Putnam County Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have been arrested, charged with a crime, or contacted by law enforcement in Putnam County, Florida, obtaining experienced legal advice early can be important. Landsman Law represents people facing misdemeanor and felony criminal charges in Palatka, Interlachen, Crescent City, Welaka, and communities throughout Putnam County.

Attorney Matt Landsman is a Florida Bar Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer with more than 20 years of criminal defense experience. He has handled thousands of criminal cases involving investigations, arrests, bond hearings, motions to suppress, plea negotiations, jury trials, sentencing proceedings, violations of probation, and appeals.

From its Gainesville office, Landsman Law provides criminal defense representation throughout North Central Florida, including Putnam County.

Criminal Cases in Palatka and Putnam County

Criminal cases in Putnam County can begin with a traffic stop, investigation, search warrant, notice to appear, or arrest. Depending on where an alleged offense occurs, an investigation may involve the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Palatka Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, or another state or local law-enforcement agency.

Putnam County is part of Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, along with Flagler, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties. The Seventh Judicial Circuit identifies the Putnam County Courthouse as being located at 410 St. Johns Avenue in Palatka.

This makes Putnam different from many of the counties surrounding Gainesville. Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Union are within the Eighth Judicial Circuit, while Putnam criminal cases proceed in the Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Regardless of the judicial circuit, however, a criminal defense begins with the same fundamental questions: What evidence does the State have, how was that evidence obtained, and can prosecutors lawfully prove every element of the alleged offense?

Criminal Charges We Defend in Putnam County

Landsman Law represents clients facing allegations involving:

• DUI and criminal traffic offenses
• Drug possession and drug trafficking
• Domestic violence
• Assault and battery
• Theft and fraud
• Burglary
• Firearm and weapons offenses
• Violent crimes
• Sex offenses
• Violations of probation
• Juvenile offenses
• Felony charges
• Misdemeanor charges
• Criminal investigations

Every criminal case is different. The appropriate defense depends upon the particular facts, the evidence available to the prosecution, applicable Florida law, and any constitutional or evidentiary issues affecting the case.

What Happens After an Arrest in Putnam County?

An arrest is an accusation. It is not a determination of guilt.

Following an arrest, a defendant may be taken into custody and brought before a judge for first appearance. Bond and conditions of release may be addressed early in the process.

The State Attorney’s Office ultimately determines what formal criminal charges to pursue. The offense identified in an arrest report therefore does not necessarily determine the charge that will ultimately be prosecuted.

As the case progresses, defense counsel may obtain and examine evidence such as:

• police reports;
• body-camera and dash-camera recordings;
• 911 calls;
• witness statements;
• photographs and videos;
• physical evidence;
• laboratory testing;
• search warrants;
• cellphone and digital evidence; and
• statements allegedly made by the accused.

That investigation may reveal factual weaknesses, constitutional violations, evidentiary problems, affirmative defenses, or other issues that affect the prosecution.

Search and Seizure Issues in Putnam County Criminal Cases

Search-and-seizure law can be particularly important in drug, firearm, theft, and other criminal prosecutions.

The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable governmental searches and seizures. Florida’s Constitution provides additional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

A criminal defense attorney should therefore examine not simply what police found, but how they obtained it.

Potential issues can include whether:

• an officer had reasonable suspicion to initiate a detention;
• a traffic stop was unlawfully prolonged;
• probable cause existed for an arrest or search;
• consent to search was actually voluntary;
• officers lawfully searched a vehicle;
• a search warrant established sufficient probable cause;
• officers exceeded the authorized scope of a warrant;
• cellphone or digital evidence was lawfully obtained; or
• evidence resulted from an unconstitutional search or seizure.

When evidence was obtained unlawfully, Florida law may permit the defense to seek its suppression.

Landsman Law has developed an extensive Florida Search and Seizure Law Resource Center addressing traffic stops, reasonable suspicion, probable cause, vehicle searches, consent searches, search warrants, digital evidence, and motions to suppress.

DUI Defense in Palatka and Putnam County

A DUI prosecution can involve consequences in both the criminal justice system and the driver’s-license system.

Potential DUI evidence may include observations of driving, body-camera or dash-camera recordings, statements, field sobriety exercises, breath testing, blood testing, and an alleged refusal to provide a breath sample.

The fact that an officer arrested someone for DUI does not establish that the prosecution can prove impairment beyond a reasonable doubt.

A DUI defense may examine:

• whether the initial traffic stop was lawful;
• whether the officer’s observations actually demonstrate impairment;
• the administration and interpretation of field sobriety exercises;
• inconsistencies between reports and video evidence;
• whether breath or blood evidence was lawfully obtained;
• whether testing procedures were properly followed; and
• whether the State can establish the required elements beyond a reasonable doubt.

Matt Landsman has handled dozens of DUI trials and has defended DUI cases involving unlawful traffic stops, investigative errors, insufficient evidence of impairment, improperly obtained breath-test evidence, and other weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.

Drug Crime Defense

Drug prosecutions in Putnam County may arise from traffic stops, vehicle searches, residential search warrants, surveillance, confidential informants, controlled purchases, or other law-enforcement investigations. See Drug Defense.

Depending upon the substance, quantity, and circumstances, allegations can range from possession to serious felony trafficking offenses.

A drug defense may involve questions about knowledge and possession as well as the legality of the investigation itself.

For example, when drugs are found in a vehicle, residence, or other location occupied by multiple people, their presence does not necessarily establish that every person nearby legally possessed them.

Other potential issues include:

• actual versus constructive possession;
• knowledge of the substance;
• dominion and control;
• identity of the controlled substance;
• weight or quantity;
• laboratory testing;
• chain of custody;
• confidential-informant reliability; and
• legality of the underlying search.

Domestic Violence, Assault and Battery

Domestic violence allegations can create immediate consequences beyond the criminal charge itself.

A defendant may face restrictions on contact with an alleged victim and, depending upon the circumstances, a separate civil injunction proceeding.

These cases frequently depend heavily upon credibility and context.

Important evidence may include 911 recordings, body-camera footage, photographs, medical records, text messages, emails, social-media communications, prior statements, and testimony from other witnesses. See Domestic Violence Defense.

A defense investigation may uncover inconsistencies between an initial allegation and later testimony, communications inconsistent with the accusation, evidence supporting self-defense, or other facts affecting whether prosecutors can prove the charge.

Injunction and Related Domestic Violence Proceedings

Criminal allegations and injunction proceedings are separate matters, but they can sometimes arise from the same dispute.

Landsman Law represents respondents in Florida injunction proceedings as well as defendants charged with domestic violence offenses.

Evidence developed in one proceeding can potentially become significant in the other. Statements, text messages, testimony, recordings, and prior allegations therefore require careful evaluation.

Putnam County cases can be particularly appropriate for this integrated approach when an allegation produces both a criminal prosecution and a petition for an injunction.

Violations of Probation

A violation of probation proceeding is significantly different from an ordinary criminal prosecution.

A person may be accused of violating probation because of a new arrest or an alleged technical violation, such as:

• failing to report;
• failing a drug test;
• failing to complete treatment;
• leaving an authorized area;
• violating a no-contact condition;
• failing to complete community service; or
• failing to satisfy another condition of supervision.

A new arrest does not automatically establish that a probation violation occurred.

The defense should examine the specific alleged violation, available evidence, applicable burden of proof, and whether the alleged conduct was willful and substantial when that requirement applies. See Violation of Probation Defense.

Criminal Investigations Before Charges Are Filed

Some criminal cases can be influenced substantially before an arrest ever occurs.

A detective may call and ask someone to come to the station, answer questions, provide a written statement, turn over a cellphone, consent to a search, or simply “explain what happened.”

Agreeing to an interview is not automatically in a suspect’s best interests.

Statements can provide investigators with evidence they did not previously possess and may later be introduced against the person making them.

Speaking with a criminal defense lawyer before responding to investigators allows a person to understand the nature of the request, applicable constitutional rights, and potential consequences before deciding how to proceed. See Florida Criminal Investigation Resource Center.

When appropriate, defense counsel may communicate directly with investigators, preserve evidence, investigate the allegations, and begin preparing a defense before prosecutors decide whether to file charges.

Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer Serving Putnam County

Experience can be particularly important when a criminal case involves contested evidence, constitutional litigation, or the possibility of trial.

Matt Landsman is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Criminal Trial Law and has more than two decades of criminal defense experience.

His experience includes thousands of criminal cases, jury trials, suppression hearings, evidentiary hearings, serious felony prosecutions, probation proceedings, and appeals.

Landsman Law’s practice is focused on criminal defense and related litigation throughout North Central Florida.

Serving Palatka and Communities Throughout Putnam County

Landsman Law represents clients facing criminal accusations throughout Putnam County, including Palatka, Interlachen, Crescent City, Welaka, Pomona Park, and surrounding communities.

The firm’s broader North Central Florida criminal-defense practice includes Gainesville and Alachua County as well as Marion, Bradford, Levy, Gilchrist, Columbia, Union, and surrounding counties.

Putnam County’s location makes it a logical part of Landsman Law’s North Central Florida practice while still allowing the Gainesville homepage to remain focused specifically on Gainesville criminal defense.

Speak With a Putnam County Criminal Defense Attorney

A criminal charge can affect your freedom, employment, education, professional licensing, driving privileges, firearm rights, and reputation. Early representation also gives defense counsel more time to investigate the allegations, preserve evidence, and identify potential constitutional or evidentiary issues.

If you have been arrested, charged with a crime, or contacted by law enforcement in Palatka or elsewhere in Putnam County, contact Landsman Law to discuss your case with attorney Matt Landsman.

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