DUI arrests in Florida come in all types. Many of them are completely the result of the subjective opinions and observations of a police officer who may be predisposed to believe you are driving while impaired from alcohol or drugs. Once that police officer has it in his/her head that…
While some people consider misdemeanor crimes to be relatively minor, they can be quite serious, both in terms of punishment and the effect it can have on a person’s permanent criminal record. As the job market has become more difficult over the years, we have received a lot of calls…
As criminal defense lawyers in the Jacksonville and North Florida area, we have seen an increase in cases involving the alleged sale of what the police call “synthetic marijuana.” Keep in mind that “synthetic marijuana” is a term completely made up by police to make it sound like this substance…
In Florida, we have what is called implied consent which means that any person who obtains a driver’s license in Florida consents to submit to an alcohol test where a police officer makes a valid stop and has probable cause to believe the person is driving under the influence of…
It is certainly not a popular thing to say that the Florida sexual molestation crimes are too severe. However, there is a certain category of sex offender cases that result from overzealous and misguided prosecutions. Consider a situation where an eighteen year old kid, considered an adult under the law,…
Legal shows on television do not normally have much association with reality, but one thing you often see on there is true. When a person gets arrested and the polic say he/she has a right to remain silent, a right to a lawyer and anything he/she says can and will…
The Florida Stand Your Ground Law, as it is commonly known, received a lot of popularity, or perhaps notoriety, as a result of the pending Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case. The law, which really is not very extraordinary, is basically a self defense law that says a person can use force…
The United States Constitution, along with the Florida Constitution, protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. There are many cases decided by state and federal courts which elaborate on what is a legal search and seizure by the police and what violates a person’s right to privacy under the Constitution.…
In Florida, a defendant can be convicted of possession of marijuana or other drugs based on constructive possession. However, the state has to prove both that the defendant knew the drugs were present and had some sort of dominion or control over the drugs. For example, if a person walks…
Most traffic stops, whether it is just a traffic ticket situation or one that leads to criminal charges like DUI or possession of drugs, result from a police officer claiming to observe a person violate some traffic law. It is not common for police officers to make a traffic stop…