Success Stories
Concealed Firearm Charge Reduced to Misdemeanor
Facts: My client was downtown in St. Petersburg late at night waiting for a friend. While he was waiting, someone approached his car and asked for a ride home. Not having anything else to do, he agreed. He drove a short distance, but the person refused to get out of the car. Now concerned for his safety, he headed back downtown and sought out the police. When he parked, he took his firearm out of the car and put it in his waist. He then approached the police and asked for help. While speaking to the police, they asked him if he had any weapons, and he replied that he was carrying his firearm. He explained that he did not want to leave it in the car with this person who was acting strangely. The police immediately arrested him for felony carrying a concealed firearm. (By the way, they did nothing to the person who he asked for help from.) The Case: My client immediately went out and completed a firearm safety class. I then explained the situation to the prosecutor and asked [...]
Warrant from Gators on Treasure Island Dismissed
Facts: My client is 57 and lives in New York. In the late 90s, she worked at Gators on the Pass on Treasure Island. For those of you who remember, it was a wild and crazy place. My client became unhappy about how she was being compensated and quit. She claimed that she was owed money, so took with her checks in the amount of $582. She went on with her life and eventually moved to New York where she raised four children. Meanwhile, in 1998, the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County received a case wherein Gators had complained about her taking the checks. A warrant for grand theft was issued. It was a felony. The warrant was outstanding for all these years and she had no idea. My client went to Canada in 2022 and was stopped at the border. They claimed there was a warrant for her arrest from Florida and would not let her enter the country. She then contacted me. The Case: Gators is now closed and there was never much to the case. There was no way [...]
Disorderly Conduct Charge for Sex on Beach Dropped
Facts: My clients work in the service industry and decided to go to Pass-a-Grill Beach after their shift around 10:30 pm. It was dark out and they got the idea to go skinny dipping. They thought they were alone. One thing led to another and...the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office showed up. When the police arrived, they were sitting on the beach. The man was nude and the woman was covered in a towel. As I said, it was dark out, but a passerby had called the police to report that the couple were having sex. It was not witnessed by the police, but they were both arrested. The charge for each was disorderly conduct. They were taken to the Pinellas County jail and each had to be bonded out after several hours. The Case: I was retained by them both and went to work. Since the alleged sex was not witnessed by the police and the witness was anonymous, I wondered what proof of disorderly conduct there was. It was dark out, so there was no way that their nudity could have affected [...]
Disorderly Intoxication at Beachcomber on St. Pete Beach Dismissed
Facts: My client was on vacation with his wife on St. Pete Beach. He lives out of state and it was his first time visiting the area. He drank way too much at the Post Card Inn and was trespassed. He walked back to the Beachcomber Hotel and tried to keep drinking there. The staff became concerned about his behavior and called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He was arrested for disorderly intoxication and taken to the Pinellas County Jail. The Case: My client had no prior record and had a significant job that was at risk with this arrest. I put together a letter explaining the circumstances and sent it to the prosecutor. I followed up with a phone call. We discussed having my client get into alcohol treatment, but decided to wait. The Result: About three weeks after the arrest, the charges were dropped. My client can now have his record expunged if he chooses. He was very happy.
First Time DUI Reduced to Careless Driving!
Facts: My client was driving his friend home and allegedly took too wide of a turn. A patrol deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office saw the wide turn and started following him. As my client drove, the deputy said that his tires touched the white line twice. The deputy stopped him. My client stated that he was taking his friend home and that they had consumed a few drinks at his home beforehand. The deputy asked him out of the car and had him perform field sobriety tests. He was then arrested for DUI and taken to the Pinellas County Jail and asked to blow. His breath test results were 0.6, which is under the legal limit. The deputy then asked for a urine sample, which my client provided. Even though he had blown under the legal limit, he was still arrested and charged with DUI. The Case: My client hired me to defend him in the case. The first thing that I wanted to see were the results of the urine screen. As my client had told me, it came back [...]
Warrant from 2003 Dismissed for Out of State Resident
Facts: My client used to live in Clearwater many years ago in 2003. Apparently, he wrote a check to Publix that bounced. The case was sent to the State Attorney's Office and they filed a felony charge against him. By that time, he had already moved out of state and never knew about it. Recently, he had a background check performed that discovered the warrant. He decided to be proactive and get it handled. He hired me. The Case: I reached out to the prosecutor who handles the old felony warrants. She assigned an investigator to look into it. We received a letter stating that if he paid the check and some other fees via a cashier's check, then the charges would be dropped. My client immediately took care of that. The Result: Once the prosecutor received the payment, the old charge and the warrant from 2003 was dropped.
Disorderly Conduct and Violation of CCW Permit Dropped
Facts: My client was on vacation on St. Pete Beach with friends. He left his hotel to go pick up dinner and on the way back, he walked through the patio of another hotel beach bar. As he walked through, there was another customer that was being unruly with security. Somehow, my client got involved in this and the customer began fighting with him. Security called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and two deputies responded. My client was arrested for disorderly conduct. He was searched and in his front pocket was a firearm. He was also charged with a violation of his CCW permit because it was alleged he was at a bar with the firearm. The Case: My client was very upset about how he was treated by law enforcement. His arm was twisted and yanked hard by the police for no reason. He was also adamant that he was not at a bar with the firearm. He was on the patio near the bathroom. The Result: I presented a lengthy letter about how he did not violate his CCW permit because [...]
Domestic Battery Reduced to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client had never been in trouble before, but he and his wife argued a lot. During this incident, they were arguing and his wife fell to the ground on top of one of their children. She called the police and claimed that he pushed her down. The child was taken to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to be checked out. The child was fine. The St. Petersburg Police Department responded to the home and arrested my client for domestic battery. He was released from jail on a $5,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with his wife or children. He also was ordered to have a GPS ankle bracelet on. After his release, Child Protective Services also got involved and ordered the family into counseling. The Case: I immediately had my client begin domestic violence counseling classes. I also had his wife sign a request not to prosecute. But, even with those efforts, the State decided to charge him with the domestic battery. After the charge was filed, we again asked for it to be dismissed. The State offered him [...]
Hillsborough County Warrant from 2012 Dropped
Facts: My client hired me to fix a warrant that had been active since 2012. The warrant was from Hillsborough County and was for failure to return a leased vehicle. He called me from another state and asked me to see what I could do to fix it. The Case: In 2012, my client was in Tampa and rented a car from Enterprise. He was supposed to drop it back off at the same rental place in Tampa. Instead, he kept the car past the rental date, drove out of state, and dropped it off at an Enterprise there. In the meantime, Enterprise reported the car stolen. Without ever arresting him, the State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough County filed a criminal felony charge against him for failing to return the leased vehicle. The charge sat there since 2012 with an active warrant for his arrest. My client continued on with his life and became a successful business man with a family. He decided that he needed to clean up the warrant so that he could come to Florida without being arrested. The Result: [...]
Trespass Charge at the Beachcomber Dropped
Facts: My client and his family were visiting St. Pete Beach with another family. The adults went out one evening to eat dinner. On their way back, they walked through the Beachcomber. As they got to Jimmy B's, there were some unruly guests causing a commotion on the deck area. My client's friend got involved in the commotion. Security guards arrived and picked out the friend as the problem. The Pinellas County Sheriff was called and detained my client's friend. My client began to film the Deputy while he was arresting his friend. He was asked to leave, but wanted to stay to help his friend. He also was then arrested for trespassing from the Beachcomber. The Case: I had my client provide me with all of the information about the night, the video, as well as a full description of his background. I submitted it all to the prosecutor and followed up with a phone call. The Result: About two weeks after the arrest, the trespass case was dropped. While unfortunate, this incident should have no effect on my client's job or [...]
License Suspensions Cleared for Two People After Too Many Points
Facts: I had two clients who recently got notices in the mail that their licenses were suspended due to too many points. It seems that they both simply paid tickets, thus triggering the points on their driver's licenses. One client was only 17 and it meant that his mother was going to have to drive him around for the next year, which she was not happy about. The other client had a bad history of speeding and had just been arrested for driving on a suspended license. So, he needed relief quickly. The Cases: I found the most recent tickets in Pinellas County and filed Motions for Reconsideration. In the motion, I explained the suspension issues, that my clients had paid the tickets without a lawyer and without knowing that their licenses would be suspended. I then set the case for a hearing in front of a county court judge. The Results: The judge heard the motions and granted the reconsideration. He changed the tickets to withhold of adjudication, which means no points. For this benefit, the judge made both of my clients [...]
Racing Charge on Gandy Bridge Dropped to Reckless Driving
Facts: My client is 18 and is a senior in high school. One evening, he and a bunch of friends went to the Gandy Bridge and began racing on it. Of course, the Florida Highway Patrol was there waiting for them. My client was arrested for racing on a highway. The Case: He and his family hired me to defend the case. I asked him to do the 12 hour ADI school and 20 hours of community service. I explained to the prosecutor that he was a young kid in high school with no record. I sent in a copy of his high school transcript showing that he had decent grades. The Result: Once my client completed the ADI school and the community service hours, the state amended the charge to reckless driving. He got a withhold of adjudication (no conviction) and the fine was $500. He is eligible to seal his record too. He and his parents were very happy with the result and the fact that we kept his record clean.
Domestic Battery Dropped to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client and his wife had been having marital problems for some time. One night, they went out to a restaurant and then made the mistake of going out to a bar after. They both had been drinking heavily and it did not go well. At the bar, it was alleged that my client became upset at his wife for flirting with other men. When they went to leave, they got into an argument in the parking lot and it was alleged that he shoved her. He then left her at the bar, which really got her mad. When the police were called and she reported what had happened, he was arrested for domestic battery. He bonded out, but was forced out of the home and could not have contact with his wife. The Case: He moved in with family and began doing the domestic violence classes. His wife hired a lawyer to represent her. He reached out to me and explained her position. She just wanted him to get help with his anger and drinking and then she would take him [...]
Domestic Battery Dropped 18 Days After Arrest
Facts: My client and her boyfriend had been drinking on New Year's Eve. They got into an argument and eventually, it turned physical. My client's boyfriend alleged that she jumped on his back and scratched him. The police were called and she was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery. The Court Case: At her first appearance, her boyfriend came to court and told the judge that he did not want her prosecuted. He asked for contact with her and it was granted. She was fortunate that the case was heard by a judge covering the holiday because the judge that normally handles these hearings would not have allowed contact. But, she was lucky and was released on ROR. She hired me to assist her in getting the case dropped. Her boyfriend also hired a lawyer to assist us in getting the case dropped. We had the boyfriend fill out a request not to prosecute and sent it to the prosecutor. The prosecutor also called him and verified that he was not injured and did not want to prosecute. I also called the prosecutor and [...]
DUI Reduced to Careless Driving, a Civil Infraction
Facts: My client was headed through the drive-thru at Wendy's in St. Petersburg. As he pulled out onto Dr. MLK Jr St, he was surrounded by SPPD officers. When they smelled marijuana on him, they gave him field sobriety tests and arrested him. He contacted us to represent him on the case. The Case: There were two issues in the case. The first was why did they stop him? It said on his arrest affidavit that the employees of McDonald's across the street reported that he was sleeping in his car in their parking lot. The second issue was whether he was even impaired. My client denied that he had been to the McDonald's that night. I sent out a subpoena to McDonald's, but the cameras did not catch anything. So, we had to wait for the police reports and their video. We eventually got the 911 call too. In it, the employees of McDonald's said that the person who was passed out was driving a black car and had a black shirt on. To our surprise, the dash cam video from SPPD [...]
Jail Reduced to 60 Days From 365 on Third DUI
Facts: My client was charged with a DUI with a blow over 0.15. He had a public defender for months and contacted me because his case was a mess. It seems that he had prior DUIs out of state, but no one could figure out how many. The prosecutor in Pinellas County was asking for a lot of jail and threatened that the case was going to be increased to a felony. My client hired me to figure it out. I immediately had him start DUI school, the Victim Impact panel, and any other conditions he could complete. He was compliant, but then violated his bond when his ankle bracelet alerted for alcohol. Thus, he was sent to the Pinellas County Jail while I tried to figure things out. The Prosecutor announced in court that they were seeking one year in jail as a penalty. Things were not looking good. The Case: We first researched how many prior DUIs there were. We found two, not three as the prosecutor thought. But, even with two DUIs, this current case should have been a felony. [...]
Misdemeanor Warrant for Failure to Comply Dismissed
Facts: My client was visiting Florida a year ago. He rented a boat and during the trip got a ticket for driving too fast in a no wake zone. He went back home and due to some mix up, the ticket did not get paid. He went on about his life until he got a notice in the mail that he had to be in court on a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest! He wrote to the judge and explained the situation, but he never heard back. He then hired me to straighten out the problem. The Case: I researched what had happened. When the boating ticket for $116 did not get paid, the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office charged him with Failure to Comply, a misdemeanor. A warrant for his arrest was issued. My client is a businessman from out of state who had never been in trouble before. He clearly never meant to commit a crime. The fact that he was now being charged with a misdemeanor and might have to go to jail over a $116 ticket was ridiculous. I [...]
Warrant for Felony Possession of Marijuana Reduced to Misdemeanor
Facts: Two years ago, my client was in Clearwater on vacation with her family. She was from Michigan where marijuana is legal. She had a medical marijuana card in Michigan, but when the state made recreational marijuana legal, she let it lapse. She was heading to Clearwater Beach when she parked in a no parking zone and a Clearwater police officer on an ATV approached her. He smelled marijuana and asked to search the car. She told him that she had a jar of marijuana that she had brought with her from Michigan. In it was over 50 grams of marijuana. She said that she didn't know that you needed a medical marijuana card in Florida. He seized the jar and let her go. The Case: She went home to Michigan and two years later found a felony warrant from Pinellas County on a background check. The Clearwater officer had turned the case in to the prosecutor who filed the charge. The case has been sitting with an active warrant for two years. She had no idea. She hired me to fix the [...]
Stalking Injunction Filed By Neighbor Dismissed by Judge
Facts: My client and his wife own a house on the intercoastal in Indian Rocks Beach. It is a vacation home, so they come to Florida to relax on the water and near the beach. New neighbors moved in and began running a commercial fishing charter operation from their dock. This meant that every morning two or three men would park at the neighbor's house, go out on the boat for the day and then return in the evening. Once they returned, they would clean the boat, restock the coolers with ice, refuel the boat with a gas tank hooked up to a pickup truck, and otherwise prep for the trip the next morning. On occasion, flocks of seabirds would be on the deck trying to get scraps of fish or bait. The operation of the charter business upset my client who simply wanted peace and quiet. After asking his neighbor to stop without success, he knew he had to get the authorities involved. He took photos and videos of the workers of the charter business working on the boat. He then submitted [...]
Domestic Battery By Girlfriend With Rollling Pin Dropped
Facts: My client and her boyfriend live together in Treasure Island. Over Thanksgiving, they got into an argument while she was cooking. They began yelling at each other and she allegedly hit him with a rolling pin. She left the house angry. The boyfriend was not injured, but he called the police anyway. Treasure Island PD responded and took his story. She was not there, so they weren't able to speak to her. But, because he told the police that she hit him with a rolling pin, they had probable cause to arrest her for domestic battery. She came home later that evening and the couple reconciled. But, the following morning, the police cars were again circling her house. She knew that they were there for her and she called me. I knew that if they found her, they would arrest her. There was simply nothing that I could do to prevent that. We decided to turn her in directly to the Pinellas County Jail late at night so that she could be booked and then she would have her court date in [...]
Domestic Battery Dismissed After Client Removed From DVP
Facts: My client had no prior record and moved to Florida to be closer to her mother and family. She had a longstanding feud with her sister, but moved in with her and her mother while she found a job and got established in Pinellas County. The conflicts with her sister over the care of their mother started immediately. There was a lot of tension in the home over who was doing what and when. One evening, my client was supposed to leave for work and her sister was late to turn over the caretaking duties. An argument ensued that became physical. There were no injuries, but the sister alleged that my client pushed her. She called the police. The police responded and arrested my client for misdemeanor domestic battery. The Case: I immediately had my client enroll in domestic violence counseling. The court issued no contact with the home, which meant that my client could not see her mother. Also, because her sister controlled the home phone, my client could not call to speak to her mother. My client's sister was very [...]
Burglary with Battery Felony by Husband on Wife’s Ex Dropped
Facts: My client and his wife have been married for several years and have children together. He had never been in trouble before and owned a successful business. His wife had been married before and her son with her ex-husband is a teenager. The ex-husband has been a constant source of issues with the family. Needless to say, both the step-son and the ex-husband do not like my client. Over the years, the wife has reported many problems with her ex, but she still had to have contact with him due to the shared custody of their son. However, the most recent issue was the most severe yet. The wife was at her work for the weekly exchange of her son. During the drop off, an argument ensued that led her to call 911 on her ex. She also called my client, her current husband, in tears and asking for help. My client panicked when he got the call, jumped in his car and drove to her work to help her. When he got to the office, the ex was still there. He [...]
Aggravated Battery Against Neighbor Dropped to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client lived alone in his neighborhood. A few months before this incident, a fellow resident bought the home next to him and began remodeling it. Over the months, my client began to get annoyed by the constant debris and noise. But, the two men never had any words. One afternoon, while the renovations were going on, my client walked outside and found his neighbor's dog unleashed and going to the bathroom on his property. He picked up a small bag of fertilizer that was sitting next to the door and threw it toward the dog to scared it off. The bag didn't hit the dog, but the neighbor saw it and got mad. An argument ensued. The neighbor picked up a piece of wood from the construction and walked toward my client. My client responded by grabbing a 4' wooden level off his porch and chased down the neighbor. He struck the neighbor several times with the level. The police were called and arrested him for felony aggravated battery. It was a serious charge. The Case: Even though the neighbor picked [...]
Stalking Charge Against Ex-Girlfriend Dropped
Facts: Several years ago, my client had a girlfriend. They broke up under bad circumstances and went their separate ways. They hadn't spoken in 3-4 years. One day, my client began thinking about her and was wondering what ever happened to her. My client had no way to contact her, so my client drove to where she worked. My client found her car, looked inside the windows, and then pulled on the door handles to see if it was open. All the doors to the car were locked and my client left. Unbeknownst to my client, the ex-girlfriend's co-worker was outside smoking a cigarette and saw the whole thing. The co-worker reported it and the business pulled the security footage. The ex-girlfriend immediately recognized my client and called the police. The charge was investigated as a misdemeanor stalking crime. It was sent to the Office of the State Attorney in Pinellas County for further investigation. The Case: I was hired and immediately contacted the investigating officer. He confirmed that he would not arrest my client unless he was told to do so by [...]
State Drops Charges Removing Out of State Warrant
The Case: My client was arrested for Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and Trespassing in 2011 for an incident that occurred while she (in her early 20's at the time) was intoxicated. The State Attorney's Office ultimately only filed the misdemeanor charge, but my client had moved out of Florida and the judge issued a warrant when she failed to appear for court. She contacted our office 10 years later when she found out about the warrant when her employer ran her background. The Result: Once my client learned about the warrant she contacted our office to see if we could help. She was worried about losing her job. We gathered information from her and reached out to the State Attorney's Office and let her employer know we were working on her case. My client had done substance abuse counseling after her arrest in Pinellas County and we provided proof of that to the prosecutor along with other mitigation. Ultimately, the prosecutor agreed to drop her charges and entered a Nolle Prosequi which resulted in her warrant being removed. My client was [...]
Success Stories
Concealed Firearm Charge Reduced to Misdemeanor
Facts: My client was downtown in St. Petersburg late at night waiting for a friend. While he was waiting, someone approached his car and asked for a ride home. Not having anything else to do, he agreed. He drove a short distance, but the person refused to get out of the car. Now concerned for his safety, he headed back downtown and sought out the police. When he parked, he took his firearm out of the car and put it in his waist. He then approached the police and asked for help. While speaking to the police, they asked him if he had any weapons, and he replied that he was carrying his firearm. He explained that he did not want to leave it in the car with this person who was acting strangely. The police immediately arrested him for felony carrying a concealed firearm. (By the way, they did nothing to the person who he asked for help from.) The Case: My client immediately went out and completed a firearm safety class. I then explained the situation to the prosecutor and asked [...]
Warrant from Gators on Treasure Island Dismissed
Facts: My client is 57 and lives in New York. In the late 90s, she worked at Gators on the Pass on Treasure Island. For those of you who remember, it was a wild and crazy place. My client became unhappy about how she was being compensated and quit. She claimed that she was owed money, so took with her checks in the amount of $582. She went on with her life and eventually moved to New York where she raised four children. Meanwhile, in 1998, the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County received a case wherein Gators had complained about her taking the checks. A warrant for grand theft was issued. It was a felony. The warrant was outstanding for all these years and she had no idea. My client went to Canada in 2022 and was stopped at the border. They claimed there was a warrant for her arrest from Florida and would not let her enter the country. She then contacted me. The Case: Gators is now closed and there was never much to the case. There was no way [...]
Disorderly Conduct Charge for Sex on Beach Dropped
Facts: My clients work in the service industry and decided to go to Pass-a-Grill Beach after their shift around 10:30 pm. It was dark out and they got the idea to go skinny dipping. They thought they were alone. One thing led to another and...the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office showed up. When the police arrived, they were sitting on the beach. The man was nude and the woman was covered in a towel. As I said, it was dark out, but a passerby had called the police to report that the couple were having sex. It was not witnessed by the police, but they were both arrested. The charge for each was disorderly conduct. They were taken to the Pinellas County jail and each had to be bonded out after several hours. The Case: I was retained by them both and went to work. Since the alleged sex was not witnessed by the police and the witness was anonymous, I wondered what proof of disorderly conduct there was. It was dark out, so there was no way that their nudity could have affected [...]
Disorderly Intoxication at Beachcomber on St. Pete Beach Dismissed
Facts: My client was on vacation with his wife on St. Pete Beach. He lives out of state and it was his first time visiting the area. He drank way too much at the Post Card Inn and was trespassed. He walked back to the Beachcomber Hotel and tried to keep drinking there. The staff became concerned about his behavior and called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He was arrested for disorderly intoxication and taken to the Pinellas County Jail. The Case: My client had no prior record and had a significant job that was at risk with this arrest. I put together a letter explaining the circumstances and sent it to the prosecutor. I followed up with a phone call. We discussed having my client get into alcohol treatment, but decided to wait. The Result: About three weeks after the arrest, the charges were dropped. My client can now have his record expunged if he chooses. He was very happy.
First Time DUI Reduced to Careless Driving!
Facts: My client was driving his friend home and allegedly took too wide of a turn. A patrol deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office saw the wide turn and started following him. As my client drove, the deputy said that his tires touched the white line twice. The deputy stopped him. My client stated that he was taking his friend home and that they had consumed a few drinks at his home beforehand. The deputy asked him out of the car and had him perform field sobriety tests. He was then arrested for DUI and taken to the Pinellas County Jail and asked to blow. His breath test results were 0.6, which is under the legal limit. The deputy then asked for a urine sample, which my client provided. Even though he had blown under the legal limit, he was still arrested and charged with DUI. The Case: My client hired me to defend him in the case. The first thing that I wanted to see were the results of the urine screen. As my client had told me, it came back [...]
Warrant from 2003 Dismissed for Out of State Resident
Facts: My client used to live in Clearwater many years ago in 2003. Apparently, he wrote a check to Publix that bounced. The case was sent to the State Attorney's Office and they filed a felony charge against him. By that time, he had already moved out of state and never knew about it. Recently, he had a background check performed that discovered the warrant. He decided to be proactive and get it handled. He hired me. The Case: I reached out to the prosecutor who handles the old felony warrants. She assigned an investigator to look into it. We received a letter stating that if he paid the check and some other fees via a cashier's check, then the charges would be dropped. My client immediately took care of that. The Result: Once the prosecutor received the payment, the old charge and the warrant from 2003 was dropped.
Disorderly Conduct and Violation of CCW Permit Dropped
Facts: My client was on vacation on St. Pete Beach with friends. He left his hotel to go pick up dinner and on the way back, he walked through the patio of another hotel beach bar. As he walked through, there was another customer that was being unruly with security. Somehow, my client got involved in this and the customer began fighting with him. Security called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and two deputies responded. My client was arrested for disorderly conduct. He was searched and in his front pocket was a firearm. He was also charged with a violation of his CCW permit because it was alleged he was at a bar with the firearm. The Case: My client was very upset about how he was treated by law enforcement. His arm was twisted and yanked hard by the police for no reason. He was also adamant that he was not at a bar with the firearm. He was on the patio near the bathroom. The Result: I presented a lengthy letter about how he did not violate his CCW permit because [...]
Domestic Battery Reduced to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client had never been in trouble before, but he and his wife argued a lot. During this incident, they were arguing and his wife fell to the ground on top of one of their children. She called the police and claimed that he pushed her down. The child was taken to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to be checked out. The child was fine. The St. Petersburg Police Department responded to the home and arrested my client for domestic battery. He was released from jail on a $5,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with his wife or children. He also was ordered to have a GPS ankle bracelet on. After his release, Child Protective Services also got involved and ordered the family into counseling. The Case: I immediately had my client begin domestic violence counseling classes. I also had his wife sign a request not to prosecute. But, even with those efforts, the State decided to charge him with the domestic battery. After the charge was filed, we again asked for it to be dismissed. The State offered him [...]
Hillsborough County Warrant from 2012 Dropped
Facts: My client hired me to fix a warrant that had been active since 2012. The warrant was from Hillsborough County and was for failure to return a leased vehicle. He called me from another state and asked me to see what I could do to fix it. The Case: In 2012, my client was in Tampa and rented a car from Enterprise. He was supposed to drop it back off at the same rental place in Tampa. Instead, he kept the car past the rental date, drove out of state, and dropped it off at an Enterprise there. In the meantime, Enterprise reported the car stolen. Without ever arresting him, the State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough County filed a criminal felony charge against him for failing to return the leased vehicle. The charge sat there since 2012 with an active warrant for his arrest. My client continued on with his life and became a successful business man with a family. He decided that he needed to clean up the warrant so that he could come to Florida without being arrested. The Result: [...]
Trespass Charge at the Beachcomber Dropped
Facts: My client and his family were visiting St. Pete Beach with another family. The adults went out one evening to eat dinner. On their way back, they walked through the Beachcomber. As they got to Jimmy B's, there were some unruly guests causing a commotion on the deck area. My client's friend got involved in the commotion. Security guards arrived and picked out the friend as the problem. The Pinellas County Sheriff was called and detained my client's friend. My client began to film the Deputy while he was arresting his friend. He was asked to leave, but wanted to stay to help his friend. He also was then arrested for trespassing from the Beachcomber. The Case: I had my client provide me with all of the information about the night, the video, as well as a full description of his background. I submitted it all to the prosecutor and followed up with a phone call. The Result: About two weeks after the arrest, the trespass case was dropped. While unfortunate, this incident should have no effect on my client's job or [...]
License Suspensions Cleared for Two People After Too Many Points
Facts: I had two clients who recently got notices in the mail that their licenses were suspended due to too many points. It seems that they both simply paid tickets, thus triggering the points on their driver's licenses. One client was only 17 and it meant that his mother was going to have to drive him around for the next year, which she was not happy about. The other client had a bad history of speeding and had just been arrested for driving on a suspended license. So, he needed relief quickly. The Cases: I found the most recent tickets in Pinellas County and filed Motions for Reconsideration. In the motion, I explained the suspension issues, that my clients had paid the tickets without a lawyer and without knowing that their licenses would be suspended. I then set the case for a hearing in front of a county court judge. The Results: The judge heard the motions and granted the reconsideration. He changed the tickets to withhold of adjudication, which means no points. For this benefit, the judge made both of my clients [...]
Racing Charge on Gandy Bridge Dropped to Reckless Driving
Facts: My client is 18 and is a senior in high school. One evening, he and a bunch of friends went to the Gandy Bridge and began racing on it. Of course, the Florida Highway Patrol was there waiting for them. My client was arrested for racing on a highway. The Case: He and his family hired me to defend the case. I asked him to do the 12 hour ADI school and 20 hours of community service. I explained to the prosecutor that he was a young kid in high school with no record. I sent in a copy of his high school transcript showing that he had decent grades. The Result: Once my client completed the ADI school and the community service hours, the state amended the charge to reckless driving. He got a withhold of adjudication (no conviction) and the fine was $500. He is eligible to seal his record too. He and his parents were very happy with the result and the fact that we kept his record clean.
Domestic Battery Dropped to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client and his wife had been having marital problems for some time. One night, they went out to a restaurant and then made the mistake of going out to a bar after. They both had been drinking heavily and it did not go well. At the bar, it was alleged that my client became upset at his wife for flirting with other men. When they went to leave, they got into an argument in the parking lot and it was alleged that he shoved her. He then left her at the bar, which really got her mad. When the police were called and she reported what had happened, he was arrested for domestic battery. He bonded out, but was forced out of the home and could not have contact with his wife. The Case: He moved in with family and began doing the domestic violence classes. His wife hired a lawyer to represent her. He reached out to me and explained her position. She just wanted him to get help with his anger and drinking and then she would take him [...]
Domestic Battery Dropped 18 Days After Arrest
Facts: My client and her boyfriend had been drinking on New Year's Eve. They got into an argument and eventually, it turned physical. My client's boyfriend alleged that she jumped on his back and scratched him. The police were called and she was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery. The Court Case: At her first appearance, her boyfriend came to court and told the judge that he did not want her prosecuted. He asked for contact with her and it was granted. She was fortunate that the case was heard by a judge covering the holiday because the judge that normally handles these hearings would not have allowed contact. But, she was lucky and was released on ROR. She hired me to assist her in getting the case dropped. Her boyfriend also hired a lawyer to assist us in getting the case dropped. We had the boyfriend fill out a request not to prosecute and sent it to the prosecutor. The prosecutor also called him and verified that he was not injured and did not want to prosecute. I also called the prosecutor and [...]
DUI Reduced to Careless Driving, a Civil Infraction
Facts: My client was headed through the drive-thru at Wendy's in St. Petersburg. As he pulled out onto Dr. MLK Jr St, he was surrounded by SPPD officers. When they smelled marijuana on him, they gave him field sobriety tests and arrested him. He contacted us to represent him on the case. The Case: There were two issues in the case. The first was why did they stop him? It said on his arrest affidavit that the employees of McDonald's across the street reported that he was sleeping in his car in their parking lot. The second issue was whether he was even impaired. My client denied that he had been to the McDonald's that night. I sent out a subpoena to McDonald's, but the cameras did not catch anything. So, we had to wait for the police reports and their video. We eventually got the 911 call too. In it, the employees of McDonald's said that the person who was passed out was driving a black car and had a black shirt on. To our surprise, the dash cam video from SPPD [...]
Jail Reduced to 60 Days From 365 on Third DUI
Facts: My client was charged with a DUI with a blow over 0.15. He had a public defender for months and contacted me because his case was a mess. It seems that he had prior DUIs out of state, but no one could figure out how many. The prosecutor in Pinellas County was asking for a lot of jail and threatened that the case was going to be increased to a felony. My client hired me to figure it out. I immediately had him start DUI school, the Victim Impact panel, and any other conditions he could complete. He was compliant, but then violated his bond when his ankle bracelet alerted for alcohol. Thus, he was sent to the Pinellas County Jail while I tried to figure things out. The Prosecutor announced in court that they were seeking one year in jail as a penalty. Things were not looking good. The Case: We first researched how many prior DUIs there were. We found two, not three as the prosecutor thought. But, even with two DUIs, this current case should have been a felony. [...]
Misdemeanor Warrant for Failure to Comply Dismissed
Facts: My client was visiting Florida a year ago. He rented a boat and during the trip got a ticket for driving too fast in a no wake zone. He went back home and due to some mix up, the ticket did not get paid. He went on about his life until he got a notice in the mail that he had to be in court on a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest! He wrote to the judge and explained the situation, but he never heard back. He then hired me to straighten out the problem. The Case: I researched what had happened. When the boating ticket for $116 did not get paid, the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office charged him with Failure to Comply, a misdemeanor. A warrant for his arrest was issued. My client is a businessman from out of state who had never been in trouble before. He clearly never meant to commit a crime. The fact that he was now being charged with a misdemeanor and might have to go to jail over a $116 ticket was ridiculous. I [...]
Warrant for Felony Possession of Marijuana Reduced to Misdemeanor
Facts: Two years ago, my client was in Clearwater on vacation with her family. She was from Michigan where marijuana is legal. She had a medical marijuana card in Michigan, but when the state made recreational marijuana legal, she let it lapse. She was heading to Clearwater Beach when she parked in a no parking zone and a Clearwater police officer on an ATV approached her. He smelled marijuana and asked to search the car. She told him that she had a jar of marijuana that she had brought with her from Michigan. In it was over 50 grams of marijuana. She said that she didn't know that you needed a medical marijuana card in Florida. He seized the jar and let her go. The Case: She went home to Michigan and two years later found a felony warrant from Pinellas County on a background check. The Clearwater officer had turned the case in to the prosecutor who filed the charge. The case has been sitting with an active warrant for two years. She had no idea. She hired me to fix the [...]
Stalking Injunction Filed By Neighbor Dismissed by Judge
Facts: My client and his wife own a house on the intercoastal in Indian Rocks Beach. It is a vacation home, so they come to Florida to relax on the water and near the beach. New neighbors moved in and began running a commercial fishing charter operation from their dock. This meant that every morning two or three men would park at the neighbor's house, go out on the boat for the day and then return in the evening. Once they returned, they would clean the boat, restock the coolers with ice, refuel the boat with a gas tank hooked up to a pickup truck, and otherwise prep for the trip the next morning. On occasion, flocks of seabirds would be on the deck trying to get scraps of fish or bait. The operation of the charter business upset my client who simply wanted peace and quiet. After asking his neighbor to stop without success, he knew he had to get the authorities involved. He took photos and videos of the workers of the charter business working on the boat. He then submitted [...]
Domestic Battery By Girlfriend With Rollling Pin Dropped
Facts: My client and her boyfriend live together in Treasure Island. Over Thanksgiving, they got into an argument while she was cooking. They began yelling at each other and she allegedly hit him with a rolling pin. She left the house angry. The boyfriend was not injured, but he called the police anyway. Treasure Island PD responded and took his story. She was not there, so they weren't able to speak to her. But, because he told the police that she hit him with a rolling pin, they had probable cause to arrest her for domestic battery. She came home later that evening and the couple reconciled. But, the following morning, the police cars were again circling her house. She knew that they were there for her and she called me. I knew that if they found her, they would arrest her. There was simply nothing that I could do to prevent that. We decided to turn her in directly to the Pinellas County Jail late at night so that she could be booked and then she would have her court date in [...]
Domestic Battery Dismissed After Client Removed From DVP
Facts: My client had no prior record and moved to Florida to be closer to her mother and family. She had a longstanding feud with her sister, but moved in with her and her mother while she found a job and got established in Pinellas County. The conflicts with her sister over the care of their mother started immediately. There was a lot of tension in the home over who was doing what and when. One evening, my client was supposed to leave for work and her sister was late to turn over the caretaking duties. An argument ensued that became physical. There were no injuries, but the sister alleged that my client pushed her. She called the police. The police responded and arrested my client for misdemeanor domestic battery. The Case: I immediately had my client enroll in domestic violence counseling. The court issued no contact with the home, which meant that my client could not see her mother. Also, because her sister controlled the home phone, my client could not call to speak to her mother. My client's sister was very [...]
Burglary with Battery Felony by Husband on Wife’s Ex Dropped
Facts: My client and his wife have been married for several years and have children together. He had never been in trouble before and owned a successful business. His wife had been married before and her son with her ex-husband is a teenager. The ex-husband has been a constant source of issues with the family. Needless to say, both the step-son and the ex-husband do not like my client. Over the years, the wife has reported many problems with her ex, but she still had to have contact with him due to the shared custody of their son. However, the most recent issue was the most severe yet. The wife was at her work for the weekly exchange of her son. During the drop off, an argument ensued that led her to call 911 on her ex. She also called my client, her current husband, in tears and asking for help. My client panicked when he got the call, jumped in his car and drove to her work to help her. When he got to the office, the ex was still there. He [...]
Aggravated Battery Against Neighbor Dropped to Disorderly Conduct
Facts: My client lived alone in his neighborhood. A few months before this incident, a fellow resident bought the home next to him and began remodeling it. Over the months, my client began to get annoyed by the constant debris and noise. But, the two men never had any words. One afternoon, while the renovations were going on, my client walked outside and found his neighbor's dog unleashed and going to the bathroom on his property. He picked up a small bag of fertilizer that was sitting next to the door and threw it toward the dog to scared it off. The bag didn't hit the dog, but the neighbor saw it and got mad. An argument ensued. The neighbor picked up a piece of wood from the construction and walked toward my client. My client responded by grabbing a 4' wooden level off his porch and chased down the neighbor. He struck the neighbor several times with the level. The police were called and arrested him for felony aggravated battery. It was a serious charge. The Case: Even though the neighbor picked [...]
Stalking Charge Against Ex-Girlfriend Dropped
Facts: Several years ago, my client had a girlfriend. They broke up under bad circumstances and went their separate ways. They hadn't spoken in 3-4 years. One day, my client began thinking about her and was wondering what ever happened to her. My client had no way to contact her, so my client drove to where she worked. My client found her car, looked inside the windows, and then pulled on the door handles to see if it was open. All the doors to the car were locked and my client left. Unbeknownst to my client, the ex-girlfriend's co-worker was outside smoking a cigarette and saw the whole thing. The co-worker reported it and the business pulled the security footage. The ex-girlfriend immediately recognized my client and called the police. The charge was investigated as a misdemeanor stalking crime. It was sent to the Office of the State Attorney in Pinellas County for further investigation. The Case: I was hired and immediately contacted the investigating officer. He confirmed that he would not arrest my client unless he was told to do so by [...]
State Drops Charges Removing Out of State Warrant
The Case: My client was arrested for Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and Trespassing in 2011 for an incident that occurred while she (in her early 20's at the time) was intoxicated. The State Attorney's Office ultimately only filed the misdemeanor charge, but my client had moved out of Florida and the judge issued a warrant when she failed to appear for court. She contacted our office 10 years later when she found out about the warrant when her employer ran her background. The Result: Once my client learned about the warrant she contacted our office to see if we could help. She was worried about losing her job. We gathered information from her and reached out to the State Attorney's Office and let her employer know we were working on her case. My client had done substance abuse counseling after her arrest in Pinellas County and we provided proof of that to the prosecutor along with other mitigation. Ultimately, the prosecutor agreed to drop her charges and entered a Nolle Prosequi which resulted in her warrant being removed. My client was [...]
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