Criminal Cases at the Lake Alfred Courthouse

After an arrest in Polk County, FL, the case might be heard at teh Northeast Polk Government Center located at 200 Government Center Blvd., Lake Alfred, FL 33850, the courthouse in Lakeland, or at the main courthouse in Bartow, FL.

For cases at the Lake Alfred Courthouse, the Honorable Kevin M. Kohl, is assigned the County Court Northeast Criminal Relief – Section W3 to preside over the following:

• municipal or county ordinance violations;
• violations of Florida Statute Statutes charged as a misdemeanor; and
• criminal traffic violations charged as a misdemeanor such as:
  • DUI
  • reckless driving
  • racing on highways
  • driving while license suspended or revoked
  • driving with no valid driver’s license

The court might allow remote appearances for some non-evidentiary pretrial conference. You should always appear in person for each court date unless you have the court’s written permission to appear remotely. By hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney, you might be able to avoid unnecessary trips to court.

Your notice to appear in court will explain that all hearings will take place live in the courtroom. For that reason, if you fail to appear in court, absent a court
order permitting a remote appearance pursuant to Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.116, the court will issue a warrant for your arrest.

Criminal Defense Attorney for Lake Alfred, FL

If you were arrested by a police officer with the City of Lake Alfred Police Department then contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at Sammis Law Firm.

We represent clients arrested for a felony, misdemeanor, or DUI, in Polk County. We are familiar with the procedures used by law enforcement officers with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the local police stations throughout Polk County including the Lake Alfred Police Department.

Call 813-250-0500.

Remote Appearance at the Lake Alfred Courthouse in Polk County, FL

The judges at the Lake Alfred Courthouse in Polk County, FL, might allow a request to use communication technology for a non-evidentiary pretrial conference scheduled for 30 minutes or less. The request must be made by written motion in each individual case and entitled “Motion for Remote Appearance at Non-Evidentiary Pretrial Conference.”

The motion must be filed with the Clerk of the Court at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the non-evidentiary pretrial conference. A copy of the motion and a proposed written order must be provided to the judge’s judicial assistant by email or though the e-filing portal at least forty-eight (48) hours in
advance of the non-evidentiary pretrial conference.

The motion to appear remotely for a court date at the Lake Alfred Courthouse in Polk County, FL, must contain the following information:

1. How many pretrial conferences have been held or previously in this case?
2. Has the Defendant elected to participate in discovery?
3. What date was discovery requested by the Defendant?
4. What date was a discovery response provided by the State?
5. Has either party failed to provide any discovery? If so, what discovery is missing? If discovery is missing, detail all efforts that have been made to obtain discovery; this should include any individuals or agencies that you have contacted or attempted to contact, all dates and times of attempted or actual contact, and the method of contact or attempted contact.
6. Are there any pending motions? If the answer is yes, identify all pending motions. Are the pending motions currently scheduled for a hearing? If the answer is yes, what is the date and time of the scheduled hearing(s)?
7. Is the case ready to be scheduled for trial? If not, state with specificity what additional labor is required before the matter is ready to be scheduled for trial? General descriptions such as “additional discovery” will not be considered specific and will be a violation of this requirement.

When the motion is filed by the criminal defense attorney representing a person accused of a crime, the following information must
also be provided in the motion:

1. Is this the first pretrial conference following retention of the attorney?
2. Has the client been provided the opportunity to review the discovery?
3. Has a plea offer been requested from the State?
4. Has a plea agreement been offered by the State? If a plea offer has been requested from the State and the answer is no, provide the method and date and time of each attempt that has been made to obtain a plea offer from the State. If the answer is yes, has the plea offer been relayed to the client?

If these questions are not answered properly, it is good cause to deny the request for a remote appearance.

General Rules for Appearing in Court for the Lake Alfred Courthouse

The judges have posted written rules concerning appearing remotely for criminal cases at the Lake Alfred Courthouse in Polk County, FL. Some of those rules include:

• All remote appearances will be through Microsoft Teams.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate connection, equipment, and software to use Microsoft Teams and that said connection, equipment, and software is operating correctly.
• It is your obligation to contact the judicial assistant to obtain the appropriate Microsoft Teams link for the remote appearance.
• All participants must have their audio and video working and know how to mute/unmute and turn their camera on and off before the appearance begins.
• The participant should name themselves using their true legal first and last name. Failure to be properly named will result in the Court not allowing you into the courtroom.
• When in the Microsoft Teams courtroom, the participant should remain muted with their video camera off until their case is called.
• Participants must be in a space with minimal background noise. Participants must not be moving from room to room. Participants cannot be outdoors, or in a moving vehicle. Participants cannot be in motion in any way.
• When a case is called, the participant shall then enable their microphone and unmute themselves in a timely fashion.
• Any documents that would normally be filed with the Clerk of Court shall be filed with the Clerk of Court at least three (3) business days in advance of the hearing.
• When appearing by Microsoft Teams all parties are expected to conduct themselves with it the same professionalism, decorum, and civility as if physically present in court. All participants shall be wearing attire as if they were physically in the courtroom. As in any courtroom, there is to be no eating, drinking, gum chewing, smoking, or engaging in any activity other than participation in the court appearance.

Arrest by the Lake Alfred Police Department

The Chief of Police of the Lake Alfred Police Department is Art Bodenheimer. The police department is located at 190 N Seminole Ave. The non-emergency phone number is (863) 291-5200.

The police department in the  City of Lake Alfred enforces state statutes and city ordinance violations within the city limits. After the arrest, the case is prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office at the courthouse in Bartow, FL.

Additional Resources

Lake Alfred Police Department – Visit the website of the City of Lake Alfred to learn more about the departments in the police department including the K9 unit.

This article was last updated on Thursday, May 7, 2026.