Stalking in Hillsborough County, Florida

Stalking cases in Hillsborough County result in conviction at notably higher rates than statewide patterns. The guilty verdict rate of 53.4 percent, combined with a withheld adjudication rate of 23.1 percent, means that 76.5 percent of stalking cases end with a finding of guilt—slightly above the statewide withheld average of 20.9 percent. Dismissals occur in only 5.3 percent of cases, substantially higher than the statewide average of 3.0 percent, suggesting Hillsborough prosecutors pursue these charges with strength but also dismiss a meaningful share. The 12.0 percent diversion rate exceeds the statewide average of 7.1 percent, indicating that defendants in this county have a better-than-average chance of avoiding conviction through program completion.

Defendants convicted of stalking in Hillsborough face substantial sentences. The average sentence spans 554 days, though the median of 364 days reflects that some cases result in much longer terms. Nearly one in three convicted defendants (30.8 percent) spend time in confinement—12.5 percent in prison and 18.3 percent in jail. Probation typically extends 560 days. The majority of defendants (58.7 percent) were represented by private attorneys, with the remainder using public defenders.