OUR MISSION
To promote public safety by enforcing the criminal laws of the State of Florida; to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; to hold those who violate our laws accountable for their actions; to ensure that victims of crime have a voice in the criminal justice system; and to be good stewards of taxpayer resources.
Latest News
PIRELA SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER
(Lake County, FL) Yesterday, 26-year-old Brandon Pirela was sentenced to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections after being found guilty of Attempted First Degree Murder with a Firearm and Conspiracy to Commit Murder following a jury trial in January. The evidence presented at trial established that Pirela carried
GATES SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL BATTERY OF A CHILD
(Marion County, FL) Today, State Attorney Bill Gladson of the Fifth Judicial Circuit announces a guilty verdict in the case against 43-year-old Donald Ronald Gates III, of Ocala, Florida. On April 9, 2026, a jury found Gates guilty of Human Trafficking of a Child for Commercial Sexual Activity of a
MENDEZ CONVICTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
(Lake County, FL) On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, a jury found 41-year-old Xavier Mendez guilty of twelve felony counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Brian J. Welke ordered Mendez into custody to await his sentencing hearing. In July of 2024, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) received a
