Facts:
My client was in the middle of a divorce with his wife. He had been married for a long time and was struggling. He was in therapy, but the situation between the couple was not good. They were still living together and the tension was increasing.
One day, my client drank and it triggered a depression. He made statements about hurting himself and it worried his wife. She contacted law enforcement and he was Baker Acted. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office also filled out a Risk Protection Order (RPO). The petition for the RPO was granted by a Pinellas County judge. Once he got out of the hospital after 72 hours, the police served him with the RPO and took an old rifle that he had at the home.
The Case:
The case was postponed for a bit due to Hurricane Ian. My client continued to get therapy and his wife moved out. However, she was still supportive of him and did not want him to face negative consequences for this one time incident.
I was able to have his counselor put together a status letter about his treatment. I also asked the lawyer for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to interview his estranged wife.
The Result:
The Sheriff’s Office agreed that the RPO was no longer necessary and agree to file a dismissal. My client was very happy not to have this issue over him as he was very nervous and already stressed over the divorce. He is not a risk of harm to himself and certainly learned his lesson about his alcohol consumption during periods of high stress.