Florida Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

An emergency order was granted Thursday night by a Hillsborough County judge to block the Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8 from running stories containing statements from four Walker Middle School students accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student. (read more) The story with the statements appeared briefly on TBO.com before it was pulled off the website as Media General, owner of the website, complied with the order. Media General plans to fight the order arguing it is a violation of First Amendment rights but they were unable to get a hearing Thursday night.

The statements were given by four teens who are accused of assaulting a boy with a hockey stick and broomstick in a locker room at Walker Middle School. All four of the boys were charged as adults and pleaded not guilty to sexual battery. Two of the boys allegedly haled the victim down while two others assaulted him.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping by our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

During a recession a lot of couples fight over money and unpaid bills. I guess porn star Stormy Daniels and her husband are no different. The couple got into an argument over an unpaid bill Saturday night and the fight escalated into violence according to Tampa Police who arrested Daniels on charges of domestic battery. (read more)

Daniels, whose off-screen name is Stephanie Clifford, is accused of throwing things at her husband and hitting him in the face. Daniels says her husband was holding her car keys in the air and she was trying to take them back and accidentally struck him in the face several times. The porn star posted $1000 bail and was released from jail on Sunday.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping by our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Clearwater woman was arrested in Tampa on charges of aggravated battery with a motor vehicle, knowingly driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage. Rita Adams, 48-year old, allegedly rear ended a vehicle at Harbor Street and Channelside Drive in Tampa. She then hit the occupant’s of another car who were not in their vehicle at the time. (read more)

According to police Adams tried to flee the scene but was eventually arrested on Adamo Drive. She was taken to Orient Road Jail on $8000 bail.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping by our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd

Tallahassee’s Joseph Kruger claims to have been “running a scheme to defraud, spanning multiple counties” but his plans came to an abrupt halt in Tampa on Monday. The 39-year was arrested at the Wal-Mart at 1505 N. Dale Mabry after stealing a laptop and food. (read more)

Krueger used a fake receipt and told Wal-Mart employees he paid for the laptop in the electronics department at the back of the store according to arrest reports. Store security detained Krueger after a struggle until police arrived. He was taken to Orient Road Jail and held on $8000 bail.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping by our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Sean Roberts may have thought getting the State of Florida tattooed under his left eye was a good idea or an excellent way to show state pride. Either way it wasn’t a great idea to get the tattoo and then decide to stage a home invasion in Riverview. The 19-year-old was easily identified by the victims due to the large tattoo on his cheek. (read more)

Roberts and a female allegedly broke into the mobile home and took a DVD player, $120 and prescription drugs. The pair were arrested and charged with armed home invasion. Billie Kiser, who is alleged to have been involved with the home invasion, was also charged with domestic battery by strangulation.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping by our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Chinese man has been sentenced to death for a DUI accident that left four people dead. According to state run media, this is the first time in China that a drunk driver has been sentenced to death. The penalty was handed down in southwestern China after 30-year-old Sun Weiming was found guilty of endangering public safety. (read more)

According to media reports the man had drunk large amounts of a strong Chinese spirit and had a blood alcohol level of 0.13. China’s legal limit is 0.08. The Chinese government leads the world in capital punishment with at least 1,718 people put to death in 2008 according to Amnesty International.

If you have been charged with a DUI, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email.

An accident involving a Sarasota man and a pedestrian in May has resulted in a manslaughter charge against the driver. A Florida Highway Patrol investigation into the accident revealed the driver of the Chevy pick-up was drunk when he struck and killed 23-year-old Andrew Hager. (read more)

The accident happened on McIntosh Road on May 12 according to the FHP. The investigation into the accident did reveal the driver of the pick-up was intoxicated but the FHP would not release the man’s blood-alcohol level at the time.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Sarasota or any crime in Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David at our new office in Sarasota at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

In a story that is reminiscent of the one involving Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth, a Port Richey man has allegedly run over and killed a pedestrian who was illegally crossing the eastbound lane of State Road 54 near the Suncoast Parkway. Maurice Brosnan is alleged to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident. (read more)

Twenty-one-year-old Dallas Young died at Bayfront Medical Center following the accident. The accident took place at 1:15 a.m. when Young was struck by Bronsan’s 2006 Ford Pick-up according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

It will be interesting to follow this case to see how the justice system handles this case compared to the one involving Stallworth. The disparity in how justice is handed out in different counties and different tax brackets is always of interest. Stallworth, a star NFL player, received 30 days in jail following a plea agreement. The family of the man Stallworth killed is rumored to have received a large payout by Stallworth and did not push the prosecutor for stiff penalties according to a New York Times blog. Will Bronsan be treated equally?

This case will come on the heels of two highly publicized hit-and-run cases here in Tampa Bay that, despite their similarities, are being handled completely differently. One case involves a then 16-year-old who ran over and killed a homeless woman and is going to plead out and receive no time in jail. The other involves a case where a 17-year-old was involved in an accident that killed a Hernando County Sherriff’s deputy. That teenager is being charged with murder. If you didn’t already know, justice is not always handed out equally.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Pinellas County or any crime in St. Petersburg, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at www.fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Avenue North #219.

Patrick Melton is believed to be the youngest person ever charged with possession of child pornography in Tampa according to State’s Attorney J.D. Callaway. Melton, 16-years-old, was first arrested as a minor when his computer was identified as one in a network downloading and trading images and videos of children between the ages of 2-12. After his release from juvenile court, Callaway decided to charge the 16-year-old as an adult. (read more)

According to Callaway the 16-year-old admitted to searching for the child porn and watching it. He also allegedly told police he was grateful he was arrested because he was worried he may one day act on his impulses. Melton is being held on $100,000 bail at Falkenburg Road Jail.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney David Haenel at 813-649-8690 to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The prostitution stings in Tampa are continuing and more arrests were made Tuesday night. Eight men were arrested and taken to Hillsborough County Jail following a sting that took place at the Jayhawk Motel. The motel is located on N. Nebraska Avenue. (read more)

Arrest reports claim the eight men offered between $15-$50 for various sexual acts. The men range in age from 20-52 and came from Tampa, Tallahassee and even as far as Boulder, Colorado. According to police one man was arrested after asking an undercover officer if she was a cop. The officer responded with the same question to the man and he then dropped his pants and arrested.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Darren Finebloom at 813-649-8690 to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd or email him.

There has been a lot written in the Tampa Bay area about Jordan Valdez and the hit-and-run she was involved in that left Melissa Sjostrom dead. The family of the homeless woman is speaking out. In a letter to the St. Pete Times, Sjostrom’s aunt is “livid” that an apparent plea deal is being offered to the 17-year-old Valdez. (read more)

Lisa Mott claimed in her letter to the newspaper that the family of the victim has not been involved with the decision making process, a claim the State’s Attorney denies. Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said the family’s input was sought as it is in all cases. The only information on the plea deal is that it does not involve any jail or prison time.

If you were involved in a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A shooting outside a Tampa strip club has left one man dead and another wounded. The shooting took place outside of Sin City, a strip club located on Hillsborough Avenue. A call came in to 911 around 2:15 a.m. and Hillsborough County Sherriff’s deputies arrived on the scene. There were no victims when the deputies arrived on the scene but plenty of people who heard the shots fired. (read more)

Thirty minutes after arriving at the Sin City strip club, police found 24-year-old Marcus Wesley when they were called to 2218 Chelsea Street. He was in the back seat of a Chevy Impala. Police tried to revive Wesley but he died on the scene. About the same time as the first shooting deputies were alerted to another gunshot victim who was brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital in serious condition.

If you were involved in a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

According to a criminal complaint in Polk County a Lakeland man has been stealing money from the Walden Lake Golf & Country Club for nearly five years. William Kagel was arrested on a Polk County warrant alleging he embezzled nearly $270,000 while working as the country club’s event sales director. (read more)

According to documents Kagel transferred money from the country club’s savings account into a personal account he opened at a Lakeland credit union. The stolen deposits number 168 and the total money taken was $268,169. Kagel offered to pay the country club back with cash and worthless checks according to the complaint.

If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Marvin Thompson, Jr. who spent 21 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department was arrested and charged with child pornography. The 57-year-old allegedly bought and received child pornography three times through the mail and via the Internet. (read more)

The former law enforcement agent is now facing three counts of sexual exploitation of minors and has a hearing scheduled for July 22 in federal court in Tampa. Thompson was arrested by FBI agents and has been indicted by a grand jury.

If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

http://www.fightyourtampadui.com/The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is accusing a prominent Tampa surgeon of concealing evidence in a shooting investigation. David Ciesla, the head of Tampa General Hospital’s trauma unit, was charged with one count of resisting or obstructing an officer without violence and one misdemeanor count of giving false statements to a law enforcement officer after allegedly taking a bullet he removed from a fugitive last month. (read more)

Ciesla told agents that the bullets fired into fugitive Thomas McCoy would need to remain inside the man but a surgery resident claims to have seen Ciesla remove one of the two .40 caliber bullets and hide it in his surgical glove. The 42-year-old trauma surgeon eventually turned the evidence over to FDLE agents. His employers at USF are still determining what actions to take against Cisela who is an associate professor of surgery.

If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A former officer with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had his DUI charges reduced to reckless driving and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle by a Pinellas Judge. David Salcido, who was charged with DUI in 1988 in Oregon as well, will face similar sanctions as a DUI conviction but will not have that crime on his record following the plea deal. (read more)

Pinellas County prosecutors said they did not think they could convict Salcido on charges of DUI due to a lack of evidence. Salcido refused to take breath or field sobriety tests on the night he was arrested. On top of that, a Florida Highway Patrol officer who spoke to Salcido the night of the arrest told prosecutors that he did not think he was drunk. The FHP officer was the first to arrive on the scene.

If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Pinellas office at 4500 140th Avenue North, Suite #219.

This week there was a horrible story that took place in Clearwater where four men have been arrested for paying a 12-year old girl for sex. While the girl told police she consented to sex, a girl of just 12-years of age cannot legally give consent. It is hard to find anyone who can argue a 12-year old girl is capable of making that decision. What about a 17-year old? (read more)

Former Lakewood High star football player Marcello Church, who went on to play at Florida State University, may get lumped into a group with these men in Clearwater due to the crime he was charged with last year. Church was arrested on charges of sex with a minor but it is hard to compare a consensual sexual relationship between a 27-year-old and a 17-year-old to one that took place in Clearwater earlier this week even if the law they are charged under is the same.

Church accepted a plea agreement this week and agreed to a lesser charge of child abuse. An adjudication of guilt was withheld and in addition to four years probation. Church was also ordered not to have any contact with the young woman. It will be hard for Church to go anywhere the rest of his life without having the stigma of child abuse attached to his name even though his “victim” wrote a 2 ½ page letter to the judge in his defense saying she was the aggressor in the relationship and she did not feel Church should be punished any further.

If you or a loved one is in a similar situation, we can help. If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Tampa man, who has been convicted for murder and arson in the past, is adding to his criminal record. Scott Lehman of Mulberry was being processed at the police station for DUI charges when he began to threaten Tampa Police Officer Steve Cragg. Lehman said Officer Cragg’s name would be on the next bomb he detonates after he gets out of prison according to reports (read more).

The threats didn’t stop with just the arresting officer. The suspect also mentioned placing a pipe bomb near a school. Lehman was charged with threat to place a destructive device, threat of a public servant, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, DUI with property damage and violation of probation. Lehman previously served an eight-year sentence for a 1985 murder in Tampa.

If you have been charged with a DUI or any felony in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

James Defalco of Longwood, Florida faces DUI and reckless driving charges after a Sunday evening crash. The 48-year-old Defalco allegedly was driving his Mercedes Benz on Interstate 4 Sunday evening. According to Florida Highway Patrol reports he was speeding and then rammed his car into Megan Chywski while driving westbound on the highway. (read more)

According to FHP reports the right front of Defalco’s Benz struck the rear left side of Chywski’s Chevrolet causing her to spin out and swerve into the media where her car overturned. She suffered minor injuries. Defalco was spotted by trooper’s near State Road 434 where he was arrested and booked into Seminole County Jail.

If you have been cited for a DUI in Orlando, Seminole or Orange County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter. Also feel free to stop by our office located at 189 S. Orange Avenue in Orlando.

The tragic story involving a 12-year-old Tampa boy who is accused of killing his 5-week-old cousin in Marietta, Georgia cannot be charged as an adult. According to Georgia law a child must be 13 to be charged as an adult. The 12-year-old was left in the car with his cousin and police have determined it was not for an unreasonable amount of time so the mother will not be charged with any crime. (read more)

The baby girl was left in the car with her cousin out front of a Target store. When she got back to the vehicle the baby wasn’t moving. When police arrived on the scene the baby wasn’t breathing and was taken to the nearest hospital. She eventually passed away after being taken off life support.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco or Brandon please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.

Byron Baxley, a Tampa resident, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual battery after he allegedly sexually battered a mentally disabled teenage boy. Hillsborough County Deputies arrested the 59-year old and according to reports he admitted to committing sexual acts with the teen.

The incident apparently took place at Baxley’s home on Delray Drive. The teenage boy came to the house around 5:30 p.m. to visit the man and was allegedly convinced to perform sexual acts with Baxley. (read more)

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco or Brandon please do not hesitate to contact Stephen HIggins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.

A former Lakewood Ranch High School star and current professional baseball player was arrested on charges of DUI. Larry Cobb, 24, was pulled over for running a red light and subsequently charged with Driving Under the Influence. (read more)

Cobb is a member of the Oakland A’s organization and was with the club’s Class A team in Stockton but is in the midst of a 50-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. Cobb plead no contest in March of 2007 to a charge of possession of an anti-anxiety drug in Manatee County.

If you have been cited for a DUI in Bradenton, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourbradentondui.com to discuss the matter.

The case versus Jordan Vasquez took another turn on Wednesday when the Tampa teenager was charged as an adult with leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, a felony, by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. The accident took place in February in Hyde Park and resulted in the death of a 33-year old homeless woman named Melissa Sjostrom. (read more)

The case has been hotly debated in the Tampa Bay area as Vasquez is the daughter of an affluent Davis Island family and before the charges on Wednesday the only repercussion of the accident was a traffic citation that was dismissed when the officer failed to show up in court.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a traffic crime in Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco or Brandon please do not hesitate to contact Stephen HIggins a Tampa Defense Attorney at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter.

Graduating from the University of Florida is a proud time for any Gator but for one recent graduate it is not time to celebrate. Amanda Boyd, a 24-year old who graduated from UF in December, pleaded no contest to DUI manslaughter after she was involved in a crash that killed 74-year old Betty Hinson, a Gainesville resident. (READ MORE)

Boyd had a blood alcohol level of 0.21, 2which is more than twice the limit for what Florida considers impaired. She was a senior at the University of Florida at the time of the crash. Boyd is facing a minimum of four years in prison and will face 15 total years of jail time and probation in the plea agreement. Under the terms Boyd will not be allowed to drive a car or possess or consume alcohol. She will wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet.

Boyd claimed she drank one Michelob Ultra at an Applebee’s and also was taken Wellbutrin, a prescription drug for anxiety and depression. Officers estimated at the time of the accident Boyd was driving at least 60 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. A UF pharmacy professor said that Boyd’s blood-alcohol level was equivalent to 8-10 drinks not the one she claimed to have had.

If you have been cited for a DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter.

Rodney Philon, a former Pasco County jail deputy, was pulled over in Brandon on suspicion of DUI. Last year the Wesley Chapel resident pleaded guilty to possession of steroids with intent to distribute and was sentenced to six months of house arrest and two years of probation. (READ MORE)

Philon refused a blood-alcohol test when he was pulled over at Brandon Boulevard and Mount Carmel Road according to the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s office. The former jail deputy gained noterity in Tampa when he held SWAT team members off for six hours when they came to arrest him in March of 2008.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a DUI in Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco or Brandon please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense Lawyer Stephen HIggins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter.

Manatee County Sherriff’s have identified the two victims in a July 4th weekend double homicide as 18-year-old Rubin Gonzalez Garduno and 19-year-old Irwin Figuero. According to witnesses the two teenagers were shot by a person or people in a car while the pair was walking west in 1100 block of 59th Avenue Drive East. (READ MORE)

Police believe the shooting may be gang related and are looking for a blue Mercury Grand Marquis, which may have been involved in the crime. One of the men died on the scene and another was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Bradenton, Manatee, Sarasota or anywhere on the Sun Coast please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Criminal Defense Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.

A 14-year old Bradenton girl reported she was solicited on-line for sex by a Punta Gorda man when he entered into a chat room. Investigators were altered to the solicitation by the child’s mother and then posed as the girl in future chats while setting up a meeting with the Adam Norsell. The 24-year old arrived in Bradenton to meet with the girl where he was arrested.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Bradenton police, the attorney general’s cyber crime task force, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol. Norsell was arrested on charges of solicitation of a minor via computer and traveling to meet a minor according to the attorney general’s office. (read more)

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Bradenton, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.

The Intoxilyzer 8000 is used to receiving blows from suspected DUI drivers but lately it has been the courts in Sarasota, Bradenton and Manatee County that have been issuing blows to the machines. This past week Manatee County judges Doug Henderson and Robert Farrance issued an order saying the breath test machine used by Manatee County Sheriff’s Department was never approved for use in the state of Florida. Upon release of the order, the Manatee Sherriff’s cancelled a DUI checkpoint scheduled for July 3. (read more)

The ruling is not the first to call into question the Intoxilyzer 5000 and 8000. There are more than 450 DUI cases pending in Sarasota, Bradenton and Manatee County that are being held up due to results from the Intoxilyzer machines that have been thrown out.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI in Sarasota, Bradenton and Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourbradentondui.com to discuss the matter.

Tampa man Gerald Selke was sentenced to more than five years in jail by Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert A. Foster for DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. Selke struck Richard Cook from behind while he was on the shoulder of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Cook was thrown from his bike and was in a coma for more than a month. When he awoke he learned his leg had been amputated and he was paralyzed from the waist down. (read more)

Selke admitted to be under the influence of the drug Xanax and it was his second DUI in the last five years. The Tampa resident was also sentenced to five years on the previous DUI with the prison times to run at the same time. Cook filed suit against Selke to try and reclaim some of the $790,000 he spent on hospital bills.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter.

It is a tough time for the newspaper business. At least 120 newspapers have shutdown since January of 2008 in the United States. Those that have survived are scrambling for ways to increase revenue. The latest way many Florida newspapers have tried to increase ad rates on their websites is to publish mug shots of those recently arrested on criminal charges. The practice has become controversial.

Ethicists are calling the practice of posting photos of those recently arrested ''journalistic malpractice'' and “ethically bankrupt”. Newspaper editors defend the practice as reporting on crime which is a primary mission of a newspaper. (read more). Either way it is popular. In May, the booking blotter generated about 52 percent of the 45.2 million page views to The Palm Beach Post's websites according to a recent newspaper report. The main problem according to some is that there is no follow-up. If the person pictured in the mug shot is released with no charges being filed or acquitted of the criminal act, there is never any mention of that.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Tampa please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.