October 16, 2017

Drinking and driving in Saint Petersburg to get even more costly

A new article from the Tampa Bay Times discusses new changes that makes getting a DUI in Saint Pete even more costly.

Just passed by the city council, a new ordinance now calls for a $500 fine plus towing/storage costs for drunken drivers if they want to get their vehicle out of the impound lot post-arrest. The SPPD will need additional training in this matter before they start enforcing this new rule. It is not known when it will go into effect. Also not known? If a person who is later found to be not guilty or not under the influence at the time will be able to have their money refunded.

A city council member remained unmoved. “Difficult consequences to poor decisions is what changes behavior. “Call Uber, call a taxi, save a whole lot of money and probably a life. There’s just too many easy ways to save the $500.”

With this ordinance, Saint Petersburg becomes the first city in the Tampa Bay area to add a fine to get your car back from impound. Hillsborough and Pasco officials both denied wanting a similar law in their area.

With over 445 dui arrests in Saint Petersburg so far this year, members hoped this new law will make tipsy drivers think twice before getting behind the wheel. City council voted 6-2 on this new law with the two members who voted against the ordinance stating worries about due process and an extra burden on certain driviers who could not afford the additional expense.

October 6, 2017

Nebbia Holds: Part 2 of 4

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Is There An Amount Of Bail That Encourages A Nebbia Hold To Occur?

It is the type of crime that generally warrants the Nebbia hold, so obviously a fraud case where it is alleged that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been taken, the court wants to know that those illegal takings are not being used to then bond the person out, or similar to the drug trafficking cases. They want to be sure that if you can imagine someone like drug dealer Pablo Escobar, he just had just garbage cans full of money and so it is easy for him just to bond it out with cash.

Since it was so easier for him to bond out, he is not going to have any incentive to come back to court or to face these charges because he has so much illegal money that he did not get from a legitimate source that if the court takes the bond money, he or she does not care and they will not come to court because all the money came from the alleged crime itself.

September 27, 2017

When a Court Can (and Cannot) Find You in Direct Criminal Contempt in Your Florida Criminal Case

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

If you or a loved one are facing criminal charges in Florida, there are many things with which you’ll likely need to concern yourself. However, one thing that you likely won’t expect to have to address is being found in criminal contempt of court unless you engage in some very improper behavior. In the case of one man facing drug charges, the Second District Court of Appeal reversed a contempt finding against him because he neither disrupted nor embarrassed the trial court. For all of the twists and turns of your criminal case, it is important to have an experienced Florida drug crime lawyer defending you at every step along the way.

The case began when Ulysses was arrested in Hillsborough County on multiple drug charges, including cocaine possession, marijuana possession, and drug paraphernalia possession. On the morning of the man’s scheduled hearing, the man’s lawyer asked the court to “pass the case” (meaning to delay it briefly) because he and the prosecution were working on a plea deal, and he needed to discuss the terms with his client. Eventually, Ulysses’ attorney informed the prosecutor that he couldn’t ethically go forward with discussing plea deal terms with the defendant because the lawyer was concerned that the defendant was impaired.

The judge called the lawyers to the bench, where the defense lawyer acknowledged, under questioning from the judge, that he smelled alcohol in the vicinity of the defendant. The judge then put the defendant under oath and asked him if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Ulysses said no. The judge then ordered the defendant taken into custody and tested for drugs or alcohol.

September 19, 2017

Nebbia Holds: Part 1 of 4

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

What Is A Nebbia Hold In Florida?

A Nebbia Hold or a Nebbia requirement are bail source hearing as it is often called is the ability for the court to inquire the source of the bail money. It oftentimes happens in drug trafficking cases where the accusation is for a large quantity of drugs with a large quantity of payment. The rationale behind it is that the court feels that if you have a lot of money and it is easy to bond out that you will not come back for your court appearance. So the state attorney’s office often places a Nebbia Hold on the client and the client cannot bond out until a Nebbia Hearing has been scheduled.

At that Nebbia Hearing, it is up to the defendant to prove to the judge that a source of the bail money is from a legitimate source. The term Nebbia came from a court case, it is called U.S. vs. Nebbia and it is cited at (357 F.3d 303, it is at 2nd Circuit 1966). Essentially it involved several kilos of heroin and the judge ruled that because there was such a large amount of money that the defendant may not appear to court until legitimate sources of funds be used. So the name comes from a court case that basically dictated that the court does have the authority to inquire the legitimate source of bail money.

August 30, 2017

Mental Competency, Plea Bargains, and Your Florida Criminal Case

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

In a criminal case, there are many technical and procedural rules that can affect your case. Sometimes, those rules may serve as an impediment to your case, but, at other times, those rules (and the proper utilization of them by your Florida drug crime attorney) can be massively beneficial to your case. For one man facing drug charges in DeSoto County, the rules related to determinations of mental competence and plea bargains gave the defendant a renewed opportunity in his criminal case to escape from the plea deal he’d previously made.

The defendant, George, was arrested in December 2013 and charged with multiple crimes related to drugs and to resisting police officers. Eighteen months later, George was determined to be not competent to proceed. Some time later, two doctors determined that the defendant was competent. The court set a trial date, and, on the day of trial, the defendant agreed to a plea deal. He pled guilty to four charges and received a sentence of 36 months plus 24 months’ community control.

The defendant later sought to invalidate his plea agreement. The defendant noted to the court that, although two doctors had found him to be competent, there had never been a court order entered in which the judge declared him to be legally competent, so his plea deal was involuntary. The trial judge rejected these arguments and declined to void the plea agreement.

August 16, 2017

Domestic Violence E-Book, Part V

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Common Questions When Defending Domestic Violent Cases in Florida

What Strategies Are Used To Defend If Someone Is Going To Agree To Some Level Of Guilt? Also, What If Somebody Simply Didn’t Do Anything Wrong?

The lawyers of Blake & Dorsten P.A. have over a hundred combined jury trials and can be very aggressive in litigating cases. If someone’s innocent and they maintain their innocence, that they didn’t do anything wrong, it’s vital to preserve your constitutional rights. If need be, set the case for trial, get the police reports and let the jury decide the outcome. So, that’s one possible scenario.

August 3, 2017

Domestic Violence E-Book, Part IV

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

How Often Do Domestic Violence Cases In Florida Involve Alcohol and Drugs?

How Often Are Domestic Violence Cases Related To Alcohol And Drugs?

Oftentimes when a situation turns physical, it’s because the emotions are running hot and alcohol and potential drugs act as fuel to the fire of those emotions. Drug or alcohol-related domestic violence cases are common because drugs and alcohol tends to exaggerate a situation that may already be a little bit emotional.

July 17, 2017

Absence of Price Tags or Other Credible Evidence Helps Florida Defendant Win Petit Theft Conviction Appeal

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

When you or a loved one stands trial for a crime, it is important to put up the most vigorous defense possible, even when the crime in question is only a misdemeanor. Even misdemeanors can have serious consequences, and the difference between, say, a first-degree misdemeanor and a second-degree misdemeanor can be substantial. In a recent case of theft from a Walmart, the state managed to secure a conviction of first-degree petit theft, even though it lacked hard proof that the goods allegedly stolen were worth more than $100. Because of that shortage of evidence, the Fourth District Court of Appeal threw out that first-degree petit theft conviction.

June 19, 2017

What to Do When You’re Questioned by Law Enforcement Officers in Florida

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

There are a lot of things anyone should understand when being questioned by the police. First and foremost, when the police are asking you questions, they’re often not there to help you; they’re seeking to obtain information that will help secure an arrest in a criminal matter. That’s not intended as an insult to those who wear the uniform, but it’s just a statement of fact –- that it is the job of the police to investigate potential crimes and, when appropriate, make arrests. Thus, unless the officer who approached you did so because your car has a flat tire on a busy highway, the chances are that the “helpful” officer talking to you is actually trying to get useful information relevant to a case on which they are working.

Also, be aware that whatever you say is likely to be regarded with suspicion by an officer, even if they give no outward signs of that or even appear empathetic. As the main protagonist of a popular TV show set in Florida once opined, “spies spend their lives telling lies, [while] cops spend their careers listening to them.” All that is to say that, when you find yourself being questioned by law enforcement officers, your first instinct should be to protect yourself legally, and that means getting a lawyer. A recent Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling in a South Florida case provides a useful example of this.

June 15, 2017

Domestic Violence E Book, Part Three

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Difference Between Assault, Battery, And Domestic Violence

Domestic violence can be assault or battery; domestic violence is just an act that is done against a spouse, a former spouse, an adult related by blood or marriage or even somebody who has a child in common.

An assault is an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to another coupled with the ability to do so, creating fear that violence is imminent. For example, if somebody shows their fist and says, “I’m going to hit you” and take a swing at them, even if they miss, that is assault.