Charged with Violation of Probation (VOP) or Violation of Parole in Sarasota or Manatee County?
If you are accused of violating probation or violating parole in Sarasota or Manatee County, you could end up in jail for a very long time. It is that serious. If this happens to you or someone you know, you’ll need to hire an experienced Probation and Parole Violation lawyer right away.
Attorney Mark Zimmerman will defend you in felony or misdemeanor probation and parole violation cases in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. These situations are very complicated. That’s why Mark Zimmerman handles these cases personally. If you broke the terms of your probation, Mark Zimmerman will fight to keep you out of jail by working with the judge to get the charges dismissed.
What is Probation?
Probation is considered community supervision. It keeps you out of jail but under the close watch of the state and your probation officer. As part of your probation, you will have to meet regularly with your probation officer, who makes sure you are living up to your end of the probation terms. You may have to attend classes, perform community service, pay restitution, and basically stay out of trouble. There are different types of probation depending on the crimes. These include sex offender probation, community control, and drug offender probation.
At this point you might think you’re in the clear. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.
The Most Common Reasons for a Probation Violation
The truth is you don’t have to commit a crime to violate your probation. You could violate probation because of something simple, like forgetting to tell your probation officer that you moved and changed your address. That one tiny mistake could land you in jail. Some of the most common reasons for a Violation of Probation charge are:
- Being charged with another crime while still on probation.
- Not reporting to your probation officer or missing an appointment.
- Not fulfilling the terms or your probation. For example, you haven’t paid fines or done community service on time.
- Leaving the state without permission
- Hanging out with known criminals
- Failing a drug test.
Related: You Have The Right To Remain Silent…Use It
What Happens If I’m Charged or Found Guilty of Violating My Probation?
- An arrest warrant will be issued and you will probably wait in jail until your hearing.
- You will NOT have a trial before a jury. A judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to prove you violated probation.
- The judge could make you serve out your original sentence in jail and add time for the probation violation.
If you don’t already have a criminal defense attorney, get one right now. Mark Zimmerman is a board certified criminal defense lawyer, a level of certification only achieved by 5% of buying provigil attorneys. Mark brings almost a decade of experience as a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s office, so he understands what the other side is thinking. You can reach Mark Zimmerman at (941) 364-8503 for a free consultation.