TALLAHASSEE — Lady Lake attorney William Jason Scheil has been suspended for one year following a Dec. 28 Florida Supreme Court order admitting in sworn statements to using illegal drugs, including heroin, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
"He also admitted to being arrested for driving with a suspended license," according to the state bar's Jan. 29 announcement. "Scheil failed to inform The Florida Bar about the disposition of two criminal cases in which he was required to pay fines. He pleaded guilty in one, and adjudication was withheld. In the second case, he pleaded no contest. Scheil also failed to timely respond to the Bar's inquiries regarding the matters."
Scheil's suspension was effective 30 days from the date of the high court's two-page order, and he was required to pay almost $2,098 in costs.
In Florida, court orders are not final until the time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not alter the effective date of Scheil's suspension.
Scheil was admitted to the bar in Florida on April 25, 2011, according to his profile on the state bar website. Scheil has had no other disciplinary actions before the state bar, according to his profile and the consent judgment filed with the court. The consent judgment also includes Scheil's conditional guilty plea.
Scheil was testifying in a friend’s case in October 2016 when he admitted "under oath, that heroin found in the automobile he was driving belonged to either him or persons with whom he worked," the consent judgment said.
In a sworn statement before the state bar, Scheil "admitted to using illegal drugs, including heroin, approximately two years ago with co-workers at a labor job," the consent judgment said. Scheil also testified that he has not used illegal drugs since he completed a rehabilitation program in 2016 but admitted to a misdemeanor arrest in 2015 for driving on a suspended license, according to the consent judgment. He was arrested a second time, in April the following year, on the same charge and later pled no contest in Sumner County, according to the consent judgment.
In February 2017, Scheil was arrested for driving with a suspended license, to which he pled guilty in September, according to the consent judgment.