Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Two St. Johns County residents were arrested last week after police raided a home thought be a methamphetamine lab. Both were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a drug dwelling, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police had been tipped that there was a meth lab inside, and had been called to the same house before, the newspaper reported.
Manufacturing methamphetamine is a second-degree felony in Florida with a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison, and is by far the most serious of the three charges. Possession of methamphetamine is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and maintaining a drug dwelling is a misdemeanor. Because judges can chose to sentence people separately on each crime, both Alison Walsh and Robert Horsley Sr. are facing up to 20 years in prison on the two felonies and one year in county jail on the misdemeanor. Not all drugs are equal when it comes to St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases, and methamphetamine crimes carry more severe penalties than other drugs. For example, possession of ANY amount of methamphetamine is an automatic felony. If someone is accused of possession of marijuana in a St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case, the charge is still a misdemeanor until the suspect has more than 28 grams. There is a huge difference between misdemeanors and felonies. For starters, misdemeanors are punishable only by time in the county jail – not in state prison. And it plays a huge difference for the person when he or she is trying to find a job as many companies and professions prohibit the hiring of convicted felons.
Arrests for manufacturing methamphetamines have been on the rise, and many of those arrests have come in St. John’s County. The production of methamphetamine releases toxic chemicals into the air, and many St. Johns County Drug Crimes cases with meth have come from hotels and apartment complexes. Because the fumes are toxic, the penalties increase when meth is being produced in the presence of children. What may seem like a minor amount of a drug can lead to serious consequences – depending on the drug. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney has represented people accused of possessing all different types of drugs and knows the various penalties that you or your loved one could be facing.
If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.