Florida Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

The fourth DUI conviction for Seville, Florida’s Raymond T. Youngblood will put the 62-year-old behind prison bars for 12 years. Raymond T. Youngblood was driving drunk when he hit an Orange County firefighter who was riding his motorcycle. Youngblood was driving in the wrong lance of U.S. 17 when he killed Michael E. Priester.

Youngblood was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a DeLand judge for the second-degree felony. The accident took place February 21 and Priester died at the scene of the collision. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal the courtroom was full of firefighters waiting to hear the sentence handed down to Youngblood.

Donald Hancock was found not guilty of DUI by a jury of his peers but that wasn’t good enough to save him from a violation of probation charge that has landed him a 12 year prison sentence. A Circuit Judge ruled that Hancock, though not guilty of the DUI, violated his probation for refusing to take a breath test on the night of his arrest. The judge ruled that refusal showed a consciousness of guilt.

Hancock was on probation stemming from a 1996 DUI manslaughter conviction. The 46-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing his wife in a drunk driving accident. His blood-alcohol level that night was 0.25. According to TBO.com Hancock had complied with his probation up until the time of his latest arrest. The judge felt the 1996 DUI incident was not isolated considering the latest turn of events.

Mark Lester Wolf is facing two to three decades in prison following a plea of no contest to DUI manslaughter charges. Wolf was driving drunk when he caused a crash that took the life of a 35-year-old woman and injured three other people. The crash took place over a year ago on I-95.

Wolf’s DUI Lawyer attempted to get some of the charges against his client dismissed as he argued that the law was vague on leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury. The judge on the case ruled those two charges would not be dismissed and Wolf is now facing a sentence of 23 to 31 years in prison. He will be sentenced April 28.

A pair of co-workers went out for dinner last December and after their meal the two men were chatting in the restaurant parking lot. At some point Chandrashekar Singh got into his car and continued his conversation with William C. Morrison. As Singh pulled out of his parking spot he hit Morrison, who later died from his injuries.

Singh has now been charged with DUI manslaughter for the accident. According to the Orlando Sentinel investigators found Singh had a blood-alcohol level of 0.191 at the time he hit his co-worker. The 25-year-old from Davenport was arrested by Polk County police and is in jail where he is being held without bond.

The man who was accused of drunk driving and hitting a Safety Harbor teenager will not face a jury trial. Joshua West worked out a plea agreement that will send him away for eight years in what is believed to be a DUI crash that cost then-19-year-old Andrew Hall his left leg. West was speeding early in the morning April 20 when he hit Hall, who was waiting near his apartment for a ride.

Hall has accepted an apology West issued at Tuesday’s hearing but he told the St. Petersburg Times he wasn’t so sure how sincere the 25-year-old was. Hall is now living in Clearwater and will soon be featured on the show “The Doctors”, which is syndicated and hosted by Montel Williams. The show should air sometime in February.

Continue reading "Man Accused Of Severing Teenagers Leg In Drunk Driving Accident Gets Eight Years In Prison" »

A 57-year-old grandmother of three was killed by a woman who ran a red light in St. Cloud, Florida. According to WKMG Orlando the FHP suspects 24-year-old Jeri Bollinger was either driving drunk or driving under the influence of drugs when she ran a red light and hit Martha Jones’ car. The Florida Highway Patrol is awaiting blood tests to confirm Bollinger was driving drunk. The young woman has been previously charged with DUI and running red lights.

Bollinger was arrested on Tuesday on unrelated charges that she robed a St. Cloud Walmart but could be facing DUI manslaughter charges as well once her blood alcohol level is determined. Jones had just dropped of a child at Harmony High School when Bollinger’s jeep sped through an intersection and hit her car as she was driving with the green light.

Continue reading "Woman Accused Of Robbing A St. Cloud Walmart Could Face DUI Manslaughter Charges As Well" »

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" »

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" »

Josh Hunter, the former football coach at Braden River, will stand trial this spring in Sarasota on charges of DUI manslaughter. According to a story on Bradenton.com, Hunter’s trial is set for April 19. The charges stem from a single car accident on an I-75 ramp. Hunter is accused of drunk driving when he flipped his truck causing the death of one of his passengers.

Troopers on the scene of the accident reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol and they also photographed numerous beer bottles and cans inside the truck. Hunter did not perform field sobriety tests but his blood was drawn and sent to a lab and sent for analysis. The 31-year-old faces upto 15 years in prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter.

Continue reading "Former High School Football Coach In Sarasota Set To Stand Trial In DUI Manslaughter Case" »

Six months ago Miguel Bartolo Jose of Ft. Meyers lost his life in a horrible traffic accident. Yesterday Walter Bates, Jr. was charged with nine counts of DUI with property damage, DUI with serious bodily injury and DUI manslaughter. According to News-Press.com, FDLE says Bates had a blood alcohol level of 0.184, twice the legal limit in Florida.

According to the FHP, Bates crossed the center line of State Road 31 and headed directly into oncoming traffic where he collided with Jose’s van killing the man instantly. There were seven passengers in Jose’s van and all of them sustained serious injuries.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDUI.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in any of our four florida criminal defense offices located in Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota or Orlando.

A Santa Barbara, California man has died a week after he was rear-ended while in the backseat of a car stopped at a Clearwater intersection. St. Pete resident Thomas Corbin slammed into the back of the car at speeds of 40 or 50 M.P.H. according to witnesses and a report on TBO.com. The accident is now under investigation for a possible DUI.

Reports say Corbin had alcohol on his breath and bloodshot, watery eyes yet there have been no charges filed against him in relation to the accident. Corbin admitted to having a few drinks at a bar earlier that evening. Investigators now have asked a judge for permission to search Corbin’s truck, which has been in a body shop since the accident.

If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or anywhere in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourPinellasArrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

The list of tragic DUI accidents in Hernando County seems to be a long one lately. One of those cases has resurfaced despite the fact the defendant in the case already accepted a plea that included a sentence of 13 years in jail. Barbara Diffendal pled guilty to DUI causing an accident that took the life on Jeanine Bethoney but according to an article in Hernando Today’s online newspaper, the woman is telling her side of the story in hopes of a reduced sentence.

A motion has been filed by Diffendal asking that her sentence be reduced. She tells a story of how she had tried to have a friend drive her to work after she had a couple of beers but when her ride failed to show she took to the roads with her daughter in tow. While driving Difendal says all the light’s on her dashboard began to flash and the car swerved. She tried to regain control of the car but overcompensated and ended up jumping the median and causing the head-on collision. She claims she left the scene to use the phone having no idea how serious the accident was. Blood tests later showed Difendal had a blood-alcohol content of 0.05, which is below the legal limit but she also had cocaine in her system. She is asking for house arrest following the mandatory four years in prison.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida DUI Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDUI.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

According to an article published in today’s Bradenton Herald Tribune, the Florida Highway Patrol have found enough evidence against former Braden River High School head football coach Josh Hunter to support a charge of DUI manslaughter. It is now up to the State Attorney’s Office to decide how they will proceed with the case. On Tuesday investigators said they are examining reports from a blood sample taken following the crash that Hunter was involved in.

The traffic accident took place in March. Hunter’s SUV overturned and killed his best friend and fellow coach Doug Garrity. The investigators have not indicated what Hunter’s blood-alcohol level was and it may take a few weeks to decide on whether to file charges. Hunter stepped down as the coach at the East Manatee school following the tragic crash. Although the FHP received results of Hunter’s toxicology tests in April, a spokesman said it took months to finish the report due to the number of cases the FHP is handling.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourbradentondui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Srasota offices located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

Robin Mathis has been arrested for DUI with seriously bodily injury after allegedly hitting a 15-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle in Largo. The girl was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with head injuries. Her status was not immediately known. (read more)

According to Largo police Mathis ran over a curb and struck the biker. She then pulled her car over 40-feet from the accident and stayed in her car. According to Pinellas County records, Mathis was charged in 2006 and 2008 for driving with a suspended license.

If you have been involved in an accident and charged with a DUI in St Petersburg, please do not hesitate to contact Pinellas DUI Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 1400 140th Ave. North #203.

Xavier Ramirez, 22-years-old, was charged with DUI manslaughter early Friday morning following an accident on the I-275 exit ramp at Ashley Drive. Ramirez lost control of his SUV, slammed into the guardrail and flipped his 2007 Kia. His 22-year-old passenger was thrown from the car and died. (read more)

Ramirez suffered minor injuries and was taken to Tampa General Hospital. He was arrested after it was determined he was driving under the influence of alcohol. According to reports Ramirez was arrested in 2005 on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

If you have been involved in an accident and charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Florida DUI manslaughter trial involving the system used to test the defendant’s blood is getting ready to begin in Sebring. Lawyers for Travis Hill are attempting to do a thorough examination of the Synchron LX20 Clinical Chemistry System that analyzed Hill’s blood at the hospital following an accident that left the passenger of his truck, 20-year-old Kristin Dessingue, dead. Hill’s blood registered a blood alcohol level of .179 at Lake Placid Hospital. (read more)

Defense attorney’s issued a subpoena requesting all documents about the Synchron LX20 and were countered with a motion that requested the court modify the subpoena since it was overly broad, unduly burdensome and required the disclosure of trade secrets. This was similar to a motion filed in Sarasota trying to protect trade secrets with the Intoxilyzer 5000 and 8000 but judges in Bradenton, Manatee and Sarasota counties ruled that the company that made the Intoxilyzer 5000 and 8000 needed to turn over the requested documents.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.