Florida Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Malcolm Getsee has been charged with aggravated battery and reckless driving for allegedly attempting to run over his girlfriend following an argument. The 29-year-old Sebring man was booked into Hernando County jail with no bond. The reckless driving charge was reportedly a misdemeanor offense.

The incident that led to the arrest began Thursday morning. Getsee and his live-in girlfriend had reportedly been arguing for a few weeks. Getsee came home Thursday and was told to leave. He left the house, got into his truck and tried to enter the backyard through a fence. His girlfriend stood in front of the truck to stop the man from entering but Getsee allegedly continued to drive forward. At that point a witness left to call the police and when that person returned the woman was getting up claiming Getsee hit her.

Pedro Rafael Perez was arrested and charged with aggravated battery in Pasco County following an incident where he struck a man with a glass. Perez was taken to Pasco County jail and held on $10,000 bail. Records show he has an arrest warrant in Pinellas County for a violation of probation on a misdemeanor charge.

According to TampaBay.com and police reports, the victim of the alleged battery was at Perez’s home when an argument started. Perez felt that Jerry Campbell had disrespected his family. A witness then reported that Perez struck Campbell in the face with a glass causing deep cuts. Campbell received staples for his cuts at Morton Plant North Bay Hospital.

A Sebring man decided not to press charges against his roommate after he cut him with a knife but after the same man beat him in his sleep he decided to have the roommate arrested. TBO.com is reporting that Osman Martinez-Ventura was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a misdemeanor count of loitering and another count of aggravated battery for the attack on his roommate.

Sebring Police originally tried to arrest Martinez-Venture in his home after he cut the victim on the thumb with a knife. The victim was uncooperative and would not press charges but he changed his mind after the second incident. He told police he was a sleep when his roommate began to punch him in the face repeatedly. The victim was found by police with blood all over his face and arms in front of a liquor store in Highlands County.

Maryann Verdi was arrested this past weekend and charged with domestic battery, resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer. The 39-year-old is a River Ridge High School teacher and Pasco County school officials are reviewing the situation before taking any action. Her exact position at the school is listed as literacy coach.

According to TBO.com, Verdi and her husband had an argument in their home. Her husband tried to leave but Verdi began to throw things at him but there were apparently no injuries. When a deputy arrived on the scene at Verdi’s brother’s home, the woman struck the deputy in the arm, poked her in the eye and pulled her hair.

A 20-year-old man in jail awaiting to be sentenced on an armed robbery charge will also now have to face battery charges. Cody Rogers is being accused of beating up an inmate on March 22 and is now facing charges of battery on a detained person. Authorities charged Rogers after viewing video footage.

Rogers is connected to Timothy Brooks, who is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of 19-year-old William White, Jr. in 2008. Rogers and Brooks were involved in an armed robbery that ended up with Brooks firing a shot and hitting White in the neck and killing the teenage

A 2009 bar fight has led to aggravated battery charges being filed against Hudson, Florida 31-year-old Clayton Towne. The man known as “Snake” allegedly punched Thomas Baldoni in the eye during a fight at MacDaddy’s Pub causing the 42-year-old to lose sight in his right eye. The fight occurred November 20 and Towne was arrested Thursday and booked into Land O’Lakes jail on $20,000 bond.

Towne has claimed he acted in self-defense but Baldoni and his son both claim Towne hit the man several times while he was caring a friend. Baldoni was flown to St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Medical Center after he was discovered in the bar’s parking lot. Baldoni was unconscious. There is no mention of Towne being represented by a Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer.

A domestic dispute between a pair of exes turned dangerous in Manatee County Wednesday. According to Bradenton.com 19-year-old Rinsheena Mitchell is in jail on two charges of aggravated battery, one with a car and the other with a box cutter. According to the story she was being held on $100,000 bond and there was no mention that she was being represented by a Sarasota Criminal Attorney at this time.

The Palmetto woman allegedly got into an argument with her ex-boyfriend over their child, which escalated to the point in which she him with a car. Mitchell then began to argue with the man’s current girlfriend and cut her in the neck with a box cutter, which police say they later discovered on the woman.

A former Tampa Bay Buccaneer had his third-degree felony charge of domestic battery reduced to a misdemeanor battery charge . According to TBO.com Hillsborough County prosecutors made the decision to reduce the charge last week. There was no comment in the story from Jermaine Phillips or his Tampa Criminal Attorney.

The charges stemmed from an incident between Phillips and his wife. Back at the time of his arrest police had reported that the current free agent admitted to pushing his wife in the neck following an argument. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 19.

A routine traffic stop in St. Petersburg turned into a dangerous situation for some St. Pete police officers as a 21-year-old rammed a police cruiser in an attempt to escape arrest. David Solomon Stringer-Woods was unable to bash his way past the St. Pete police and was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, driving with a suspended license, failing to appear in court on a marijuana charge and aggravated fleeing and alluding.

According to police and a story on TampaBay.com, Stringer-Woods was seen committing a traffic infraction when an officer attempted to pull the man over. The 21-year-old pulled into a parking lot and then reversed his car ramming into a police cruiser. He is now in Pinellas County Jail where his bail was set at $23,663.

Continue reading "St. Pete Man Rams Police Car To Avoid Jail But Ends Up With Assault, Cocaine and Marijuana Charges" »

A 50-year-old Wesley Chapel man who apparently missed the toilet while making a late night trip to the bathroom, was assaulted by his wife who was later arrested on domestic battery charges. The incident began just before midnight. David Elsholz woke up and made his way to the family’s bathroom and allegedly his wife heard him missing the toilet and peeing on the floor. That spurned a violent incident between the pair.

Deanne claims her husband slapped her with a towel and she responded by throwing a glass at him. The glass cut her husband’s face. After that Deanne ran into the bathroom and slipped on the wet floor at that point she claims her husband began to kick her and she called 911. David says he went back to bed after urinating and that is when he was attacked by his wife. Deanne was determined to be the aggressor by police and was charged with domestic battery. David has been charged with domestic battery twice in recent years according to Pasco Sheriff’s.

Continue reading "Pee On The Floor Starts Fight That Ends With Wife Being Arrested On Domestic Battery Charges" »

A redshirt freshman with the Florida Gator football team became the 27th player arrested since coach Urban Meyer took over the program. Defensive tackle Gary Brown was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery for slapping one woman and scratching another at a Gainesville party Sunday morning. The incident took place at The Crossing at Santa Fe apartment complex and occurred as Brown was trying to kick people out of an off-campus party.

According to the Palm Beach Post story, this is the 27th University of Florida football player arrested since Meyer took over the program. The last Gator arrested was Carlos Dunlap on charges of DUI. A report from the Alachua Sheriff’s office states that Brown’s co-defendant is facing felony charges of larceny grand theft for his role in the incident.

Continue reading "Florida Gator Freshman Arrested On Battery Charges At A Gainesville Party" »

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 Tampa pair were arrested following an incident where they rammed their car into a police cruiser trying to avoid an arrest, according to a story on TBO.com. John Carnegie, the 21-year-old driver of the car, was allegedly involved in a neighborhood dispute possibly involving a shotgun. When police tried stopping the man he drove straight at the officer’s police car.

After Carnegie hit the police car he and his passenger both abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee on foot. Carnegie was found by a canine unit and suffered minor dog bites. Martavia Haggins was arrested a few blocks away. Both were charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, obstructing or opposing an officer without violence and fleeing to elude.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need aggressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourBattery.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy was waiting at a stop light when a car crashed into him from behind. Both the deputy and the driver were injured in the collision, although neither was seriously hurt. According to Bay News 9, police believe the man driving the car rammed the sheriff’s deputy on purpose.

The suspect, whose name was not released at the time, is believed to be a suspect in a domestic violence case. He has been taken into custody. The car crash took place at Anderson Road and Waters Avenue at approximately 3:30 a.m.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need aggressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.