The lawyers of Cameron, Davis & Gonzalez, P.A. provide professional and quality representation and most importantly, affordable criminal representation in both Federal and State Courts.   

If you have been arrested or criminally charged with a crime, you must be proactive in protecting yourself. The most important action you can take is to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to safeguard your interests.

As a former police officer in Palm Beach County, Orlando Gonzalez, Esquire has extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system from an investigative and prosecutorial perspective. He uses this insider perspective to aggressively defend your constitutional rights. If you are the target of a police investigation or have been arrested for a criminal offense then YOU HAVE RIGHTS and Orlando Gonzalez, Esquire will fight to protect those rights whether you have been charged with a felony or a minor traffic offense.

• State Criminal Defense – Probable Cause to Arrest
• Bond and First Appearance
• Charging process
• Arraignment in the Discovery process
• Plea negotiations and Trial
• State Criminal Defense conclusion.

Orlando Gonzalez, Esquire has represented clients accused of the following offenses:

Bond and First Appearance

In the State Criminal Justice System, the person arrested, who is called the “Defendant”, will usually be brought before a Judge within 24 hours of his or her arrest.  The hearing is called a “First Appearance” hearing and after reviewing a copy of the probable cause affidavit and the criminal history of the Defendant, the Judge will make the final determination as to what the bond amount shall be.   In larger jurisdictions, there are preset bond amounts for certain crimes so many times Defendants can bond out of jail before the First Appearance hearing.   Defendants charged with Capitol Offenses like murder or life felonies or felonies punishable by life imprisonment like burglary with a battery in a dwelling or kidnapping are not eligible for a bond and will be held with “no bond.”

Charging Process

A copy of the Probable Cause Affidavit is sent to the State Attorney’s Office along with other police reports that might have been generated at the time of the arrest.  The State Attorney’s Office will then review the Probable Cause Affidavit along with the other police reports and may meet with the alleged “victims” and police officers for the purpose of making a final decision as to what charges the Defendant/accused will be prosecuted for.   If the State Attorney’s Office decides not to file charges, the case will be “No Filed” also known as being “Dismissed.”

Arraignment and the Discovery Process

If the State Attorney’s Office files charges, those charges will be filed at or before “Arraignment”.   Arraignment is a court hearing whereby the charges against the Defendant are read in open court unless that reading is waived, and the Defendant is required to enter a plea of “Guilty” or “Not Guilty” or “No Contest”.  If a Not Guilty plea is entered, the case is set for Trial and “Discovery” begins.   “Discovery” is the process whereby the State Attorney’s Office is obligated to turn over all police reports and documents which they intend on using in their prosecution against the Defendant.   They must turn over all documents whether the documents assist the Defendant or incriminate the Defendant.   In addition, they must furnish a list of all the witnesses they intend on using in the prosecution.   The latter is referred to as a “Witness List”.  Once the Witness List is turned over, the Defendant is permitted to take “Depositions” of all the State witnesses and of other individuals that can help the defense.  A “Deposition” is a proceeding where the defense attorney can ask individual questions of the witness, and the witness must answer questions under oath.   Depositions are the single most important discovery tool in a State Criminal case.

Plea Negotiations and Trial

Once the Discovery process is complete, a Defendant can either take a “Plea Offer” from the State Attorney’s Office or elect to go to Trial.  Plea offers are offers made by the State Attorney’s Office, and offers can range from Pre-trial Diversion to probation to a combination of probation and incarceration.  Almost always, plea offers are negotiated between the prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney.  If an agreement can not be reached on a plea and sentence, the case goes to trial where the State Attorney’s Office must prove its case to a jury “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”.  This is a much higher standard to prove than probable cause.

State Criminal Defense Conclusion

Being accused of a crime and being prosecuted for the allege crime is a freighting and stressful situation.  No matter how minor the charge may seem, you should be represented by a knowledgeable and competent attorneys who work through the criminal justice system and give you zealous representation.  The attorneys of Cameron, Davis & Gonzalez, P.A., understand the impact it can have on your life.  If you have been accused of a crime or you know someone who has been accused of a crime, do not delay in contacting the attorneys at Cameron, Davis & Gonzalez for a free consultation.