There has been a lot written in the Tampa Bay area about Jordan Valdez and the hit-and-run she was involved in that left Melissa Sjostrom dead. The family of the homeless woman is speaking out. In a letter to the St. Pete Times, Sjostrom’s aunt is “livid” that an apparent plea deal is being offered to the 17-year-old Valdez. (read more)
Lisa Mott claimed in her letter to the newspaper that the family of the victim has not been involved with the decision making process, a claim the State’s Attorney denies. Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said the family’s input was sought as it is in all cases. The only information on the plea deal is that it does not involve any jail or prison time.
If you were involved in a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Monthly Archives: July 2009
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Strip Club Shooting Leaves One Man Dead And Another Wounded
A shooting outside a Tampa strip club has left one man dead and another wounded. The shooting took place outside of Sin City, a strip club located on Hillsborough Avenue. A call came in to 911 around 2:15 a.m. and Hillsborough County Sherriff’s deputies arrived on the scene. There were no victims when the deputies arrived on the scene but plenty of people who heard the shots fired. (read more)
Thirty minutes after arriving at the Sin City strip club, police found 24-year-old Marcus Wesley when they were called to 2218 Chelsea Street. He was in the back seat of a Chevy Impala. Police tried to revive Wesley but he died on the scene. About the same time as the first shooting deputies were alerted to another gunshot victim who was brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital in serious condition.
If you were involved in a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
POLK COUNTY CRIMINAL BLOG: Event Coordinator At Country Club Charged With Stealing Nearly $270,000
According to a criminal complaint in Polk County a Lakeland man has been stealing money from the Walden Lake Golf & Country Club for nearly five years. William Kagel was arrested on a Polk County warrant alleging he embezzled nearly $270,000 while working as the country club’s event sales director. (read more)
According to documents Kagel transferred money from the country club’s savings account into a personal account he opened at a Lakeland credit union. The stolen deposits number 168 and the total money taken was $268,169. Kagel offered to pay the country club back with cash and worthless checks according to the complaint.
If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Child Pornography Charges Leveled Against Former Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy
Marvin Thompson, Jr. who spent 21 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department was arrested and charged with child pornography. The 57-year-old allegedly bought and received child pornography three times through the mail and via the Internet. (read more)
The former law enforcement agent is now facing three counts of sexual exploitation of minors and has a hearing scheduled for July 22 in federal court in Tampa. Thompson was arrested by FBI agents and has been indicted by a grand jury.
If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Head Of Tampa General’s Trauma Unit Accused By FDLE Of Hiding Evidence
http://www.fightyourtampadui.com/The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is accusing a prominent Tampa surgeon of concealing evidence in a shooting investigation. David Ciesla, the head of Tampa General Hospital’s trauma unit, was charged with one count of resisting or obstructing an officer without violence and one misdemeanor count of giving false statements to a law enforcement officer after allegedly taking a bullet he removed from a fugitive last month. (read more)
Ciesla told agents that the bullets fired into fugitive Thomas McCoy would need to remain inside the man but a surgery resident claims to have seen Ciesla remove one of the two .40 caliber bullets and hide it in his surgical glove. The 42-year-old trauma surgeon eventually turned the evidence over to FDLE agents. His employers at USF are still determining what actions to take against Cisela who is an associate professor of surgery.
If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
ST. PETERSBURG DUI BLOG: Former Wildlife Officer In Pinellas County Has DUI Charges Reduced
A former officer with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had his DUI charges reduced to reckless driving and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle by a Pinellas Judge. David Salcido, who was charged with DUI in 1988 in Oregon as well, will face similar sanctions as a DUI conviction but will not have that crime on his record following the plea deal. (read more)
Pinellas County prosecutors said they did not think they could convict Salcido on charges of DUI due to a lack of evidence. Salcido refused to take breath or field sobriety tests on the night he was arrested. On top of that, a Florida Highway Patrol officer who spoke to Salcido the night of the arrest told prosecutors that he did not think he was drunk. The FHP officer was the first to arrive on the scene.
If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Pinellas office at 4500 140th Avenue North, Suite #219.
Former Florida State And Lakewood High Star Marcello Church Agrees To Plea In Sex With A Minor Case
This week there was a horrible story that took place in Clearwater where four men have been arrested for paying a 12-year old girl for sex. While the girl told police she consented to sex, a girl of just 12-years of age cannot legally give consent. It is hard to find anyone who can argue a 12-year old girl is capable of making that decision. What about a 17-year old? (read more)
Former Lakewood High star football player Marcello Church, who went on to play at Florida State University, may get lumped into a group with these men in Clearwater due to the crime he was charged with last year. Church was arrested on charges of sex with a minor but it is hard to compare a consensual sexual relationship between a 27-year-old and a 17-year-old to one that took place in Clearwater earlier this week even if the law they are charged under is the same.
Church accepted a plea agreement this week and agreed to a lesser charge of child abuse. An adjudication of guilt was withheld and in addition to four years probation. Church was also ordered not to have any contact with the young woman. It will be hard for Church to go anywhere the rest of his life without having the stigma of child abuse attached to his name even though his “victim” wrote a 2 ½ page letter to the judge in his defense saying she was the aggressor in the relationship and she did not feel Church should be punished any further.
If you or a loved one is in a similar situation, we can help. If you have charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa DUI Arrest Turns Into A Bomb Threat Against Arresting Officer
A Tampa man, who has been convicted for murder and arson in the past, is adding to his criminal record. Scott Lehman of Mulberry was being processed at the police station for DUI charges when he began to threaten Tampa Police Officer Steve Cragg. Lehman said Officer Cragg’s name would be on the next bomb he detonates after he gets out of prison according to reports (read more).
The threats didn’t stop with just the arresting officer. The suspect also mentioned placing a pipe bomb near a school. Lehman was charged with threat to place a destructive device, threat of a public servant, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, DUI with property damage and violation of probation. Lehman previously served an eight-year sentence for a 1985 murder in Tampa.
If you have been charged with a DUI or any felony in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Seminole County Man Charged In DUI Hit-and-Run On Orlando’s Interstate 4
James Defalco of Longwood, Florida faces DUI and reckless driving charges after a Sunday evening crash. The 48-year-old Defalco allegedly was driving his Mercedes Benz on Interstate 4 Sunday evening. According to Florida Highway Patrol reports he was speeding and then rammed his car into Megan Chywski while driving westbound on the highway. (read more)
According to FHP reports the right front of Defalco’s Benz struck the rear left side of Chywski’s Chevrolet causing her to spin out and swerve into the media where her car overturned. She suffered minor injuries. Defalco was spotted by trooper’s near State Road 434 where he was arrested and booked into Seminole County Jail.
If you have been cited for a DUI in Orlando, Seminole or Orange County please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter. Also feel free to stop by our office located at 189 S. Orange Avenue in Orlando.
Young Tampa Boy Will Not Be Charged As An Adult In Murder Of His 5-Week Old Cousin
The tragic story involving a 12-year-old Tampa boy who is accused of killing his 5-week-old cousin in Marietta, Georgia cannot be charged as an adult. According to Georgia law a child must be 13 to be charged as an adult. The 12-year-old was left in the car with his cousin and police have determined it was not for an unreasonable amount of time so the mother will not be charged with any crime. (read more)
The baby girl was left in the car with her cousin out front of a Target store. When she got back to the vehicle the baby wasn’t moving. When police arrived on the scene the baby wasn’t breathing and was taken to the nearest hospital. She eventually passed away after being taken off life support.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco or Brandon please do not hesitate to contact Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.