Recent Blog Posts
Florida Domestic Battery Laws
According to Florida, battery is a violent crime that involves intentionally making physical contact with someone with the intention of causing physical pain or physical injury. Battery and assault are different crimes, although many defendants have faced charges both for assault and for battery as the result of a single incident (such as a… Read More »
When Does A Dietary Supplement Become An Illegal Drug?
Most of the items you find at gas station convenience stores where you stop in the middle of the night on road trips are the same as products you would find at a supermarket in the daytime, such as sunflower seeds, candy bars, potato chips, soda, and bottled coffee drinks. The pills in the… Read More »
Yes, You Can Go To Prison For Failing To Report Child Abuse Or Neglect
Reports from members of the public are an important first step in many criminal investigations. Whistleblowers have stopped financial crime operations before they could steal or defraud people out of more money. Tips from neighbors or family members about someone they had reason to believe was plotting a violent crime have saved lives. Likewise,… Read More »
Is It DUI If You Sleep In A Parked Car When You Are Drunk?
There is no law against sleeping in your own car in a parking lot, and in this age, when everyone is overworked and sleep-deprived, and given how cars are virtually the only transportation option in Florida, most of us have done it on at least one occasion. In some cases, though, the fact that… Read More »
Ketamine Chic And Other Bogus Reasons To Send In The Drug-Sniffing Dogs
Imagine if, during a trial in a drug possession case, a police officer who had arrested the defendant during the incident that led to the charges told the jury that he or she conducted the traffic stop because of a broken taillight or expired tags but then decided to search the vehicle for drugs… Read More »
Florida Open Container Laws
Did you know that you could get a citation in Florida for opening a beer can in your car, even if you have not taken the first sip? Did you know that it is illegal for Uber and Lyft passengers to drink while the ride is in progress? Florida’s laws against possession of an… Read More »
Possession Of Stolen Property In Florida
Can you get criminal charges for theft even if you didn’t steal anything? Not exactly. If items in your possession got to you after being stolen, you can face charges for possession of stolen property. On the surface of the matter, possessing stolen property sounds like it would be a less serious offense than… Read More »
The Field Test Said That The Drug Mixture In Your Car Contained What?
The field tests that police use at traffic stops are notoriously subjective and unreliable. A 20-year-old gymnast can successfully walk an imaginary tight rope whether she is sober or drunk, but a 60-year-old who takes blood pressure medication would have trouble with that task, even if she hasn’t consumed a drop of alcohol in… Read More »
Is It Theft If You Forget To Pay For An Item At Self-Checkout?
Self-checkout lines at supermarkets and other retail stores were a sign of next generation efficiency just a few years ago, but during the pandemic, they became ubiquitous. In order to protect their customers and employees and to continue operating and avoid restrictions on commerce, stores encouraged customers to pay for items in ways that… Read More »
When Does Florida Charge Minors As Adults?
Teens have heard the warnings that, if they get in trouble with the law, the arrest only stays on their record until age 18, at which point they get a fresh start and that, except in the case of the most serious crimes, such as murder, the worst-case scenario is that you will have… Read More »
