The First District Court of Appeal recently issued an opinion concerning whether merely being around drugs is sufficient to convict someone for possession. Based on the facts in that case, the answer is “no.” In that case officers found illegal drugs while investigating a shootout between two cars that had…
An internet child sex sting operation just concluded with the arrest of 17 men. Dubbed Operation DUVAL (Disrupting Underage Virtual Abuse Locally), the undercover operation was initiated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of several Northeast Florida law enforcement agencies. During the operation, law enforcement officers posed online…
A political disagreement on Facebook between strangers in Tampa last month ended with one of them being arrested. Brian Sebring, 44, was arrested in connection with an incident involving Alex Stephens, age 46, the alleged victim. Both men have prior criminal records. Sebring previously had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery…
Violation of probation is a serious charge. Judges generally don’t like it when you’ve failed to comply with requirements ordered by them. And, the punishment can be severe, including up to the maximum penalty you might have received for the underlying charge for which you are on probation. The good…
During the phase of a Florida criminal case known as “discovery”, the State discloses the evidence and witnesses it would use against you or your loved one at trial in a document titled “State’s Discovery Exhibit.” Sometimes in that document, the State lists “jail calls” as some of its evidence. …
Have you been served with a Petition for Injunction for Protection against Stalking, sometimes referred to as a “restraining order”? If so, you nonetheless may be able to avoid entry of a final injunction and the associated collateral consequences, stress and stigma. Florida State section 784.0485 provides for an injunction…
Did you know there is a law in Florida that requires your drug possession / possession of controlled substances case to be dropped under certain circumstances, even if it is undisputed you possessed the drugs? Well, there is. In 2012, the Florida Legislature determined it was in the interest of…
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are antidepressants that affect the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. SSRIs are often the first choice of health care providers for the treatment of depression and anxiety. That class of medicines affect a chemical imbalance in the brain of people suffering from…
In my last blog entry I discussed how to determine whether there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest. In this entry, I’ll discuss how best to clear, or get rid of, an outstanding arrest warrant. The Duval County Sheriff’s Office Department of Police Services has a special Warrants Unit. …
If you have an outstanding warrant in Florida it is usually a good idea to deal with it sooner rather than later. It is not only a psychological relief, but it is also much more convenient and less embarrassing to resolve an outstanding warrant voluntarily than to be caught off…