Federal criminal court trials rarely result in an acquittal on all charges. But that is exactly what a U.S. District Court jury did in the case involving a truck driver accused of smuggling drugs while transporting orange juice to Florida. The case involved charges of three counts of felony federal drug charges, including smuggling. The drugs in question were...
Continue ReadingEvery major television network broadcasts programs centered on detectives, forensic experts and other professionals whose job responsibilities include solving crime and predicting criminal behavior. Certainly, law enforcement and other crime experts must engage in behavior analysis in order to do their jobs. But these programs tend to overly romanticize a very complex subject, as this sort of analysis can...
Continue ReadingThe Orlando Sentinel reports that Florida State Senator Rob Cole has introduced legislation which would make possession of synthetic marijuana marketed under the names “spice” and “K-2” illegal, as well as a number of other substances. Possession of these substances would carry a penalty of up to a year in jail and those caught selling or manufacturing these drugs...
Continue ReadingFirst, a lab technician in Massachusetts handled criminal evidence negligently in thousands of cases. Now, nearly 1,000 rape cases in New York City may have been tainted by evidence mishandling by a crime lab technician. These criminal defense challenges do not just affect those defendants and victims directly affected by the negligent behavior of the specific lab techs in...
Continue ReadingThroughout Orlando and the rest of the state, Florida Highway Patrol will be in full-force with regard to DUI check points and saturation patrols until New Year’s Day. Starting 2013 off with drunk driving charges is certainly not the most desirable of happenings, but it could happen. At times, it can be difficult to know when you have had...
Continue ReadingEarlier this week, we began discussing federal oversight of sex offender registration and reporting. Generally, individuals convicted of certain sex crimes are required to tell state officials where they are residing and working. A change in address must be reported to the state. However, some offenders required to register fail to do so when they move to a new...
Continue ReadingOne year ago, an Apopka man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for driving under the influence manslaughter, after he allegedly hit and killed a motorcyclist in Orange County. The 31 year old had been drinking and he apparently had a blood-alcohol content of 0.144 at the time of the accident, which is above the legal limit. What...
Continue ReadingI cannot tell you the last time a day went by when I was not solicited by some marketing or advertising company. Each company trying to sell me on their product and how it was going to transform my law firm and generate more new leads and clients then I could ever dream of handling. These promises come from...
Continue ReadingOur society increasingly functions via portable electronic devices. Emails have largely replaced letters, cellphone calls have largely replaced those made on landlines and an individual’s wireless Internet search history can reveal a great deal about what he or she loves, hates and does on a day-to-day basis. As convenient as portable electronic devices are, they can also reveal incriminating...
Continue ReadingA community in Florida has recently announced a measure which may serve as a model for other Florida jurisdictions. For nearly 20 years, the community has been issuing civil citations for non-violent juveniles who have committed offenses ordinarily addressed by the criminal justice system. In a game-changing move, the community is also currently issuing civil citations for certain adult...
Continue Reading