Pretrial intervention, also known as Deferred Prosecution is an agreement (contract) between someone who is charged with a crime and the State Attorney’s office.
This agreement will require that within a specified period of time, the person charged with a crime will complete all requirements in the agreement. Once those requirements or sanctions are completed and proof of the completion is provided to the State in the time required, the State Attorney’s Office will drop the charges against the accused.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I go about entering into a deferred prosecution agreement for my charges?
The prosecutor of the case decides who is afforded the opportunity to be on Pretrial Diversion. Once the prosecutor decides and makes the referral, the Diversion Programs Administrator (DPA) prepares the contract. The DPA will then either schedule a face to face meeting with the defendant at one of our office locations, mail the contract to the defendant, or forward the contract to the defendant’s attorney, as appropriate. Once it has been signed by all parties, the contract will go into effect.
How do I make payments on my monetary obligations?
All payments must be made by either money orders or cashier’s checks made payable to the appropriate agencies / victims as specified in the contract. No cash, personal checks or credit cards will be accepted. All payments should be mailed to the State Attorney’s Office in Live Oak, or they may be dropped off at any of our office locations in the circuit.
Where can I complete my community service hours?
Community service hours may be performed at any government agency, non-profit organization, or church.
Am I allowed to pay for my community service hours instead of performing them?
Yes, community service hours may be paid for, at the rate of $10 per hour, by making a donation (through the Diversion Programs Administrator) to any of the approved charitable organizations listed here:
- CARC
- Catholic Charities
- Christian Service Center
- Crime Stoppers
- Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch
- Fort White Community Thrift Store
- Hamilton Humane Society
- Haven Hospice
- Heritage Park & Gardens
- Lake City Humane Society
- Love Inc. of Suwannee
- Pregnancy Care Center
- Refuge House
- Suwannee County Animal Shelter
- Suwannee Valley Humane Society
- United Christian Services
I have been required to complete one of the following: anger management, substance abuse evaluation / treatment, or mental health evaluation / treatment, but I live out of town or out of state. What should I do?
You may complete a similar program or evaluation in your area and provide proof of completion of that program / evaluation and treatment.
Once I am on diversion, when and where may I meet with the Diversion Programs Administrator, if needed?
Appointments are highly recommended to insure a meeting, but the DPA is generally in the Live Oak office location on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, on every other Wednesday he is in the Perry office location in the morning and the Cross City office location in the afternoon. On Tuesday and Thursday the DPA is in the Lake City office location.
Once I complete the Deferred Prosecution Agreement and all sanctions, what will happen with my case?
If you have no further law violations during the deferred prosecution period and have completed all sanctions, the charges against you will be dropped or dismissed by the State Attorney’s Office upon completion of the full program period unless early termination has been recommended.
The case and charges will still be on your “record”. However, it will show that the charges against you were dropped.
If you would like to have the charges removed completely from your record, you must have the charges expunged. If you would like information on whether or not you are eligible for expunction and the process, you may visit this website:
