Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Can You Get Criminal Charges For Chroming?
Every week, the news media comes up with something new for adults to panic about, usually something apparently dangerous that teenagers are doing on social media. This week, the Internet is abuzz about chroming, which the young generation apparently thinks it invented, if the news reports are to be believed. Of course, chroming is… Read More »
Nebbia Holds
Whether the state allows you to post bail or keeps you detained until trial is mostly beyond your control, although legal remedies are available if the state keeps you detained unfairly when you have not been convicted of a crime. Some people want to abolish cash bail entirely, while the Bill of Rights only… Read More »
Could You Be Extradited From Florida To Another Jurisdiction?
South Florida is a gateway to the world. Just look at the array of languages and national flags in Sawgrass Mills mall. While we are on the subject of Sawgrass Mills, South Florida is where people go to be seen and to bend the rules; it is also where people have close encounters with… Read More »
Habeas Corpus And Florida Criminal Cases
The confusing thing about legal terms is not that they are in Latin, but when you translate them into English, it is still not always clear. For example, “habeas corpus” means “you shall have the body,” but which body is it, and what does it mean to have it? Doesn’t everyone have a body? … Read More »
Yes, You Can Get Criminal Charges For Not Taking Care Of Your Pets
Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility, as parents remind every fourth grader who insists that he can take care of that adorable bunny, hamster, or iguana in the pet shop window all by himself. When kids fail to provide adequate care for pets, the parents usually rise to the occasion, grumbling… Read More »
Iso, Fentanyl’s Scarier Cousin, Makes An Appearance In Palm Beach County
It is hard to imagine a scarier drug than fentanyl. In a medical setting, it is safe, because the doses are tiny, and doctors and nurses carefully monitor patients who are receiving fentanyl so that they can reverse its effects if a patient begins to show signs of respiratory depression. On the street, though,… Read More »
How Easy Is It For Forensic Science To Tell Which Twin Did It?
DNA testing revolutionized forensic science. It brought resolution to cold cases and exonerated wrongfully convicted people who had previously had nothing to support their claims besides their own certainty that they were telling the truth. Video recordings have also enabled prosecutors to make more accurate claims. There is much more room for doubt about… Read More »
Your Employer Can Take Adverse Actions Against You Even Before A Jury Finds You Guilty Beyond A Reasonable Doubt
You can sue your employer for employment discrimination if your employer takes an adverse action against you because of a protected characteristic, such as your race, age, sex, national origin, religion, family status, or disability. Likewise, you can sue for retaliation if your employer fires you for engaging in a protected activity such as… Read More »
South Florida Entrepreneur Who Avoided Conviction On Drug Charges Faces New Case
If you get arrested on suspicion of a crime, it could mean that your life will never be the same. The only way that your case can truly go away is if you get acquitted at trial or if the court dismisses the charges; the latter scenario is more common, since only a small… Read More »
Who’s Afraid Of Scopolamine?
One might argue that the legal status of various drugs is based on lawmakers’ subjective associations with them. It is not hard to find documentaries about how the media spread stereotypes about various ethnic minorities being fond of various intoxicating substances, and how this was the catalyst for the criminalization of these drugs. The… Read More »
