Category Archives: Criminal Law
The Exclusionary Rule of Search and Seizure: An Overview
April 2, 2015 The prohibition against unlawful search and seizure is fundamental to our country’s justice system. Both the U.S. and the Florida Constitutions guarantee freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures by law enforcement officers. Sometimes, however, police officers and other officials violate this rule, and sometimes that leads to the discovery of evidence that would not… Read More »
Child Pornography Laws in Florida
March 31, 2015 Daniel Scott Saull, a youth basketball coach for the city of Boca Raton, was arrested recently and charged with possession of child pornography. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office traced images of child pornography to Saul’s IP address, and found pictures and videos of children, mostly girls, engaging in sexual acts with… Read More »
Proposed Changes in Florida’s Direct File Law
March 26, 2015 Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, is sponsoring a bill that would limit the instances in which juveniles can be tried as adults in Florida. House Bill 783 would limit the use of “direct file,” or charging a juvenile as an adult. Currently, prosecutors may charge juveniles who are at least fourteen years old as… Read More »
Concealed Carry Laws in Florida
March 22, 2015 The Florida House Criminal Justice Committee recently approved HB 4005, a proposal to permit the concealed carry of firearms on college campuses. Lawmakers began reconsidering the ban after a November shooting at Florida State University. However, the bill is likely to face opposition in the Senate. Florida is one of twenty states with… Read More »
Community Corrections
May 20, 2015 In Florida, there are several alternatives to jail time available. Depending on the type of offense, an offender may be able to avoid incarceration by complying with certain conditions and restrictions. Probation Probation is court-ordered supervision for a specified period of time, which may not exceed the maximum sentence available for… Read More »
Open Carry Laws in Florida
March 17, 2015 The Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled last month against Dale Norman, who was convicted of a second degree misdemeanor after his 2012 arrest for openly carrying a holstered gun. Norman appealed his conviction, arguing that it was a violation of both the state and federal constitutions to ban the open carry… Read More »
Domestic Violence in Florida
March 13, 2015 An eighteen year old Jupiter man, Daniel Leneve, was arrested last week after a naked, drug-fueled rampage through a house, shouting that everyone in the house was going to die. Leneve and his seventeen year old girlfriend of six months had both taken LSD. According to a witness, he tossed his girlfriend around… Read More »
Carjacking
May 13, 2015 A man in Orange County recently carjacked three women and then caused a car accident involving several vehicles. He fled to a parking lot after stealing from a Gap store, and then carjacked an SUV, driving off with the three women that were inside. A deputy noticed the commotion and followed… Read More »
More Stringent Domestic Violence Laws Proposed In Senate Bills
March 10, 2015 Two bills planned to be introduced to the Florida State Senate would close loopholes in Florida law allowing domestic violence perpetrators harass their victims. State Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, is planning to sponsor both bills in the upcoming legislative session. One bill, Senate Bill 342, would prevent those arrested for domestic… Read More »
Terms of Probation in Florida
March 6, 2015 In Florida, courts often order probation as a penalty in a criminal conviction. Probation is a form of court-ordered supervision requiring that the probationer report to a probation officer and comply with the terms of the probation. Violation of probation is a criminal offense, and can result in probation being revoked and… Read More »
