Facts:
My client was on vacation from out of state with his wife and two other couples. They stayed at the Sirata Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach. The couples purchased the “all you can drink” package, which turned out to be a mistake.
The first night of the trip, my client drank too much and started getting loud at the bar. A security guard tried to calm him down and asked him to go to his room. He refused and the security guard called the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested for disorderly conduct. According to the police, he was also given a verbal trespass notice. There was no paperwork given to him and no one told his wife. In his state of intoxication, he had no idea that he was not supposed to return to the Sirata.
After bonding out, he went back to the Sirata and spent the day there. The couples spent the day at the beach and then went to eat dinner. While they were at dinner, the same security guard from the night before approached him, called the police again and had him arrested for trespassing.
Needless to say, two back to back nights of arrests and being kicked out of the hotel ruined the vacation. The group had to scramble to find another place to stay. Everyone was mad at him.
The Case:
The disorderly conduct case was dropped before I was hired. My client hired me to handle the trespassing case. Our defense was that he was not given anything in writing and that he had no idea that he was not allowed back at the hotel. I submitted the witness information to the prosecutor and his explanation about what happened. Fortunately, she agreed and dismissed the charge.
Result:
All charges were dismissed and my client does not have to return to Florida to handle this matter.