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Police arrested eight people following a fight they say involved more than 100 people in a Clay County parking lot.  Many of the people involved were juveniles, according to a report on News4Jax. Police were called to the scene because of a massive fight and then made several arrests. Many of the arrests were for carrying a concealed weapon, the television station reported. At least one of the men involved was also charged with marijuana possession after police found drugs on him during the arrest. Misdemeanor drug charges are not uncommon in similar cases where police are called to the scene for a fight or disturbance and then end of making arrests.

On the concealed weapons charges, there are different charges that can be applied, depending upon the type of weapon the person is accused of having. If the weapon at issue is a gun, the charge is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison. However, if the weapon is a knife or something else other than a firearm, then the charge is misdemeanor and there is no possibility of state prison – only time in the county jail. There are also likely to be some battery charges or other charges related to fighting – if police can determined who was involved in the fight. In some cases, surveillance video can be used in identifying people involved, though a scene with 150 people may be too chaotic for anything that can be used to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt. What may be more likely to help prosecutors is when people who are facing charges start talking to police in hopes of getting a reduced sentence.

Some of the people who have been charged in this Clay County Battery Case are juveniles – and others are 18 so they will be prosecuted through the adult court system. If children are charged as juveniles, their arrest reports and documents are not public record. There are other differences in being charged as an adult and a juvenile – particularly the length of the sentence that can be issued. But there are also many similarities. For juveniles, there are five different levels of incarceration – ranging from what amounts to house arrest to what is essentially a prison for teens.   Our Clay County Criminal Defense attorney represents people facing all types of criminal charges – from misdemeanors to felonies, from juvenile crimes to cases in traditional court. Our Clay County Felony Attorney will examine the facts of the case against you or your loved one and lay out the potential options and consequences so you can determine how to proceed.

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Once facing multiple felonies and decades behind bars in a St. Johns County Drug Case, a couple accused of growing massive amounts of marijuana in their home agreed to a deal that puts them on probation but keeps them out of prison.  Police initially charged the couple with trafficking in marijuana and several other felonies, saying the couple produced more than 40 pounds of marijuana in their rented home, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The couple was also charged with serious felonies including manufacturing marijuana and possession of a place or structure for trafficking or manufacturing a controlled substance, the newspaper reported. Instead, both of the people involved pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. Possession of marijuana with the intent to sell is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison, while the drug paraphernalia charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail. Still, the defendants in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case were sentenced only to three years of probation.

As the case turned out, it appears that detectives and the state may have significantly overplayed their hand. Trafficking in marijuana is a first-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison that also has a minimum mandatory sentence of three years in state prison. The state dropped that charge, as well as the possessing a place for manufacturing or trafficking a controlled (a second-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison) and the manufacturing marijuana charge (a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison). So that’s a potential 60 years in state prison on charges the state just dropped. That is rare to find in St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases. The couple initially told police they were growing the drug for medicinal use and did nothing wrong

Now while pleading guilty is technically an admission of guilt, it can also be a procedural move to get the case resolved and receive a sentence that is manageable, rather than push the case to trial and risk a stiffer punishment – particularly when there is a minimum mandatory sentence involved.  Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney represents people arrested on all types of drug charges, from misdemeanor marijuana possession on up to felony trafficking charges that have a minimum mandatory sentence. Our St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney will investigate the case against you and provide information so you or your loved one can make the best decision moving forward.

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A Jacksonville teen was arrested on charges of making a false bomb threat that forced police and school officials to put his high school on lockdown earlier this month.  After the threat was called in, police searched the campus but did not find anything on the property, according to a report on News4Jax. Police said that a teacher told them the student confessed to her, but the student has since denied that’s what he told her, the television station reported. Police say the student has offered different stories, but both involve someone else using his cell phone to make the call, the television station reported. Still, he was arrested more than a week after the threat was called in and charged with making a hoax bomb threat. The charge is a second-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison.

The charge is somewhat complicated by the fact the student is just 15 years old. In Jacksonville Juvenile Crimes Cases such as this when teenagers are arrested on felony charges, prosecutors have the authority to make the decision on whether to charge the child as a juvenile or as an adult. Prosecutors can choose to keep the case in juvenile court, or they can decide the youth should be prosecuted in adult court. In some cases, prosecutors are seen as being tougher on crime by sending juveniles to adult court. However, the juvenile court system is there for a reason – with recognition that youth can make mistakes and be seriously punished, but not have those mistakes affect the entire rest of their life.

When a child or teen pleads guilty to or is convicted of a Jacksonville Juvenile Crime, there are five different incarceration options a judge can issue to the boy or girl. They range from a modified house arrest on up to what amounts to a prison for juveniles. The misconception that if teens are tried in juvenile court they are not punished is simply not true. It’s simply a recognition that it a 15-year-old boy who makes a mistake and calls in a bomb threat to his school probably doesn’t need to be serving time in adult state prison.   Our Jacksonville Juvenile Crimes Attorney represents teens and children accused of a variety of different crimes, including felonies like this case. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney will examine the facts of the case explain the ramifications so you can make the best decision going forward.

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Police arrived on the scene of what they thought was a theft investigation, but came upon what they now say was a mobile methamphetamines lab.  Officers were called because of a man stealing items from a Wal-Mart, but say they discovered more than $1,700 worth of stolen items used to manufacture meth, according to a report on News4Jax. Various chemicals are combined to manufacture meth, and it is becoming increasingly common for mobile meth labs to be discovered in cars, apartments and hotel rooms. Now, the man is facing multiple felony charges, including trafficking in methamphetamines, manufacturing methamphetamines and possession of methamphetamines. Trafficking in methamphetamine is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in state prison. Manufacturing the drug and possession of meth are both second-degree felonies with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in state prison. Police also found cocaine on the man when he was arrested and charged him with larceny for the items he allegedly stole from the store. Both of those charges are third-degree felonies and each have a maximum prison exposure of five years in state prison.

So if the defendant in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case was convicted of all counts and sentenced to the maximum, he’d be looking at 70 years in state prison.  While that is highly unlikely, he is facing very serious charges. In St. Johns County Drug Crime Cases, the charges are based on two primary factors: the type and amount of the drug the person is accused of possessing. For example, one of the charges in this case is trafficking in methamphetamines. While this charge sounds like the man is accused of selling large quantities of the drug, it has nothing to do with selling drugs. Trafficking charges are based solely on the amount of the drug the person is accused of possessing. In St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases involving meth, the trafficking amount begins at 14 grams. As a comparison, drug charges involving marijuana are still misdemeanors at that amount. Trafficking charges also have minimum mandatory sentences that apply based on the amount of the drug the person is accused of possessing.

Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes attorney represents people facing all types of drug charges, from misdemeanor marijuana possession on up to trafficking in or manufacturing methamphetamines. Our St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney will thoroughly investigate your case and provide you or your loved one with the information you need to make a decision on how to proceed.

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A St. Johns County man was arrested when police say he arrived to meet someone he thought was an underage girl for sex.  Police said the man arranged the meeting online and detectives were waiting for him when he showed up, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The man is charged with travelling to meet a minor for sexual activity and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. The travelling to meet a minor charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison. The unlawful use of a communications device charge is a third-degree felony with a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Typically, these types of St. Johns County Sex Crimes cases are part of a larger sting by several law enforcement agencies where a couple of dozen men are arrested over several days. These stings were part of the national spotlight after the popular Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator series used hidden cameras to show the men walking up to the houses and being arrested. This St. Johns County Sex Crimes Case, however, is not part of a larger sting and it was not clear in media reports how police learned of the man’s intentions.  In these types of St. Johns County Sex Crimes Cases, the defendants are usually chatting online with an undercover officer, though they think it is a teen on the other end of the computer. Because of that fact, police and prosecutors generally have a word-for-word transcript of who the defendant said – which can typically be read in front to a jury of the St. Johns County Sex Crimes Case ends up in trial.

If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to this St. Johns County Sex Crimes charge, he would have to register as a sex offender. That requires checking in with police at least twice a year, and notifying police within 48 hours of moving residences. Once a person moves, neighbors are then notified that a sex offender has moved into the neighborhood.  There are lasting consequences for people who plead guilty to or are convicted of a St. Johns County Sex Crime. Our St. Johns County Sex Crimes Attorney knows all of the ramifications and can explain them to you or your loved one in detail so you can make an informed decision on how to proceed with the case.

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Two months after a Jacksonville man lost control of a sport-utility vehicle and crashed, killing a passenger in his car, the man was arrested on multiple charges.  The man was arrested this month for his role in the October crash, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police said the man was speeding when he hit a median, the newspaper reported. The SUV flipped and then rolled onto another vehicle headed in the opposite direction, the newspaper reported. The passenger in the man’s car was thrown from the vehicle and killed, the newspaper reported. The driver was also ejected from the SUV and tried to run on foot, but was kept on the scene by witnesses, the newspaper reported.

The man was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, driving on a suspended license and three counts of DUI causing property damage. DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide are both second-degree felonies with a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison. Driving on a suspended license is typically a misdemeanor, unless the person has already been convicted of or pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license at least twice before. In this Jacksonville Felony Case, it is charged as a felony. All three charges of DUI causing property damage are misdemeanors and likely stem from hitting the other SUV and road signs or other things along the side of the road where the accident occurred.  Clearly the most serious charges in this Jacksonville DUI Case are the DUI manslaughter and the vehicular homicide charges. The two charges are very similar, though there is one important distinction when it comes to sentencing in this Jacksonville DUI Case. If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a DUI manslaughter charge, there is a minimum mandatory prison sentence of four years. There is not a minimum mandatory sentence in vehicular homicide cases. The delay in the charges for this Jacksonville DUI Case is likely due to police waiting on blood-alcohol level results to come back. Typically, those take several weeks to return and, in Jacksonville DUI Cases like this, police and prosecutors normally wait until they return, even though there was likely strong suspicion the driver was impaired at the time of the crash.

Our Jacksonville DUI Attorney represents people on all types of DUI charges, from a first-time misdemeanor DUI to DUI manslaughter. Police have very specific policies and procedures they must follow when making a DUI arrest. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney knows those rules inside and out, and will investigate the case against you to make sure they were followed.

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A 15-year-old high school student was arrested this month, accused of bringing a loaded gun onto school grounds.  Schools officials were tipped off to a picture posted on social media of a student holding a gun in a school restroom, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. School officials confronted the student and then searched her locker to find the gun in a bag, the newspaper reported. The student was charged with possession of a firearm on school property. The charge in this Jacksonville Gun Crimes Case is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. Police said records show the gun had been reported stolen in Jacksonville about one week before the girl was arrested. There was no indication in media reports that the girl was accused of being involved in stealing the gun and no such charges appeared to be filed.

Because of the number of school shootings across the nation in the past two decades, police and prosecutors take gun charges on school campuses very seriously. Where it becomes complicated in these Jacksonville Gun Crimes Cases, is that most of the defendants are juveniles. Prosecutors then have to make a decision on whether to charge the teen as an adult, or whether to let the case stay in juvenile court. Defendants in these Jacksonville Gun Crimes Cases can be very young and there was an 11-year-old boy charged in a similar case this fall.  Children and teens can face felony charges in juvenile court, and there are varying levels of detention and incarceration, depending on the severity of the charges the child is facing. For example, there are five different incarceration levels – though because this case involves a gun, the two least restrictive options would be off the table. Still, keeping the charge in juvenile court would be far more preferable for the defendant in any Jacksonville Juvenile Crimes Case. The juvenile court system is designed to have an educational and rehabilitative element, with the hope that one mistake will not affect a teen for the rest of his or her life.

Our Jacksonville Juvenile Crimes Attorney represents juveniles charged with all types of crimes – from misdemeanor theft charges up to serious felony gun charges. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney will thoroughly investigate the charges against you or your loved one, then discuss the potential consequences and next steps so you can decide how to move forward.

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A man thought to be facing a felony DUI charge after hitting a woman with his car is now facing the far more serious charge of attempted murder.  The Jacksonville man was originally arrested in October for the July incident where police thought a woman had been hit by a car, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. He was charged with DUI causing serious injury, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. But, in the month he was in jail on those charges, investigators said they now believe the man and the woman had been arguing and he dragged her from the vehicle as she tried to get out of the car, the newspaper reported. Now, the man is facing the additional charge of attempted second-degree murder with a weapon, with the car in this Jacksonville Violent Crimes Case qualifying as the weapon. This attempted murder charge is a first-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 30 years in state prison, so instead of looking at a maximum of 5 years in prison, he’s facing 35 if convicted of both charges in this Jacksonville Felony Case.

Once a person is arrested in a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Case, he or she appears before a judge shortly after the arrest. At that point the judge will set a bond in the case, which the defendant can either pay or otherwise be held in jail until the case resolves. The next step, however, is what’s called an arraignment. That’s when the defendant is formally charged and is asked to enter a plea in his or her Jacksonville Felony Case. In this Jacksonville Murder Case, the state increased the charges between the arrest date and the formal arraignment – which is typically a few weeks. The state uses this tactic in some Jacksonville Murder Cases to simply get a person behind bars while they continue to investigate the more serious charges.

The delay in the initial charge – from July to October – was likely waiting on blood-alcohol test results from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It’s unclear at this point whether police were looking at the man on a murder charge all along, or if they received more information once the man was arrested on the DUI charge.  The rules of criminal law procedure can be complicated and difficult to manage. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney can walk you or your loved one through the process and fully investigate the case so you can make the best decision on how to proceed in the case.

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A female St. Johns County high school teacher has been arrested, accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student in one of her classes.  The investigation began with a tip to school officials last month and the teacher was suspended, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Schools officials handed the investigation over to police, who issued a warrant for the 26-year-old woman’s arrest this month, the newspaper reported. Once the woman learned of the warrant, she turned herself into police and was released from jail on a $10,000 bond, the newspaper reported. The teacher is charged with having unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. The charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison. The charge specifically applies to a person over the age of 24 having sexual contact with a person who is 16 or 17 years old.

In addition to the potential prison time, the woman would likely have to register as a sex offender in the State of Florida. That punishment extends well beyond any term behind bars though, traditionally, women charged in these types of St. Johns County Sex Crimes Cases receive a far reduced sentence than men charged with a similar crime. But, someone who pleads guilty to or is convicted of certain serious sex crimes will have to register as a sex offender and check in with police at least twice a year. And, every time a sex offender moves residences, he or she must notify police within 48 hours or face an additional felony charge with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison. Once the person moves into an area, neighbors are notified there is now a sex offender living nearby. The notification includes the person’s name and address, along with the charge that the person pleaded guilty to or was convicted of.

St. Johns County Sex Crimes can have lifelong ramifications – more so than most other crimes. Pleading guilty to a sex crime can have long-lasting consequences, and our St. Johns County Sex Crimes Attorney can explain those consequences to you or your loved one so you can make an informed decision on how to proceed with you case.

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A nearly yearlong investigation into painkillers being distributed among state prison employees has led to the arrest of 50 people on varying degrees of drug charges.  Nine of the people charged work for the Florida Department of Corrections and all nine have been fired, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The investigation found the ring centered around purchasing large amounts of Oxycodone, a popular pain medication that people also take recreationally, from people with legal prescriptions, the newspaper reported. The first arrests in the case came in June, when undercover officers bought 43 pills from a man who worked at Florida State Prison and is accused of being the main person distributing the pills to fellow corrections officers and other prison employees, the newspaper reported. As police continued to investigate, they found that the man was getting the pills from four large suppliers across the state, including one man in Jacksonville, the newspaper reported.

Several people, including the main distributor at the prison and the supplier in Jacksonville, are charged with trafficking in oxycodone. The charge is a first-degree felony with a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in state prison. In Jacksonville Drug Crimes Cases, the charge and potential punishment are primarily determined by two main factors: the type of drug the person is accused of having and the amount of said drug. For example, in this Jacksonville Drug Crimes Case, even though the sale of drugs is the root of the investigation, the trafficking charge is based solely on the amount of the drug the defendants are accused of possessing. There are several other charges in this case, including conspiracy to purchase or distribute a controlled substance, but the trafficking charges are the most serious.

In Jacksonville Drug Crimes Cases involving Oxycodone, trafficking charges start at 7 grams – which can be just a couple dozen pills. As a comparison, possession of marijuana is still a misdemeanor until a person is accused of having more than 20 grams. But with Oxycodone, not only does trafficking begin at 7 grams, but minimum mandatory sentences kick in. If a person is charged with having between 7 and 14 grams, there is a minimum mandatory sentence of three years in state prison. For between 7 and 25 grams, there is a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years, and that bumps up to 15 years if the person is accused of having between 25 and 100 grams.  In far-reaching cases such as this with multiple defendants, prosecutors often make deals with some of the lower level defendants in exchange for more information about the people they are really targeting. Our Jacksonville Drug Crimes Attorney represents people accused of all types of drug crimes and can help you or your loved one navigate the criminal justice system and make the best decision on how to proceed.

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