As a former Assistant State Attorney and current criminal defense attorney, Valerie Prevatte has been the lead attorney on thousands of criminal cases in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties (covering jurisdictions of Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Milton, Navarre, Destin, Niceville, Crestview, and Fort Walton Beach). She has extensive jury trial and judge trial experience as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney.
Valerie Prevatte understands that sometimes the wrong person gets arrested, the “victim” is really the perpetrator, or the defendant was falsely accused. Sometimes the arrest is based on misunderstandings, “contempt of cop”, or downright lies. Even when the defendant is innocent of the accusations, the arrest can have devastating wide-ranging effects on the accused’s enjoyment of the right to hunt or to carry a concealed weapon, on the retention of top level security clearance, on professional certifications or driver’s license, on scholarship or financial aid awards, and on many other aspects of the accused’s life. For non-citizens, the arrest can adversely affect immigration and employment status. Mrs. Prevatte will work closely with professionals and other attorneys that specialize in handling these related issues to minimize negative consequences to the accused. This extra layer of protection is especially helpful to teachers, doctors, nurses, attorneys, commercial drivers, government contractors, members of the military, and those who are not yet United States citizens.