Tampa Sex Crimes Lawyer

 

Are you looking for a sex crimes lawyer in Tampa, FL?

At StechLaw Criminal Defense, we have served clients across Tampa, FL in sex crimes matters for nearly 15 years.

If a detective has asked you to come in and talk about an accusation, or you have already been arrested on a sex offense in Tampa, the investigation began before anyone contacted you. Sex crime prosecutions are built from three things: the accuser’s account, the physical and digital evidence, and whatever the accused says to police. A Tampa, FL sex crimes lawyer at StechLaw Criminal Defense takes control of the third of those from the first phone call.

Our founder, Ben Stechschulte, prosecuted sex crimes in Hillsborough County before he began defending them. He is board certified in criminal trial law by The Florida Bar. The first consultation is free and confidential.

Sex Crimes Lawyer Tampa, FL

The accusations a sex crimes attorney in Tampa, FL defends range from sexual battery and lewd conduct to offenses involving minors and internet-based charges, most of them filed in the Hillsborough County courts and some in federal court. An accusation, not an arrest, is the point where defense work has to start. We manage contact with detectives and preserve the messages the accuser’s account leaves out. We also prepare for the possibility that a recorded phone call arranged by police is already underway.

Hillsborough County had 1,999 registered sex offenders living in the community as of October 2024, the third-highest county total in Florida, according to a state oversight report. Registration follows a conviction long after the sentence ends. That is why a sex crimes defense has to be built to avoid the conviction rather than soften it.

Types of Sex Crimes Cases We Handle in Tampa, FL

Sex offense cases in Tampa range from a disputed encounter between two adults to a multi-agency internet sting. These eight categories account for most of the sex offense work in our practice.

• Sexual battery. Florida’s term for rape covers a range of allegations, from a contested encounter between adults to accusations involving force or an incapacitated accuser. Consent, identity, and the reliability of the accuser’s account are where these cases are decided.
• Lewd and lascivious offenses. These charges involve alleged sexual conduct with or in the presence of a child. Prosecutors file them on the word of a child interviewed by a forensic examiner, and how that interview was conducted is central to the defense.
• Unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Cases involving an accuser who was 16 or 17 at the time. These prosecutions depend on age, what the accused knew, and how the relationship came to the attention of police.
• Internet sex crimes. Online solicitation, traveling to meet a minor, and sting operations run through chat apps by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Tampa Police. Entrapment and the actual content of the messages are the starting points for the defense.
• Child pornography. Possession, distribution, or production of child sexual abuse material, usually charged after a search of phones, computers, or cloud accounts. Who had access to the device and how the files arrived there are the questions we put to the forensic evidence.
• Solicitation and prostitution. Undercover operations at hotels and through online ads produce most of these arrests. The recorded conversation usually decides the case, and we review every word of it.
• Voyeurism and indecent exposure. These cases depend on intent and on whether the conduct alleged fits the offense charged.
• Sex offender registration violations. Missed check-ins, late address changes, and unreported internet identifiers bring former defendants back into court. Registration requirements change often, and a technical violation is defended differently than a new offense.

Tampa Sex Crimes Infographic

Why Choose StechLaw Criminal Defense as my Sex Crimes Lawyer in Tampa, FL?

Nearly 15 Years in Hillsborough County Courtrooms

Ben Stechschulte has practiced in the Tampa Bay area for nearly 15 years and has tried more than 60 cases to verdict. As a Hillsborough County prosecutor, he handled sex crime cases before moving to the defense side, so he knows how the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit moves a sex offense case from first appearance to trial and where those cases tend to fall apart. He earned his law degree at Stetson University College of Law and was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2015. A criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, FL who has spent a career in these courtrooms brings that familiarity to every sex offense case.

Defense That Starts Before Charges Are Filed

Many Tampa sex crime cases begin with a detective’s phone call, a request for a voluntary interview, or a recorded call from the accuser set up by police. What the accused says in that window is often the strongest evidence the state will ever have. A Tampa sex crimes defense attorney at our firm steps in at that stage and handles all communication with law enforcement, so the state’s case rests on what it can prove rather than on an unguarded statement. We pursue a dismissal when the evidence supports one. If it does not, we will tell you before any decision about a plea. Sex crime and other criminal cases we have handled have ended in dismissals and acquittals. Each of those results depended on the facts of that case.

Understanding Sex Crimes Cases

Charges, Penalties, and Defense Strategies for Sex Crimes Cases

Florida groups sex offenses by the age of the accuser, the conduct alleged, and whether force, a weapon, or a position of authority was involved. Most are felonies, and a conviction for nearly all of them requires sex offender registration on top of any sentence the court imposes. Which defense applies depends on how the accusation arose.

• Consent and credibility. In cases between adults, the accuser’s account is usually the whole case, and inconsistencies in it matter.
• Identity. DNA, phone location data, and surveillance video can point away from the accused as easily as toward him.
• False accusations. Custody disputes, breakups, and delayed reports produce a share of these cases. The reason a report was made is fair ground for the defense when accusations are false.
• Suppression. Statements taken without proper warnings and evidence seized without a valid warrant can be excluded.
• Entrapment. In sting cases, the question is whether police created the crime or merely offered the opportunity to commit it.

Time limits work differently for these offenses. Sexual battery involving an accuser under 18, and sexual battery reported within 72 hours, can be prosecuted at any time under Florida’s limitations statute. Other sex offenses carry limitation periods that range from three years to eight years depending on the charge. When the accuser was a minor, that period does not begin until the accuser turns 18 or the offense is reported, whichever comes first.

What Is The Sex Crimes Case Timeline?

A sex crimes lawyer in Tampa sees the same sequence in most cases. The investigation can last weeks or months before an arrest, and that is the stage where a controlled call, a search warrant, or a request for an interview arrives. After an arrest, a first appearance follows quickly. The judge sets bond and any no-contact conditions at that hearing. A bond hearing can follow if the initial amount is out of reach.

The State Attorney then decides which charges to file. Once charges are filed, discovery begins. Florida allows the defense to depose the accuser and the investigating officers under oath. Depositions are where many of these cases are won or narrowed. Motions to suppress and motions to dismiss follow. The case then resolves by dismissal, negotiated plea, or jury trial. Sentencing, if it comes to that, is a separate hearing where the court also addresses registration and probation conditions.

What Are Important Aspects of a Sex Crimes Case?

A sex crimes defense attorney in Tampa pays attention to a handful of issues that decide these cases more often than anything argued at trial.

• The first statement. A person accused of a sex offense should not speak with police without counsel, even to deny the accusation. Denials get recorded and compared against every later statement.
• Digital evidence. Texts, dating app messages, photos, and location history cut both ways. Everything should be preserved for the defense before the phone is seized.
• The forensic interview and medical exam. In cases involving a child, the recorded interview and any medical findings are the core of the state’s evidence. Both can be challenged by qualified defense witnesses.
• Polygraphs. Detectives ask for them, and the results are not admissible at trial. A polygraph examination arranged privately by the defense is a different tool, used on our terms.
• Collateral consequences. Registration, no-contact orders, professional licenses, and immigration status are affected by a sex offense case before any verdict.

What Should You Bring to Your Sex Crimes Consultation?

Bring the paperwork you have received and any record of your contact with the accuser. Do not delete anything, even material you think looks bad.

• The arrest affidavit, notice to appear, or any charging document
• Bond paperwork and any no-contact order
• Screenshots or exports of texts, social media messages, and call logs with the accuser
• Names and contact information for anyone who was present or spoke with either of you afterward
• A written timeline prepared for your attorney only

The consultation with a Tampa, FL sex crimes attorney is free and confidential. We go through the accusation as it has been described to you and explain which stage the case has reached.

Tampa, FL Courthouses and Local Criminal Justice Resources

Sex offense cases arising in Tampa are prosecuted by the State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and heard in the Hillsborough County courthouses downtown.

• Thirteenth Judicial Circuit: felony sex offense cases are heard at the George Edgecomb Courthouse.
• Tampa Police Department: the city’s Sexual Predator Identification and Notification program, which conducts residence checks and compliance reviews of registrants living in Tampa.
• FDLE offender registry: the statewide registry a conviction places a person on, searchable by name or by address.

Reach Out to StechLaw Criminal Defense to Schedule a Consultation

The earliest stage of a sex crime case is where the most can be done. Your consultation with a Tampa sex crimes attorney at StechLaw Criminal Defense is free and confidential. It can take place before you decide whether to speak with police at all. Cases already past the arrest or bond stage are welcome as well. Contact us to schedule a free consultation about your sex crime case.