Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Effective Defenses In DUI Cases
Just as the decades-long DUI crackdown was showing some signs of effectiveness, coronavirus lockdowns undid that progress. Now, some officers who are desperate to reverse the rising tide of drunk driving incidents take illegal shortcuts during the arrest process. Others make arrests in borderline cases, making it almost impossible for prosecutors to establish guilt… Read More »
Hundreds Of People Caught In Federal Dragnet
In only one part of the Sunshine State, federal authorities have arrested and prosecuted 325 people for alleged violations of federal firearms laws. Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of… Read More »
Getting A Second Chance In Florida
Despite “ban the box” laws and other such changes, persons with criminal records are about five times more likely to be unemployed than people without criminal records. Discrimination against people with criminal records abounds in many other areas as well, particularly against women. Florida lawmakers recently revised the state’s expungement and sealing laws, giving… Read More »
Jail Release Conditions In Hillsborough County
High unsentenced inmate percentage is a problem in almost every state. The Sunshine State has one of the highest percentages of unsentenced inmates in the country. In other words, many inmates haven’t been convicted. They’re just waiting for their day in court, usually because they cannot afford to make bail. In response to this… Read More »
Top Five Search Warrant Exceptions
Many large, multi agency investigations culminate in a search warrant. Frequently in these cases, officers spend months or years collecting enough evidence to establish probable cause in affidavits. In other law enforcement contacts, most notably traffic stops, things happen much faster. There’s no warrant. Therefore, when these cases go to court, unless a narrow… Read More »
Cops: Messages At Florida-Georgia Game Weren’t Criminal
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said that comments projected onto the stadium’s wall “do not include any type of threat and are protected by the First Amendment.” The remarks included statements like “Ye [formerly Kanye West] is right about the jews,” an apparent reference to that rapper’s earlier antisemitic comments. “We are horrified by and… Read More »
Tampa Jury Returns Guilty Verdict In Hate Crimes Case
A 29-year-old man faces up to ten years in prison after a jury concluded that a 2021 road rage incident was racially motivated. Court documents show that the defendant encountered J.T, the alleged victim, while he, his girlfriend, and 4-year-old daughter were en route to Clearwater. The defendant pretended to “shoot” the victim and… Read More »
Seven Common Kinds Of White Collar Criminal Cases In Hillsborough County
Thirty years ago, white-collar crimes weren’t very serious. Many prosecutors in many jurisdictions didn’t even file charges in these cases. The 2001 Enron scandal, in which investors lost about $78 billion, changed that approach. Now, prosecutors see white-collar crimes as crimes, instead of civil matters. Since prosecutors are much more aggressive, these defendants need… Read More »
Should I Plead Guilty?
On February 7, 1881, Alameda County resident Albert McKenzie pleaded guilty to misdemeanor embezzlement to avoid trial on felony charges. He allegedly siphoned $53 from his sewing machine company employer. His was one of the first recorded plea bargains in American legal history. In the late 1800s, the country was growing significantly, and taxpayers… Read More »
Police Officers Arrest Man With Eighty-Five Priors
A man with seventy prior felony arrests and fifteen prior misdemeanor arrests is in custody after a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy pulled him over on a routine stop. During an initial investigation, the deputy noticed that the temporary license tag didn’t match the make and model of the car the 36-year-old man was driving…. Read More »
