUI in Florida?

A first DUI conviction carries a fine between $500 and $1,000, up to six months in jail, monthly reporting probation, a DUI program course with a psychosocial evaluation, and a license revocation of at least 180 days and up to one year. A court may add an ignition interlock for at least six continuous months if the alcohol level was .08 or higher. A DUI that damages property or injures someone is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Is refusing a breath test a crime now?

Under the updated implied consent law, a first refusal of a breath or urine test is a second-degree misdemeanor, and it becomes a first-degree misdemeanor if your privilege was previously suspended or you were previously fined for a refusal. Refusal also brings a one-year suspension for a first refusal and 18 months for a repeat. The facts of how the request was made matter a great deal.

Where is the line between a misdemeanor and a felony theft?

For most property, it is $750. Under that, theft is a misdemeanor; at or above it, grand theft is a third-degree felony until the value reaches $20,000. Some items, like firearms, count as grand theft regardless of value, and thefts from a dwelling can be felonies at lower amounts.

How long does the State have to file charges?

It depends on the offense. A second-degree misdemeanor must generally be filed within one year, a first-degree misdemeanor within two years, most felonies within three years and first-degree felonies within four years, with the clock starting the day after the offense. Capital and life felonies and felonies resulting in death have no deadline, and some sex and child-abuse offenses, along with cyberstalking and abuse of the elderly or disabled, follow longer or different schedules.

Is jail mandatory in a domestic violence case?

If a person is adjudicated guilty and intentionally caused bodily harm, the law requires a minimum jail term: 10 days for a first offense, 15 for a second and 20 for a third. Minimums are longer when a child under 16 was present. Older materials that cite five days are out of date. Those minimums apply only after an adjudication of guilt, which is one reason the way a case is resolved matters so much.

Can I go to jail for violating probation?

Yes. If probation is revoked, the judge can impose any sentence that could have been imposed at the start, and the probation period stops running once a violation affidavit is filed and a warrant issued. Technical violations are treated differently from new offenses, and some people remain in custody while the violation is pending, including violent felony offenders of special concern and those with a third violation in the same term.

Can a Florida arrest be sealed or expunged?

Often, but only once per person and only for a single arrest in one proceeding. You must first obtain a certificate of eligibility from FDLE, and an expunction certificate is valid for 12 months. If adjudication was withheld, or not all charges were dismissed before trial, a record generally has to be court-sealed for at least 10 years before it can be expunged. That wait does not apply if there was no plea and every charge was dropped before trial, or if you were acquitted.

Does it matter that my lawyer was a prosecutor here?

It can. Familiarity with how the State Attorney’s Office in this circuit reviews arrests and negotiates cases helps in spotting weaknesses and in knowing what a prosecutor will realistically accept. It does not guarantee an outcome, but it shapes how we advise you.

Do I need a lawyer for a misdemeanor?

Yes, in most cases. A first-degree misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, plus probation, a possible license suspension and a record that shows on background checks. A lawyer can often steer a case toward diversion or a withheld adjudication, which people representing themselves frequently miss.

Serving Land O’ Lakes and Pasco County Criminal Defense Clients

King Law Group represents clients from Land O’ Lakes across the whole of Pasco County. That includes neighbors in Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Odessa and Zephyrhills, along with Dade City and San Antonio in the eastern part of the county. In West Pasco, we defend people from New Port Richey, Port Richey, Hudson and Bayonet Point, Holiday, Trinity, Elfers, Jasmine Estates and Beacon Square, whose cases are heard at the West Pasco Judicial Center.

The firm also handles cases across the county line in Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and St. Petersburg. Because Pasco and Pinellas share the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the same prosecutorial experience applies on both sides of the line, and we serve clients throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Speak With a Land O’ Lakes Criminal Defense Attorney Today

If you have been arrested, released with a notice to appear, or told that investigators want to speak with you, talk to a Land O’ Lakes criminal defense attorney before you make any statement or any decision about a plea. King Law Group answers the phone at any hour, and your first consultation and case evaluation are free. Call to talk through what happened, what you are charged with and what the realistic options are, and let us start building your defense from the first hearing forward.