Florida Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

According to My Fox Tampa Bay, Tampa police have arrested the man they believe was responsible for attempting to run over a police officer and shooting two people outside of a local night club. Eugene Scurry has been charged with aggravated battery and aggravated battery on a law enforcement official. He is also facing charges of resisting arrest.

Scurry was arrested at Brandon Regional Hospital. The 27-year-old went to the hospital due to a gunshot wound to his arm. After causing a disturbance at the hospital, detectives arrived on the scene and recognized Scurry as the man wanted in the shootings outside Club Mirage. He was taken to the Hillsborough County jail following his release from the hospital.

Charlotte County Sheriff’s spent nearly two years investigating the hit and run death of Alex Teehee. Now they believe that they have their man. Ralph Loosman, Jr. was arrested in Las Vegas and will face charges of vehicular homicide in the hit and run that took place July 13, 2008.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Loosman was arrested in a Las Vegas hotel by U.S. Marshals and is expected to be extradited back to Florida to face the charges. Marshals had originally went to Arizona to track down Loosman at his family’s home but by the time they arrived he had already fled to Las Vegas.

Continue reading "Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Get’s Its Man In Las Vegas For 2008 Hit-And-Run" »

TampaBay.com is reporting that Anthony Giancola has been arrested for violating his probation, prowling and loitering in St. Petersburg. Giancola was on probation after he attempted to buy crack cocaine from an undercover cop in his Hillsborough County middle school office while a principal at Van Buren Middle School. He has been on probation since June of 2007.

The latest arrest for the former Tampa teacher came at 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning when Giancola was discovered in a parked car waiting for a man named “Mike”. Police noticed the man trying to hide something with his foot. When they investigated further the police found a butcher knife on the floor. Giancola claimed the knife was used for work as a chef. He was booked into Pinellas County jail.

Continue reading "Former Hillsborough County Principal On Probation For Drug Crime Back In Jail In Pinellas" »

A July 9 car accident that left Richard Klose dead, ended in a DUI arrest when the driver tested positive for cocaine. Nearly seven months later the charges against David Lanier have been dropped. The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office dropped the case saying there was no evidence of impairment. Assistant State Attorney Robert Eagan wrote “Cocaine in one’s system does not constitute impairment”.

According to a story in the Orlando Sentinel, St. Cloud police crash investigators determined the fatal DUI crash would not have happened had Lanier not been under the influence of cocaine. In Florida there is no definition of cocaine impairment. Drug-related DUI cases are based on an officer observation backed up by lab reports.

Lanier is an admitted heroin user and on the night of the crash police searched his car and found crack pipes, syringes with cocaine residue and marijuana. He tested positive for Xanax and cocaine. He has three previous convictions in Florida. Two were for felony cocaine charges. Lanier said he hadn’t used cocaine for three days prior to the fatal crash.

Continue reading "DUI Manslaughter Charges Dismissed Against Man With Cocaine In His System Due To Lack Of Impairment" »

Ocala Police have charged the owner of a popular downtown restaurant with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. Loring W. Felix, owner of Felix’s restaurant, was allegedly involved in a single-car accident and then left the scene. When police found him he admitted to drinking all day and failed field sobriety tests according to Ocala.com.

Ocala police report that Felix smelled of alcohol and was unsteady. He refused to take a breath test at the Marion County jail. The 51-year-old said he had consumed two or three beers throughout the day. Officers found Felix’s silver Mercedes abandoned on Watula Avenue after it had been crashed into a utility pole.

Continue reading "Owner Of Popular Ocala Restaurant Charged With DUI Following A One-Car Crash " »

A registered sex offender was arrested Saturday at a St. Petersburg Wal-Mart. Hugh William Thompson was charged with felony battery, violation of probation, prowling and loitering. The 39-year-old was in a Wal-Mart superstore following teenage girls and women while zipping and unzipping his pants according to a story on TampaBay.com and police reports.

The registered sex offender spent 30 minutes in the store walking past young women while unzipping his pants. He appeared to be waiting with his pants unzipped for the women to turn around. Police also have accused Thompson of touching a 16-year-old girl in an inappropriate manner. He is in jail in Pinellas County.

Continue reading "Registered Sex Offender Under Arrest For Unzipping His Pants In Front Of Women At St. Pete Wal-Mart" »

Manatee County Sheriff’s have arrested a man for domestic battery and damaging a patrol car after a Sunday night incident. Matthew McCluskey had to be pepper sprayed and had a Taser used on him following a fight with his girlfriend. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune McCluskey kicked his girlfriend and punched holes in the wall of their home.

The incident began with an argument just before midnight Sunday. McCluskey had allegedly been drinking when his girlfriend asked him to leave the house. After that he “donkey” kicked her into a wall. When police arrived at the house McCluskey was outside in his truck. He broke free from deputies who tried to arrest him. He continued to resist and was then apprehended following pepper spray and a Taser. He was arrested and transported to jail.

Continue reading "Manatee Man Donkey Kicks His Girlfriend Into A Wall, Arrested On Domestic Battery Charges" »

A Clearwater man who has been arrested on domestic battery charges five times in 2008 and 2009 is back in jail after being charged with kidnapping, domestic battery and tampering with a witness. Jonathan I. Bray was being held in Pinellas County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail according to TampaBay.com. The 33-year-old allegedly held his girlfriend captive for two days after chocking the woman until she passed out.

Clearwater police report that Bray punched his girlfriend and strangled her continually over the weekend. She was unable to call police but a neighbor who stopped by the apartment heard her calling for help and called the police. Just a few months ago Bray was sentenced to 20 days in jail for violating a domestic violence injunction.

Continue reading "Clearwater Man Arrested On Domestic Battery, Kidnapping Charges After Keeping His Girlfriend Captive" »

A 19-year-old man with prior arrests in Hillsborough County is in trouble once again. Warrants have been issued for a 19-year-old who is accused of raping and kidnapping a 20-year-old Hillsborough County woman. Donovan Nicholas Hall allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, kidnapped her, raped her twice and then forced her to go to lunch with him.

Hall has been arrested on charges of grand theft, marijuana possession and burglary previously in Hillsborough County. Hall is now facing charges of armed sexual battery, armed kidnapping and armed burglary according to a story on TampaBay.com. Hall is on the run after his reported victim called her father from a borrowed cell phone at the restaurant where the two were eating lunch.

Continue reading "Tampa Teen Accused Of Raping His Ex-Girlfriend And Forcing Her To Go To Lunch With Him" »

Clearwater police have arrested a 48-year-old man, and charged him with kidnapping, sexual battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and failure to register as a sex offender. According to TBO.com Jackie Bridges is being held without bail in the Pinellas County Jail.

The arrest follows an incident on Monday where Bridges allegedly jumped into the car of a woman he knew and used a knife to force her to have sex with him. According to the alleged victim, this is not the first time Bridges has assaulted her. On January 8, Bridges allegedly punched and cut the same woman. She did not report the incident out of fear.

Continue reading "Man Held In Pinellas County Jail On Charges Of Sexual Battery, Kidnapping And Not Registering As A Sex Offender" »

In a disturbing story coming out of Sarasota County, a Venice man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his roommate with a sword. Sarasota County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 41-year-old David Brause and he was charged with one count of murder. According to TBO.com authorities believe the attack was unprovoked.

Brause called 911 just after 1:00 a.m. asking for emergency help for his roommate. When police arrived to attend to Thomas Elliott, Brause said he cut his friend and he is bleeding badly. Elliott was taken to a St. Petersburg hospital where he told investigators his roommate went crazy and cut him. Elliott died at Bayfront Medical Center.

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The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that a suspect in an alleged drunk driving manslaughter case has been arrested after authorities flagged his passport fearing he would flee the country. Adam Nocheherly is accused of killing two women when he allegedly sped through a red light drunk one night in July of 2008. He has been charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter and two counts of vehicular homicide.

According to the article and the Florida Highway Patrol, Nocheherly had a blood alcohol level slightly above the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash. Troopers were unable to prove he ran the red light that cost two young women their lives but the FHP said they did determine he was speeding as they re-created the accident for the first time ever in a case where there were no eyewitness accounts.

Continue reading "DUI Manslaughter Suspect Who Had His Passport Flagged Caught At Orlando International Airport" »