Florida Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

The 35-year-old Illinois man who allegedly killed two British businessmen in Fort Lauderdale will not be getting out of jail on bond. According to The Associated Press, it isn’t the vehicular homicide charges keeping Ryan LeVin in jail it is a parole violation in Illinois that is the issue.

LeVin is out on parole for another car accident that caused three people to be injured. In 2006 he led police on a high-speed chase in Chicago that left two motorists and one officer injured. He is now been linked to another car crash, this time he allegedly killed two people and then left the scene of the accident. The hit-and-run took place last year and authorities believe it was his Porsche that was involved in the hit-and-run deaths.

During spring break Daytona Beach police see the customary crimes rise. The amount of visitors getting a DUI in Florida or being charged with traffic violations usually increase but according to an Orlando Sentinel story the most serious crimes may be committed by Florida residents who “day trip” to Daytona. The bad press surrounding the crime during spring break may not be the fault of those who visit Florida except for the lone fact they are in town attracting criminals.

According to the Sentinel report, the most serious arrests, those involving felony charges, were committed by Florida residents who live within a couple hours drive of Daytona Beach. Some of the felony charges filed against Florida residents during spring break include cocaine possession, gun charges, hydrocodone possession and even a recent murder conviction for an Orlando man. It is too early to tell if the trend is continuing in 2010.

A jury in Volusia County has found a 22-year-old guilty of a slew of charges including vehicular manslaughter. Michael Henry was involved in a police chase in 2008 that left an 83-year-old man dead when he collided with his car trying to escape capture. Henry was convicted on charges of grand theft auto, vehicular manslaughter, driving with a suspended license and failure to render aid.

According to Bradenton.com, Henry is facing up to 55 years in jail when he is sentenced April 19. The incident began when police spotted Henry in a stolen vehicle and tried to get the man to pull over. Henry took off and caused more than one accident while fleeing. One of the crash victims fell into a coma due to the accident and later died.

Benjamin G. Monastersky was brought back to Pasco County on charges that he violated his probation, a claim he has denied. The 33-year-old is believed to have violated his probation on charges stemming from a fatal car crash in 2003. Monastersky is being held in Land O’Lakes jail.

The former Pasco County resident was living in La Vista, Nebraska according to the St. Pete Times before he was extradited back to Tampa Bay. Monastersky was sentenced to 18 months in jail and eight years of probation for leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He killed another driver when he ran a red light. There is no indication from the story how Monastersky violated his probation.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s have arrested a Balm man they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run death that took place on Valentine’s Day. Isaias Cruz Hernandez was charged with tampering with evidence, leaving the scene of an accident involving death and driving with a suspended license resulting in a death.

Detectives found the vehicle they believe hit and killed 35-year-old Domingo Perez Lopez. According to TBO.com the car had parts changed and evidence was washed off in what detectives believe was an attempt to conceal the crime. The located the vehicle at the Wimauma home of Hernandez. He is in jail and his bail was set at $19,000.

In August of 2009 Tony Curtis Phillips, Jr. and Nikki McCormick stole a Land Cruiser from a Winter Haven grove. As they were driving away in the SUV, the owner of the truck fired a 9mm pistol hitting McCormick in the head and killing the 21-year-old. The man who shot McCormick was justified according to prosecutors but his accomplice was guilty of third-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Polk County judge.

According to an Associated Press article, if a person dies while another is committing a felony in Florida, the law states the individual committing that crime can be charged with murder. This law should be used to protect innocent people who are killed while someone commits a felony even if their intent was not to kill anyone, but should that law extend to a willing participant in the criminal act? Is McCormick responsible for the death of his partner in crime who willingly decided of his free will to steal a car? Seems like this law may have been expanded too far.

Yesterday the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s department released its crime stats for 2009 and in six of the seven categories they measure, crime in Tampa was down and overall the rate of crimes in Hillsborough County dropped. The same unfortunately cannot be said for St. Petersburg. While St Pete saw a 45% drop in homicides, a 54.5 percent increase in auto thefts boosted the St Pete crime rate nearly 10 percent overall.

While homicides are at their lowest number in 30 years according to TBO.com, police spokes man Bill Proffitt says the increase in auto thefts can be attributed to a small group of teens who are continually stealing cars. Part of the problem according to the Tampa Tribune story is the St. Pete police department’s pursuit policy, which does not allow officers to pursue car thieves in the same manner they would violent criminals.

Continue reading "St. Petersburg Sees Homicides Drop But Car Thefts Soar In Latest Crime Statistics" »

This weekend a woman driving down a little used road in Pasco County near 1-75 felt her car hit something. When she turned around to investigate she discovered that it was a woman who was lying in the road. Police are now trying to find out how a 23-year-old nursing student and aspiring model wound up lying in the middle of a Sarasota road. So far there are more questions than answers surrounding the death of Mary-Mary Kopta.

A few details in the case have surfaced due to an interview given to Tampa Bay Channel 10 by a woman who was in a car with Kopta the night of her mysterious death. Amanda Van Booven told the TV station that Kopta jumped out of the car she was driving because she was upset they were lost. Van Booven says she took over control of the car and went back to find her friend but was unable to locate her. The two girls had been at the Beach Club on Siesta Key the night before according to a Sarasota Herald Tribune article and were headed to Jacksonville that evening to visit a friend.

The story of a Tampa teenager shot and killed Wednesday seems to have become even more tragic as police now believe the young man lost his life over a dispute about a bicycle. Greg Allen, a 17-year-old senior at Middleton High School, was shot in the chest in a DeSoto Park neighborhood and died from the wounds at Tampa General Hospital.

Bay News 9 is reporting that the shooting began with a conflict over the theft of a bicycle. A large crowd gathered as the argument grew. Allen left the scene and was shot about two blocks away from where the crowd had gathered. Allen was named the “turnaround student of the year” at Middleton and there have been no arrests made in his murder at this time.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need agressive 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 FightYourFelony.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Two years ago Adam Sanford left Wesley Chapel High School with two friends in his Isuzu Trooper. The teenager passed a car by driving into the grass and then when he swerved back onto the road he flipped the SUV killing one of the passengers and leaving another severely injured. A week before he was set to go on trial for reckless driving with serious bodily injury, vehicular homicide and manslaughter by culpable negligence Sanford pleaded guilty according to TampaBay.com.

Sanford put his fate in the hands of a circuit judge in a case that could have sent him to jail for up to 35 years. After hearing emotional pleas from all the parties involved, Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa sentenced the young man to six months in jail and 10 years of probation. He also stipulated that Sanford will give speeches to high school students every month, he’ll carry a picture or memento of his victims and he will report to jail on the anniversary of the crash for the next 10 years.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need qualified 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 in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Jessie Driggers was mowed down and killed as the 17-year-old was crossing U.S. Highway 41. Now the Florida Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver that killed the Tampa teenager. While there are two witnesses to the hit-and-run, police have very little to go on according to TampaBay.com.

The two witnesses who were with Driggers said it was too dark to identify the car that ran over the 17-year-old. According to reports all they saw were the tail lights as the car drove away. The only evidence left behind was a hubcap off the vehicle. The accident took place just after 11:30 p.m. on October 18.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need qualified 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 in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The attorney for former Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy Raymond Choy told the St. Petersburg Times that his client will plead guilty to charges that he forced a hit-and-run suspect to perform oral sex in exchange for her release. Choy was facing up to 60 years in jail on charges of kidnapping and sexual battery. Instead he will plead to sexual battery and false imprisonment and most likely serve five years in prison when Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman sentences him in December.

The charges stem from an incident in April of 2007 when Choy was accused of agreeing to release a suspect from custody if she performed oral sex on him while in his patrol car. DNA tests later linked Choy to the victim leading to the charges. The judge in the case was set to allow a second woman to testify Choy also forced her into oral sex.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need qualified 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 in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The tragic story of a man that lost his wife of more than 60-years came to an end in a Hillsborough County courtroom on Wednesday when Roger Yeager was found guilty of reckless driving, vehicular homicide and street racing. The St. Petersburg Times reports that Yeager is facing at least 15 years in prison for the car accident that cost 83-year-old Vertis Ryan her life.

Yeager was found guilty of ramming his Nissan 350Z into the Ford Taurus that Vertis Ryan and her husband William were driving that night. It took jurors three hours to come back with the guilty verdicts. William Ryan never got to see justice in the death of his wife as he passed away from heart failure in August. According to the story sheriff’s investigators estimated that Yeager was driving at more than 100 M.P.H. in a 45 zone when he hit the Ryan’s car.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa that led to criminal charges and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced 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 in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Pasco County mother has pled guilty to manslaughter and will receive 10 years in prison following shooting a man she thought was molesting her mentally retarded daughter. Sylvia Neely shot and killed 73-year-old Arthur Danner after he bragged about molesting her daughter and threatening to do it again according to a story on TampaBay.com.

The shooting took place in 1998 in Land O’ Lakes. Neely fired five rounds into Danner and the re-loaded the gun and shot him in the groin. Neely has already served some of her sentence after a 2000 conviction on second-degree murder charges. An appeals court granted her a new trial but she has decided to accept a plea rather than go back to court.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa Bay, you need to contact a qualified Criminal Defense Attorney. Call Defense Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or visit us 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.

A 13-year-old boy who was attacked by two teenagers in a video posted on You Tube. The 54-second clip has set off multiple investigations according to the Bradenton Herald. Police first want to know if the attack was staged for cameras but right now they are asking that battery charges be filed against the two teens responsible for beating the 13-year-old outside the Lakewood Ranch YMCA.

The victim of the attack did not report the incident until he found out the video of the beating had been placed on You Tube. The victim is seen on video being surrounded by a large group of teens. Two teens then attack the younger boy while the whole scene is set to music. The incident sparked another arrest when the father of one of the suspects saw the video and began to punch his son.

If you have been charged with a battery in Sarasota or Manatee County, you need to contact a qualified Criminal Defense Attorney. Call Sarasota Criminal Defense Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourBattery.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.

According to an article on tbo.com, Sarasota is seeing a disturbing rise in teenagers and young adults committing murders. The article quotes Sarasota Police Chief Bill Spitler as saying over the past few years most of the city’s murder victims have been killed by teens or those just above the adult threshold. He added that the department has not arrested anyone in these murders above the age of 19.

Even more disturbing than the age of the alleged murders in Sarasota is the victims they are killing. Most are innocent people according to Spitler. Looking at the murder victims and you’ll find an Iraq war veteran who was killed in the middle of the day at a gas station. Or William Holley who is believed to have been killed because he drove down the wrong street at the wrong time. The trend isn’t isolated to Sarasota as there has been a 55% increase in the number of young adults charged with murder or manslaughter in Florida since 2003.

If you have been charged with a crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact a qualified Criminal Defense Attorney. Call Sarasota Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourFelony.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.

A Manatee County judge’s ruling that an accused murderer’s confession should be thrown out was upheld by the Second District Court of Appeal according to an article on Bradenton.com. Bradenton police detectives violated the rights of Clifford Davis by questioning him before and after reading him his Miranda Rights according to the ruling.

Davis admitted to killing his mother, having sex with her dead body and then going to the mall to shop according to court documents. His grandfather picked him up from the mall and upon returning to the apartment where he earlier killed his mother he killed his grandfather by standing on his neck until he died.

Prosecutors have charged Davis with two counts of first degree murder and are seeking the death penalty. Despite asking for an attorney, police continued to question Davis for hours. He eventually confessed to the crimes.

If you have been charged with a crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourCase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.

Manuel Lopez is on probation for aggravated stalking a 14-year-old. Part of the terms of his probation was house arrest which was monitored by an ankle bracelet. Lopez removed the ankle bracelet last week and police began a search for the Mulberry resident according to a story published on tbo.com.

Lopez, 42-years-old, was tracked down at a Domino’s Pizza in Plant City according to the sheriff’s office where he was placed under arrest. The Plant City Police got a tip that Lopez was at the Domino’s. Family members feared he was on the run with his 73-year-old father but that did not turn out to be the case.

If you have been charged with a crime in Hillsborough County 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 www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A 20-year-old East Tampa man who was booked in Orient Road Jail has been charged with resisting arrest as reported on TampaBay.com. Clarence Jones tells a different story claiming he was beaten by an officer while they were pursuing a marijuana arrest. TPD is investigating the man’s charges.

Officer James Neil asked Jones for identification after seeing him and thinking he looked like that he had previously charged with trespassing. At that point the officer said he detected the smell of marijuana, a charge he was arrested on in 2008. When the officer went to search Jones he stiffened up. At that time officers say they took the suspect to the ground but he continued to resist. Officer Elvin Cruz admitted striking the suspect in the face to break his focus and the tactic was successful.

If you have been charged with a crime in Hillsborough County 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 www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

In February of 2008 Charles Ponday was set on protecting his Thonotosassa community from speeding cars. He stopped a fast moving truck and asked its driver to slow down. The incident quickly turned violent as a drunk passenger in the truck began beating Ponday. As 24-year-old Casey Landes was on top of Ponday ready to continue to beat him he was shot in the head by Ponday’s .40 caliber Glock.

The St. Petersburg Times now reports that Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Foster has tossed out the charge of manslaughter against Ponday claiming he fired the shot in self-defense under Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law. His case was buoyed by the driver of the truck who said Ponday never took a swing at his drunk friend and was bicycling away from the truck when he was attacked.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa and are in need of a qualified lawyer, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1800-344-4848) 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.

Yesterday we talked about the case of Amanda Nelson on this very blog. The story has taken a tragic turn as her seven-year-old daughter has died from injuries suffered in a one-car accident. The girl was one of 11 children in the van and none had on seatbelts. Detectives and the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office have not charged the woman yet according to the St. Petersburg Times but her lengthy record of license suspensions and other violations may weigh into how the State Attorney proceeds.

Nelson had 11 children in her van headed to Little League when she ran into a retaining wall. The Carrollwood woman has had her license suspended six times and a few years ago she paid a fine for not having a car seat for a child. In 2007 she was booked into Orient Road Jail in Tampa after being cited for driving on a suspended license.

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

Sarasota officer Christopher Childers will not face any criminal charges even though he was caught on tape kicking a suspect in handcuffs. Juan Perez was bloody and covered in urine outside the Sarasota County Jail after video caught Childers kicking the 21-year-old while he was lying on the ground. The case gained widespread notoriety not only because of the videotape but what happened after the incident. An investigator, acting on behalf of the police department, went to Perez and offered him $400 to waive all rights to sue the city over the beating.

According to Todd Ruger of the Sarasota Herald Tribune the State Attorney’s office said the kicks delivered by Childers were legally justified since Perez escaped from the patrol car and did not respond to lawful commands. It has been reported that Perez had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit at the time of his arrest.

If you have been charged with a crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.

Street Racing was in the news in Pinellas County recently when hundreds of street racing spectators were ticketed rather than those driving the cars. Police felt it was a better way to tackle a problem that is growing on Florida’s streets. A good example of that is a recently deadly crash that police believe was the result of street racing.

The accident took place just north of Daytona Beach in Volusia County. According to reports a red sports car was seen with another car speeding. The red car lost control and collided with a concrete wall. Police say the car was split in half and the male and two females inside were killed instantly. The second car left the scene of the accident.

If you have been charged with a felony related to illegal street racing or any traffic felony in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

According to Tampa Bay Online, the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office has decided to drop charges against Stormy Daniels. According to the report the state couldn’t determine who was the aggressor in the case, there were no injuries and the porn star’s husband waived prosecution.

The porn star, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford was accused of hitting her husband in the face and throwing things at him. The domestic dispute occurred after Daniels’ husband allegedly didn’t pay some bills leading to an argument that escalated into violence.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense 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.

The long-running saga of Jordan Valdez’s Tampa hit-and-run case looks to be nearing an end as both her defense attorney and prosecutors believe a plea deal in the case is imminent. Valdez is charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident where she could face up to 30 years in prison but according to TampaBay.com Valdez has been offered a deal that involves no jail time.

Valdez was 16 at the time of the accident when she hit a Tampa homeless woman in Hyde Park. The case gained notoriety throughout Tampa Bay due to the girl’s wealthy Davis Island family and the fact she was originally only charged with a misdemeanor despite the death. The family of the homeless woman spoke out that the charges weren’t severe enough

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) 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.

An argument between a Tampa couple turned ugly Monday night after 45-year-old Jose Peralsoquendo reportedly told his girlfriend to move out. According to a police report, the unidentified woman stabbed Peralsoquendo in the chest and then stabbed herself as well. The woman has had prior arrests for assaulting her boyfriend. (read more)

The assault happened just after 10:00 p.m. on W. Chestnut St. After he was stabbed, Peralsoquendo went to a neighbor’s apartment to call the police. He was then taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police are on the lookout for the unidentified girlfriend in hopes of bringing her in for questioning.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) 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.

It’s not often you see both the defendant and victim’s families upset about a sentence that is too severe in the death of a loved one but that was the case in New Port Richey. Damian Duval was sentenced to nine months in jail, two years of house arrest and 10 years probation following the 2006 death of his friend George McBurney. (read more)

Both sides were looking for a sentence that involved no jail time for Duval despite the fact under Florida law jail time is required for vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree felony. According to McBurney’s father the death was the result of a traffic accident and he saw no justice in sending Duval to jail.

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

A late night robbery in Tampa turned tragic Wednesday when 21-year-old UT student Ryan McCall was shot and killed. McCall and Michael Harahan were walking after leaving the Retreat Bar in Hyde Park when a man appeared and demanded money. Following the robbery Harahan ran off to call 911 when he heard gunshots leaving McCall laying in the road at the base of the N Boulevard bridge. (read more)

According to Tampa Police the robbery appears to be random and according to Harahan the suspect is a African-American male who is about 5-10, 180 pounds and in his 30’s. McCall was a senior at UT and a member of the school’s cross country team. According to his coach McCall was a 4.0 student and supported himself with a part-time job at Publix.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense 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.

There is an ongoing search for the driver of a dark colored Toyota who allegedly ran down and killed a bicyclist overnight in St. Petersburg. The hit-and-run took place on 22nd Avenue and 11 Street South just after midnight. The bicyclist, 49-year-old Robert Dunbar, was hit while riding his bike across the street and died at Bayfront Hospital. (read more)

St. Petersburg Police are now searching for the driver responsible for the hit-and-run who was believed to be fleeing the scene of a fight when he struck Dunbar. The car suffered significant damage due to the collision and police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver.

If you have been charged with a felony in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or anywhere in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT 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.

When we were kids waiting for the water fountain there were always people trying to cut into line and it usually resulted in a lot of yelling and screaming but not much more. I wish that was the case outside of a Tampa food stand late last week. At 3:30 a.m. a line cutting incident led to an argument which led to a shooting that killed one man and left another in critical condition. (read more)

The shooting took place at a popular food stand that serves Spanish food near Las Margaritas Restaurant. At the time of the shooting there was no information on the suspects just on the victims. 20-year-old Alquan Garner was killed and 27-year-old Eriberto Reyes was shot in the stomach and was in stable condition later that day.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense 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.

Tampa police are investigating an incident at Mirage nightclub on Hillsborough Avenue that led to two shootings and a stabbing. The man responsible for the shootings and stabbing is still unknown at this time. The incident took place outside the nightclub after two groups of people were ejected for a fight that broke out on the dance floor. (read more)

Bouncers ejected the two groups of people but the trouble really began in the parking lot following the ejections. According to reports once they were outside of the club a man pulled out a handgun and began firing at the other group. One man was shot in the arm and another in the ankle. A third man was injured when he was cut on the arms inside the club on the dance floor. Police are still searching for the suspect.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense 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.

The case of Terrance Graham is just one example of a growing and disturbing trend in the State of Florida where juveniles convicted of crimes that are not murders are being sentenced to life in prison without any change for parole. Graham was convicted of armed burglary at 16 and violated his probation by fleeing police after a home invasion robbery when he was 17. Corrections officials recommended a four-year sentence for Graham. Prosecutors asked for 30-years but the judge one-upped that request and gave Graham life in prison. (read more)

Graham is the only person in America serving a life sentence without parole for a juvenile burglary conviction. Florida has more juveniles serving life sentences for non-murder crimes than the other 49 states combined. More disturbing is that blacks represent 84% of this group despite just making up 16% of the population and about 50% of the prison population. According to Florida State University, Florida has sentenced 77 men to spend their lives in jail without a chance of parole for non-homicide crimes committed when they were 17 or younger. Of the 111 inmates serving life sentences with no parole for juvenile non-murder crimes, 69% are in Florida.

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.

There is a new partnership between the Polk County Sheriff’s office and Florida Refuse Services and it has nothing to do with rescheduling trash pick-ups. The partnership is the basis for “Operation Waste Watch” where police train trash collectors to act as “unofficial” crime watchers in Polk County. (read more) The program began with 185 trash collectors being trained by crime prevention specialists in the art of effective observing.

This program is similar to one already in place with Bright House Networks and according to Florida Refuse Services’ spokesman the company has up to 170 trucks that cover nearly every corner of the county. The refuse collectors will be on the lookout for anything that raises suspicion in the garbage they collect like refuse from meth labs, marijuana grow houses or even homicides.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

The DUI case versus WTVT Ch. 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes was dropped five months after he was tackled in a Channelside parking garage by an off-duty police officer. Rhodes was scheduled to be in court on Wednesday but instead he will plead no contest to misdemeanor obstruction as part of a plea deal. (read more)

The state’s case versus Rhodes took a hit when blood evidence was thrown out by County Judge Cheryl Thomas last week, saying it was improperly obtained. Under the terms of the plea agreement Rhodes will perform 50 hours of community service and adjudication will be withheld so the conviction will not be on his record.

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 Lawyer Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter.

Suneil Persaud of Lakeland was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison by a Hillsborough County Circuit Judge after pleading no contest to a charge of DUI manslaughter. Persaud was sentenced in connection with the death of 48-year old Eric Broering of Tampa. (read more)

The accident occurred on 1-4 near the Park Street exit in Plant City. Prosecutors said Persaud’s Dodge sports utility vehicle was traveling 90 MPH when he lost control attempting to change lanes. The Lakeland man’s blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.141 and his wife testified that she had to call police three times in alcohol-related domestic disputes.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI in Lakeland or anywhere in Polk County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpolkdui.com to discuss the matter.

Dustin Sean White’s shooting death Saturday night has given new life to discussions on reestablishing a teen curfew in Tampa to help stem violence among our areas teenage population (read more here). Dustin had just finished his junior year at Land O’ Lakes High School and was gathered with a group of friends at the Lake Padgett Estates clubhouse following a party where he was gunned down shortly after 2:00 a.m. If you were unaware, Tampa once had a curfew in the late 90’s for teens but the curfew law was struck down by the Florida Supreme Court in 2004.

The curfew discussion seems to be rather pointless considering Pasco has a county ordinance that restricts teens under 18 from being out between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays and between midnight and 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. That county ordinance seems to have had little effect on saving Dustin’s life. Hillsborough County does not have a curfew but police are on the lookout for minors out on the streets during late night hours.

If you or a loved one has been accused of a crime please contact Darren Finebloom at 1800-FIGHT-IT or online at www.fightyourcase.com.

According to Palm Beach Post reporter Jason Schultz, in his article Woman Crashes Into Man on Scooter, Leaves Scene to Keep Hair Appointment, 77 year old resident Louise Davidson just could not miss her hair appointment. Ms. Davidson allegedly turned in front of a scooter that had the right-of-way. The man on the scooter crashed into the side of Ms. Davidson's car and thrusted him on to her windshield. He was evaluated by the paramedics and it does not appear that he suffered any serious injuries. Ms. Davidson was stopped by police when she returned to her neighborhood and arrested for leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, which is a third degree felony under Florida law. That charge is punishable by up to 5 years state prison and the possibility of 6 points on her driving record. If prison is not a condition of the sentence, the possibility of probation is very probable. The State Attorney's Office in West Palm Beach County, Florida will make a decision on what charges to file in the case. The reduced charge of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage is a second degree misdemeanor under Florida statute 316.061. That statute is punishable my up to 6 months of probation, $500 Fine, possible driver's license suspension, 6 points on the license, 60 days in the county jail, and any fines and/or court costs. Contact the website www.FightYourTicket.com for additional information on leaving the scene of an accident or call toll fee at 1-800-Fight-It to speak with an experienced traffic law attorney.

According to a Ft. Myers News-Press article, Lee County Bans Traditional Toothbrushes at Jail, inmates in custody at the Lee County Jail will have to put away their toothbrushes. Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott has banned all toothbrushes in the jail for safety reasons. The Sheriff believes that the toothbrushes are being used to create deadly weapons which can be used against correctional officers as well as other inmates. Individuals arrested for DUI or driving while license suspended charges, which typically result in a short period of incarceration, will more than likely never be issued personal items since they typically bond out within 24-48 hours. In place of traditional toothbrushes, the Lee County Sheriff will distribute fingertip style toothbrushes that will not create a dangerous dagger. In the meantime, jailers at the Lee County Jail will do a major sweep of the jail to recover any remaining toothbrushes that have previously been distributed to inmates. The Lee County Sheriffs Office will donate any non-distributed toothbrushes to charity.