Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

June 16, 2022

What Happens If You Refuse A Field Sobriety Test?

Nobody lives their lives expecting to get pulled over for driving under the influence one day. Still, it’s a good idea to understand your rights, be aware of your legal options, and know when to hire a DUI attorney just in case.

In most states, if the police pull you over for suspected DUI, they may ask you to perform field sobriety tests to ascertain whether or not you are driving intoxicated. Law enforcement often does this when they have a strong suspicion that you’re drunk driving and need evidence to confirm it.

What are Field Sobriety Tests?

June 8, 2022

Important Things To Know About Traffic Violations

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Driving is incredibly convenient and allows us to go from one place to another. This can be handy in Florida, where there are many iconic locations to travel to, like Disney World, Kennedy Space Center and Miami Beach. However, Florida is also notorious for having one of the highest tickets issued to drivers. This is why it has been dubbed by many as the Citation State. In fact, it has the most tickets issued after the states of California and New York. As a result, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles earns about $1.4 billion every year. Therefore, it helps to learn about traffic violations in the state to avoid paying fines and contributing to such a vast amount of money from tickets. If you are unsure where to learn about violations, we have you sorted out. This article will look at some essential things you should know about traffic violations in Florida.

The categories of traffic violations

Traffic violations come in three categories that are ranked based on the severity of the acts or actions. These are:

May 26, 2022

Citizen Informants Versus Anonymous Tipsters, And How the Difference May Impact Your Florida Criminal Case

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Informants have many different names. To some, their name is a “responsible member of society doing their civic duty.” To others, their name is narc, snitch, or rat. What’s important, if you’re facing criminal charges, is not what you’d call them, but what Florida law calls them, as the answer to that may pay huge dividends in your defense. An experienced Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyer can help you put together the most persuasive case, including making this and other crucial distinctions.

As an example, we can look at the DUI case of a St. Petersburg woman. Officers arrested the woman for leaving the scene of an accident (in addition to DUI.) Part of what led law enforcement to the woman was a statement provided by an informant.

The critical question in this woman’s case — and in cases like it — was… what kind of informant?

April 25, 2022

‘Willfulness’ and How It Can Be the Key to Successfully Defending Against a Probation Violation Charge in Florida

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

In Florida, you can be in violation of the terms of your probation for many, many different reasons. Even something as simple as missing an appointment with your probation officer can lead to revocation of your probation and a sentence of years behind bars. While the state has the authority to find you in violation for a host of reasons, the burden during your probation hearing always falls on the prosecution to prove each element of the violation, not for you to prove that you didn’t violate. That means that, with the help of a skilled Tampa Bay probation violation lawyer, you have many ways to defeat the state’s case, whether it’s affirmatively disproving the violation or simply persuading the court that the state didn’t meet its burden of proof.

Take, for example, B.W., a Pasco County man charged with misdemeanor petit theft in 2019. He pled no contest and the court sentenced him to 12 months of probation. The court also ordered him to pay court costs and fines, and to perform 50 hours of community service.

By late September of that year, the state was back in court seeking a judgment that B.W. had violated his probation. The prosecution alleged that the man had stopped showing up for appointments with the probation department, had failed to pay the fines and court costs he owed and had failed to perform his community service.

April 8, 2022

Learn How Simple It Is To Look Up Accident Reports

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

1. Hire an Accident Records Referral Service

Accident records referral service is a company that specializes in accident reports. They have a well-trained network of people to help you look up accident reports. When you hire an accident records referral service, they will make every effort to learn more about this accident as soon as possible. They have a vast network of people that are looking for accident reports and may have the answer to your question about accident reports for a loved one. They can also ask for the police report on your behalf. You can find accident reports online with the help of accident records referral services.

2. Select The State Your Accident Occurred

March 24, 2022

A Look Back on the Movie Theater Shooting Case and the Details of the Florida Statute that Helped the Defendant Secure an Acquittal

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

By now, the story of the retired police captain who shot and killed a fellow movie-goer in Pasco County has become extremely well-known, especially here in Florida. We can all debate what each man could and/or should have done differently, but this isn’t about that. Instead, this post is to focus on some legal aspects of the case that were less well-known and the lessons one can draw from this case, starting with the value of having the right Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyer on your side when you’re facing major felony charges.

To recap, Curtis Reeves, a retired police captain, was attending a matinee movie with his wife when he became frustrated with a nearby man who was texting. The captain spoke out, an argument ensued, then the other man threw Reeves’ popcorn at him. Shortly thereafter, Reeves drew his gun and shot, fatally wounding the man.

The prosecution argued that Reeves was insulted by the popcorn-throwing and shot in a fit of rage. The defense argued that Reeves shot in self-defense.

March 11, 2022

What You Should Ask Before Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

While an initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer is used to help you get a professional evaluation of your case, it should also be used to help you evaluate the skills and integrity of the attorney. Since the quality of your lawyer will contribute to the outcome of your case, it’s important to look for the best possible attorney to represent you.

Do You Have Experience Handling My Kind of Case?

When seeking any type of legal advice, the one thing you will commonly hear is that it’s important to seek out an experienced attorney. While this is important, it’s more important to find a lawyer with the specific type of experience you require for the handling of your case. This goes beyond differentiating between a criminal defense attorney and a personal injury lawyer in Lakeland FL or your local area.

February 14, 2022

Encounters With the Police, the Definition of Police Custody, and When the Police Must Read You Your ‘Miranda’ Rights in Florida

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Comedian Ron White once described an interaction with police outside a bar thusly: “I had the right to remain silent… but I didn’t have the ability.” The reality is that “adult beverages” have made a lot of people say things they later wished they hadn’t. If something you or a loved one drunkenly said could potentially be harmful in a criminal case, you need every resource you can get to try to exclude those statements from your trial. Make sure that the main resource you secure is the services of a skilled Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyer.

Last spring was apparently a prolific time for these kinds of scenarios here in the Sunshine State. Back in April, police encountered a 28-year-old woman outside a bar in St. Petersburg allegedly drunk and offering lap dances to passersby. The police said the woman first asked them if they were going to “bang her” and, later, asked if they were going to shoot her.

In May, Ocala police responded to a report of a woman in a bikini trespassing at a motel pool. The Dunnellon woman was “verbally aggressive,” and told police that the hotel manager reported her solely because the female manager was “jealous that her body looked good.”

February 9, 2022

Reduce Work-Related Injuries: Strategies to Create a Safe Working Environment

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Every year, workers suffer from several work-related injuries that range from tendonitis to muscle sprains, and in extreme cases, nerve damage. Human resource (HR) managers, therefore, are required to oversee many tasks to provide a safe working atmosphere for their staff.

The 1970 Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) is in place to ensure workers operate under safe working conditions. The act allows the enforcement of workplace safety policies and helps employers to provide a suitable working environment by offering training and research for everything related to work safety. The following are strategies that HR can use to provide a safe working environment for their staff.

Know the Rules and Regulations

January 20, 2022

Modern Technology, Remote Witness Testimony, the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment, and Florida Criminal Trials

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Modern technology has touched all areas of life. Things that would have been impossible 50 years ago are common today. Even with the application of modern technology, all the rights and privileges established by the constitution remain in place. A prosecutor inevitably doesn’t want to lose a child witness’s testimony due to the child’s fear or lose an ill person’s testimony because poor health prevented their travel. However, the Constitution still requires that a criminal defendant be confronted by the witnesses against him. That’s true whether the witness is 10 feet away in the courtroom or thousands of miles away on a video feed. Ensuring that all your rights — including the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause rights — are protected is an essential part of any criminal defense, and is just one area among the many where it pays to have a skilled Tampa Bay criminal defense attorney on your side.

Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court issued a very important ruling in a case involving these issues of modern technology and constitutional rights.

The underlying crime was the double murder of a couple who lived together just north of Fort Lauderdale. The prosecution’s star witness was the accused man’s mother. The state wanted her to testify about the suspect’s allegedly having taken the couple’s credit cards and SUV, driven to the mother’s home in the stolen vehicle, disposed of certain pieces of evidence while there, and ultimately dumped the stolen vehicle at a Walmart store near the mother’s home.