According to an article on tbo.com, Sarasota is seeing a disturbing rise in teenagers and young adults committing murders. The article quotes Sarasota Police Chief Bill Spitler as saying over the past few years most of the city’s murder victims have been killed by teens or those just above the adult threshold. He added that the department has not arrested anyone in these murders above the age of 19.
Even more disturbing than the age of the alleged murders in Sarasota is the victims they are killing. Most are innocent people according to Spitler. Looking at the murder victims and you’ll find an Iraq war veteran who was killed in the middle of the day at a gas station. Or William Holley who is believed to have been killed because he drove down the wrong street at the wrong time. The trend isn’t isolated to Sarasota as there has been a 55% increase in the number of young adults charged with murder or manslaughter in Florida since 2003.
If you have been charged with a crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact a qualified Criminal Defense Attorney. Call Sarasota Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourFelony.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.
Monthly Archives: September 2009
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Man Accused Of Texting In Fatal Crash Faces Manslaughter Charge
A judge in California is allowing prosecutors to move forward with a charge of manslaughter against a man who is accused of killing a pedestrian due to being distracted while texting. An Associated Press story on the Bradenton Herald website reports that Martin Kuehl is facing manslaughter charges after he struck and killed an Orange County woman who was crossing at a crosswalk.
Kuehl is facing up to nine years in prison on the charges that his defense attorney tried to have reduced to a misdemeanor. The judge, while noting that the defendant was not texting at the exact time of the accident, he did have his cell phone in his hand and prior to the crash had been texting back-and-forth. He will now stand trial for gross vehicular manslaughter as the judge ruled the accident was caused by more than ordinary carelessness.
If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
BRADENTON CRIMINAL BLOG: Missed Court Appearance Leads To Discovery Of Marijuana, Cocaine and Heroine
A Manatee County 32-year-old is facing eight charges following an alleged missed court appointment according to a story on-line at the Sarasota Herald Tribune website. Dennis Smalls was arrested at his home Saturday when he resisted arrest and caused deputies to stun Smalls twice with a Taser.
Once in custody, deputies searched Smalls’ car and found 85 packets of heroine, marijuana and crack cocaine. Smalls now faces eight charges including driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest and contempt of court.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDrugCrime.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.
FLORIDA DUI BLOG: Woman Looks For Reduced Sentence Following DUI Plea In Fatal Crash
The list of tragic DUI accidents in Hernando County seems to be a long one lately. One of those cases has resurfaced despite the fact the defendant in the case already accepted a plea that included a sentence of 13 years in jail. Barbara Diffendal pled guilty to DUI causing an accident that took the life on Jeanine Bethoney but according to an article in Hernando Today’s online newspaper, the woman is telling her side of the story in hopes of a reduced sentence.
A motion has been filed by Diffendal asking that her sentence be reduced. She tells a story of how she had tried to have a friend drive her to work after she had a couple of beers but when her ride failed to show she took to the roads with her daughter in tow. While driving Difendal says all the light’s on her dashboard began to flash and the car swerved. She tried to regain control of the car but overcompensated and ended up jumping the median and causing the head-on collision. She claims she left the scene to use the phone having no idea how serious the accident was. Blood tests later showed Difendal had a blood-alcohol content of 0.05, which is below the legal limit but she also had cocaine in her system. She is asking for house arrest following the mandatory four years in prison.
If you have been charged with a DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida DUI Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDUI.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.
SARASOTA CRIMINAL BLOG: Confession Of Man Accused Of Killing His Mother And Grandfather Thrown Out
A Manatee County judge’s ruling that an accused murderer’s confession should be thrown out was upheld by the Second District Court of Appeal according to an article on Bradenton.com. Bradenton police detectives violated the rights of Clifford Davis by questioning him before and after reading him his Miranda Rights according to the ruling.
Davis admitted to killing his mother, having sex with her dead body and then going to the mall to shop according to court documents. His grandfather picked him up from the mall and upon returning to the apartment where he earlier killed his mother he killed his grandfather by standing on his neck until he died.
Prosecutors have charged Davis with two counts of first degree murder and are seeking the death penalty. Despite asking for an attorney, police continued to question Davis for hours. He eventually confessed to the crimes.
If you have been charged with a crime in Sarasota or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourCase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N Washington Blvd.
St. PETERSBURG CRIMINAL BLOG: Police Are Investigating Cocaine Found At Pinellas County Fire Station
A criminal investigation is underway in St. Petersburg following the discovery last week of cocaine in a fire station washing machine. The investigation is occurring on two fronts according to the St. Petersburg Times. The first is a criminal investigation by narcotics detectives. The second is being conducted by police internal affairs officers.
The cocaine was found a week ago in a small plastic bag. According to reports many firefighters were doing laundry at the time the illegal drug was discovered and that fire fighters from all over the city rotate in and out of Station 8. Police officials have not released any other details at this time.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourPinellasArrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.
FLORIDA DUI BLOG: Woman Arrested For DUI Nearly Runs Over Deputy During Stop
Tracey Brown was driving without her headlights on Monday night in Hernando County. Two deputies had just finished a traffic stop when they noticed the 48-year-old’s car heading towards them according to an article in Hernando Today online. The deputies motioned for Brown to pull over and while complying with the request she nearly hit one of the officers.
According to police reports Brown pulled over and nearly struck one of the deputies with her car before swerving to avoid the police officer. When Brown stopped her vehicle deputies approached and noticed signs of impairment and then gave Brown field sobriety tests, which she reportedly failed. The deputies then arrested the woman on DUI charges.
If you have been charged with a DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida DUI Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at FightYourDUI.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Hillsborough County Courthouse Spokesman Charged With Drug Possession Following Hit-And-Run
Calvin Green, the spokesman for the Hillsborough County Courthouse, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance after he admitted to owning a bag of marijuana and a pipe according to police reports published on the St. Petersburg Times website. Police spotted the pot and paraphernalia at Green’s home while investigating a hit-and-run.
The discovery of the drugs came when an officer was doing a follow up investigation on a traffic crash and saw one of the cars, believed to belong to the suspect, in the driveway of the 56-year-old Green. The officer tried to get someone to answer the door at the house but when nobody did, he began walking around the Tampa home where he spotted the suspect asleep inside. It was at this time the officer apparently spotted a bag of marijuana and pipe. Upon a search of his home, officers found 19 grams of marijuana inside.
If you have been charged with a crime in Hillsborough County please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: Polk County Man On Probation For Stalking Captured After Removing Monitoring Bracelet
Manuel Lopez is on probation for aggravated stalking a 14-year-old. Part of the terms of his probation was house arrest which was monitored by an ankle bracelet. Lopez removed the ankle bracelet last week and police began a search for the Mulberry resident according to a story published on tbo.com.
Lopez, 42-years-old, was tracked down at a Domino’s Pizza in Plant City according to the sheriff’s office where he was placed under arrest. The Plant City Police got a tip that Lopez was at the Domino’s. Family members feared he was on the run with his 73-year-old father but that did not turn out to be the case.
If you have been charged with a crime in Hillsborough County please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
TAMPA CRIMINAL BLOG: East Tampa Arrestee Claiming He Was Beaten By Tampa Police
A 20-year-old East Tampa man who was booked in Orient Road Jail has been charged with resisting arrest as reported on TampaBay.com. Clarence Jones tells a different story claiming he was beaten by an officer while they were pursuing a marijuana arrest. TPD is investigating the man’s charges.
Officer James Neil asked Jones for identification after seeing him and thinking he looked like that he had previously charged with trespassing. At that point the officer said he detected the smell of marijuana, a charge he was arrested on in 2008. When the officer went to search Jones he stiffened up. At that time officers say they took the suspect to the ground but he continued to resist. Officer Elvin Cruz admitted striking the suspect in the face to break his focus and the tactic was successful.
If you have been charged with a crime in Hillsborough County please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren FInebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.