Child abuse is an extremely sensitive, personal area of the law, in that it involves both children and family. Often, a third party will allege child abuse without proper evidence to support the allegation. This can lead to false accusations and misinterpretations that can take a long time for the legal system to correct. Additionally, there may be false...
Continue ReadingMany criminal defendants are rightfully puzzled when they receive notice they have been changed with a crime they did not know they committed. Florida law recognizes the principle of accomplice liability, that is, the idea that one person can be charged with a crime even when they were not the person that actually even carried it out. These scenarios...
Continue ReadingDomestic violence charges are serious offenses regardless of the context. A charge that involves the presence of children may threaten your future relationship with those children if you are ultimately convicted. Even if the actual physical violence was directed solely upon the adult members of the household, child abuse and neglect charges often may accompany these allegations and can...
Continue ReadingGone are the days when our identities were protected so long as we had our wallet and identification on us. Thieves do not even need our state-issued IDs to steal our identity or our plastic to get our credit card numbers in the digital age. Thieves can now collect more than just this information about us—they can take unemployment...
Continue ReadingBeing a registered sex offender has a tremendous impact on a person’s social, personal, emotional, and professional life. Conviction of most, if not all, sex-related crimes, will require a person charged with the crime to register as a sex offender in the State of Florida within a specific time period after the charge. Being on the sex offender list...
Continue ReadingYou were only “buzzed”. You only had to drive two miles. You were late for your curfew. No matter what you say to justify it, the end result is the same. You drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You made a mistake. You risked your life, your passenger’s life, and the lives of those around you. Many...
Continue ReadingWe have all been there: pressured to do something we did not want to, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, or making a decision to do something out of character. Fortunately, the state of Florida provides an opportunity for individuals, particularly young offenders or first time offenders, to face the consequences of their actions without facing...
Continue ReadingIn part one of this series, we discussed inchoate crimes – crimes that have begun, but have not been completed. One only need open the newspaper or watch the crime section of a TV news report to catch a story of one of these crimes. For example, consider a case where four men allegedly enter an apartment home and...
Continue ReadingSometimes one may decide–in a brief instance–to commit a crime. However, crimes are often not just a spur of the moment action but rather the result of some consideration, planning, and preparation. In fact, one may think of the process of committing a crime as a series of steps: The person must first have the idea of committing a...
Continue ReadingKids will be kids, however, when your child’s actions end in an arrest, things can get serious quickly. A fight in school can lead to an arrest for assault and battery, a simple prank can end in a charge of vandalism, and experimentation or giving into peer pressure can bring drug charges that could affect your child’s future. If...
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