Several times, we have discussed the trend we have seen towards more federal investigations and arrests in mortgage fraud cases in Florida and Jacksonville. Federal authorities are responding to the tremendous meltdown in the housing markets and numerous mortgages that have gone unpaid. In many local U.S. Attorney offices in…
If you are stopped for a DUI (aka driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, DWI or drunk driving) and the officer has detained you for a DUI investigation, arrested you or read the Miranda warnings to you, you have a right to remain silent and not answer questions.…
Marijuana grow houses, where people make structural and electrical modifications to a home or other building to create a warm and humid environment where hybrid marijuana plants can grow indoors, are becoming more popular in Florida, according to a recent article on News4jax.com. Apparently, drug trafficking organizations are setting up…
Last week, we wrote about the greater number of DUI arrests that we expected over the Halloween and Florida-Georgia weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. True to form, police were out in force making DUI arrests throughout Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach. In addition to DUI arrests, an article today indicated that Jacksonville…
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (aka DUI, DWI or drunk driving) is ordinarily a misdemeanor charge in Florida. A misdemeanor charge ordinarily means that a person convicted of the charge cannot serve more than 12 months in jail or on probation. However, for DUI’s, a first conviction…
It is no secret that police in Jacksonville, Florida, like in most other cities, focus their attention to certain areas and certain times of the year when investigating certain crimes like DUI (aka driving under the influence, DWI, drunk driving). One of those times is Georgia v. Florida weekend (or…
This year, the Florida legislature will be reviewing a proposed bill that would set statewide standards for cameras at intersections that take pictures of the license plates of vehicles that run red lights. Once the picture is taken of a vehicle that allegedly ran a red light, a traffic ticket…
In a recent criminal case involving a burglary near Jacksonville, Florida the police received information that items recently stolen during a burglary were located in the suspect’s residence. The police waited outside the suspect’s apartment until he arrived home in his vehicle. They approached the suspect and asked him if…
An Air National Guard helicopter flying around Bradford County, Florida (about an hour southwest of Jacksonville, Florida) spotted a marijuana plant growing in the backyard of a Starke, Florida resident, according to an article on News4Jax.com. Local police officers subsequently searched the property including the house and found marijuana and…
What happens in a criminal case in Florida when a witness, who may have information that incriminates him/herself, is called to testify at a deposition? Most people are familiar with the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which says that a person has a right not to incriminate him/herself. This…