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Judicial & Juvenile Services

Ball - Copy
Captain Christopher Ball
The Judicial and Juvenile Services Division provides a myriad of vital services to the citizens of Citrus County throughout various locations.  At the Citrus County Courthouse, our Court Security Unit is responsible for the safety and protection of not only the Judiciary but all visitors who enter the facility.  Additionally, the office for the Civil Process Unit is located in the Citrus County Courthouse on the first floor.  A mixture of sworn deputies and support staff combine to effectuate both non-enforceable and enforceable civil process services within Citrus County.  In Lecanto, the Duty Office is located adjacent to the Citrus County Jail.  While the county contracts with Core Civic to administer functions at the jail, our Duty Office personnel are tasked with conducting felony and sex offender/predator registrations, maintaining FCIC/NCIC records, overseeing the GPS Pre-Trial Release program, handling inmate/fugitive transports, and carry out booking procedures (i.e. fingerprinting, photos, and DNA collection).  Finally, the School Resource Deputy Unit is accountable for the crucial responsibility of ensuring the safety of our students throughout every public school in Citrus County.  Operating in conjunction with the school district, the SRDs work diligently to safeguard schools and events while teaching various courses (such as FOCUS, Choices, and Know the Law) to students at all levels.  In addition, our School Resource Deputies lead the Explorer program, mentoring young men and women who may comprise the next generation of law enforcement professionals to serve our citizens.

Civil Process
Florida State Statute requires the Sheriff’s Office to serve all enforceable civil process listed here with fees.

Non-enforceable process service will be handled by a private process server. A list of the process servers can be found here.

Courthouse Security 
The Courthouse Security Section is responsible for the safety and security of the judges, juries, all courthouse staff, and visitors to the Judicial Center. They also maintain building security through screening processes, interior, and exterior perimeter checks, and respond to all calls for service at the facility.  Additionally, deputies assigned to this unit provide inmate security when incarcerated individuals have entered the building for court hearings.

Non-sworn volunteer bailiffs are utilized throughout the courthouse and are always welcome. Click here to learn about our volunteer opportunities at the courthouse.

Transport

The Transport Section is tasked with transporting inmates from other jurisdictions back to our county to answer to any criminal charges that have originated in our jurisdiction. This section also handles any extraditions from other states to Citrus County. Unfortunately, due to security reasons, the Transport Section cannot tell you when or if an inmate will be brought back to Citrus County, but all persons transported to this county are arrested, and you can view our arrest records by clicking here.

Duty Office

The Duty Office Section is located at the county jail in Lecanto and has deputies present that process all persons arrested in Citrus County.  Core Civic is contracted by the Board of County Commissioners to operate our the Citrus County Jail.  Anyone taken into law enforcement custody (whether it’s by the Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, or any agency making an arrest in our county) must be fingerprinted, photographed, and have DNA collected by a Duty Office Deputy. Also included in the Duty Office’s responsibilities are the collection of cash or surety bonds for inmate releases, the entering and maintenance of all warrants, writs, injunctions for protection, Risk Protection Orders, and Sex Offender/Felon Registrations. The Sheriff’s Office does not release warrants or bond information via telephone, please visit our office in person at 2650 W. Woodland Ridge Drive, Lecanto, FL, for assistance

GPS Section
The GPS Section monitors non-violent offenders sentenced to wear an ankle tracking device equipped with GPS so their movements may be monitored while they are out of custody awaiting the disposition of their criminal case. The decision to provide an offender with such a device is at the discretion of a judge and does incur a daily cost that is lower than the actual cost of incarceration per day. If you are an offender and are experiencing issues with your device, please review your documents for the proper notification procedure or call the GPS Deputy at (352) 746-3128.

School Resource Deputies
A School Resource Deputy (SRD) is a law enforcement officer who is assigned to either an elementary, middle, or high school. The main goal of the SRD is to prevent juvenile delinquency by promoting positive relations between youth and law enforcement. The SRD position encompasses three major components which allow the SRD to achieve this goal: law enforcement, education, and counseling. These three components allow the SRD to take a proactive approach to law enforcement. SRDs are not just "cops" on campus. While SRDs provide all law enforcement duties on their campus. They educate the students by teaching law-related classes and other related subjects in the classrooms and counsel both students and parents on various topics. The SRD becomes involved in the students' lives as a positive role model. The intent is that the positive experiences students have with the SRD will bridge the gap between juveniles and law enforcement, and in doing so, help prevent juvenile crime.