A violation of probation can have very severe consequences for someone.  Aside from the embarrassment of a second arrest, probation violations can often result in a length of incarceration in the Hillsborough County Jail.  Depending on the result of your Tampa DUI charge, the Judge will make you report to the rear of the courtroom and speak with a probation officer.  That probation officer will have you fill out some paperwork and assign you a probation appointment.   

Across the State of Florida, probation departments are managed and controlled by third party entities or are run by the individual counties.  In Tampa, Hillsborough County has contracted with the Salvation Army to provide probation officers and a correctional services program.  You may be thinking, isn't Salvation Army the same organization that rings the kettles during Christmas?  The short answer is yes.  For years the Salvation Army has provided Hillsborough County courts with a program designed to enforce compliance with criminal sentences.  The Salvation Army Correctional Services Tampa office is located at 1603 N Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33602 and their phone number is 813-224-9327.  Their website is www.Salvationarmysouth.org.

Typically, when someone finishes in Court, they will be ordered to complete certain special conditions.  To make sure a probationer is completing these special conditions, the Judge will place you on probation and you will be forced to report to a probation officer at least once a month.  While on probation the State will have "teeth" in you.  That means that you must complete all court conditions in a timely manner and you can't pick up any new charges.  Picking up a new charge will result in a violation of probation warrant being signed by the Judge and will more than likely mean you will remain in custody until you report to the Judge assigned to your case.  

A violation of probation is a serious event.  We would not advise you to plead guilty to any new law violation when you are on probation for another charge without speaking to an attorney.   The most common DUI probation violation stems from the probationer not completing the court ordered conditions on time.   Although serious, the lawyers at Finebloom and Haenel may be able to negotiate a great resolution with the Court to prevent a long period of incarceration.  Remember, the burden for proving a violation of probation is less than that in a criminal case.  They have to prove that you willfully violated your probation.    

If you would like information on whether you have a warrant for violation of probation you can visit the warrant inquiry site for Tampa.  If your name appears on the warrant inquiry page, please call our office immediately at 813-649-8690.  We are available to take your calls 7 days a week.  Weekends are not a day off for the lawyers in our office.  We look forward to speaking with you about your Tampa DUI probation violation.