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Speeds were so high that police called off the chase for an Orlando man driving erratically and topping 100 mph to get away from officers. The vehicle, though, was spotted a short time later and when the suspect tried to run on foot, he wasn’t nearly as elusive, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The man, who lives in Orlando, was eventually caught and charged with Duval County resisting arrest, along with fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer with disregard for safety and property.

Resisting arrest in Jacksonville is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in the county jail, and that charge like stems from the foot chase. Where the suspect faces much more serious consequences is on the fleeing and eluding charge. There are varying degrees of severity on this charge and this Jacksonville Felony Crimes Case falls right in the middle. A simple fleeing and eluding an officer – essentially not pulling over or stopping when asked – is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

If, when doing so, the person “drives at high speed, or in any manner which demonstrates a wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property,” the charge becomes a second degree felony, as it is in this Jacksonville Traffic Case. Second-degree felonies have a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison. If the driving has a wanton disregard for safety and causes a serious bodily injury or death – including to the officer the person is driving away from – the charge escalates to a first-degree felony. That charges carries a minimum mandatory sentence of three years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.

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A substitute school bus driver in Clay County was fired this month for what some say was a choking incident with a 10-year-old student. The driver was fired after she was accused of putting her hand on the throat of a 10-year-old boy who refused to put away a cell phone on a ride home from school, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. While she is no longer employed, the larger issue would be criminal charges. Prosecutors have chosen not to file criminal charges in this potential Clay County Child Abuse case, the newspaper reported.

There is an important distinction in Clay County Criminal Court Cases on discipline that employers can levy and what is provable beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury. Prosecutors have the final say on when charges are filed in a Clay County Criminal Case. For example, once an arrest is made, the state has 40 days to determine whether the or not to file formal charges in a case. And, once charges are filed, the state has six months to take the case to trial, unless the defendant waives that provision and allows the deadline to be extended. There are several factors the state must consider when they are looking to file charges in a Clay County Child Abuse Case. In this case, the newspaper reported there were no video cameras on the bus, so law enforcement would have had to rely solely on statements from witnesses, as well as those from the suspect and the alleged victim. The stories from the boy and the driver, not surprisingly, differed significantly about exactly what happened and police said witness accounts were somewhere in between, the newspaper reported. That was apparently not enough for prosecutors, who appeared to make the right call in this potential Clay County Child Abuse Case. In order for a person to be convicted by a jury in any Clay County Criminal Case, that jury must be unanimous. If just one person on the jury does not agree with a guilty verdict, there is not a conviction.

If the jury cannot agree and is unable to come to a consensus, the result is a hung jury and a mistrial is declared. From there, the case essentially starts over from scratch. The state can decide to drop the charges, negotiate a plea agreement or take the case to trial again. If the Clay County Criminal Case ends up in trial a second time, an entirely different jury is chosen to hear the case. If you think you may be investigated in a Clay County Criminal Case, it can be beneficial to speak with a Clay County Criminal Defense Attorney before you speak with police. You have a right to remain silent and consult with an attorney, but must know that any statements you make to police can be used against you.

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A retired Jacksonville corrections officer was in jail himself this month, accused of paying a minor for a sex act. The man, who retired after 30 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, was arrested after police said he took a teen to a wooded area and paid her $20 to perform oral sex, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The retired officer, 52, is charged with lewd and lascivious battery by encouraging or enticing a person under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity. The charge is a second-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison. He is out on bond, with one of the conditions that he not have contact with minors under the age of 18, a common condition in a Jacksonville Sex Crimes case such as this – provided the person is out on bond.

Details are limited in the case – the newspaper reported much of the police report is redacted because this Jacksonville Sex Crimes Case involves a juvenile. There’s no information how the suspect was caught, who reported the incident, or even if it was part of an undercover sting conducted by police. The area where the incident was reported is often a part of town where police will send an officer on the street who appears to be a prostitute and then arrest the man once a deal is agreed upon to pay for sex. That’s less common in cases involving juveniles, but there has been plenty of attention paid to teens and human trafficking in the news recently, so it is possible. Either way, the charge will be tough for the officer to live down – regardless of whether he eventually pleads guilty or is convicted at trial. More than any other type of crime, there is an almost immediate rush to judgment against people accused in Duval County Sex Crimes. People assume that once an accusation is made, the person is guilty. When in reality, Jacksonville Sex Crimes Cases can often be the cases where there is the highest rate of false accusations.

In many Jacksonville Sex Crimes Cases, it is the victim’s word against the word of the accused. Many of the cases do not have either physical evidence or witnesses – it’s just one person’s word against another. And there are serious consequences. If a person pleads guilty to or is convicted of a Jacksonville Sex Crime, he or she will have to register as a sex offender forever. Our Jacksonville Sex Crimes Attorney has represented hundreds of people accused of Jacksonville Sex Crimes and will thoroughly investigate your case to help you decide your best option going forward.

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A drug scandal involving a Florida Department of Law Enforcement chemist is not only a black eye for the state, it could be a major headache for prosecutors across Florida. The state is now examining all 2,600 cases since 2006 involving this chemist, accused of taking prescription pain pills and replacing them with over-the-counter medication, according to a report on News4Jax. The issue was first discovered when pills turned up missing in the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and investigators later determined that the cases were all handled by the same chemist, the television station reported. Now, all of the cases are under review and prosecutors are being notified of which cases to examine, the television station reported. All of the cases are west of Duval County, but the issue shows how fragile the cases can be in Jacksonville Drug Crimes Cases, and how one bad apple can affect so many cases.

When drugs are found on a person in a Jacksonville Drug Crimes Case, the substance is often sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to determine for sure whether what appears to be cocaine or hydrocodone, for example, is indeed cocaine or hydrocodone. This is done as part of proving the case, and also because there are cases where someone is selling counterfeit drugs and there’s an entirely different charge for that sort of Jacksonville Drug Crime. However, if there is no longer evidence of the drug and no way to prove that it is actually a controlled substance, would the state need to drop the charges? It brings up an interesting legal argument and makes it difficult to proceed when there is no evidence. One comparison is in a Jacksonville DUI Case when the traffic stop is not admissible into evidence. There are specific rules and procedures police must follow in Jacksonville DUI Cases and if an officer isn’t specifically trained in those procedures, mistakes can happen. And when the traffic stop is gone, there goes the state’s evidence in the case.

The same could be true in these Florida Drug Crime cases. Police say this chemist worked about 2,600 cases for 80 law enforcement agencies in 35 Florida counties. If the evidence no longer exists, the state could have a difficult time proving these cases beyond a reasonable doubt. Our Jacksonville Drug Crimes Attorney represents people facing all types of drugs charges, and will thoroughly investigate your case to ensure as procedures and policies were followed.

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Tickets are now being issued from red-light cameras at three busy Jacksonville intersections, adding to the list of places drivers can be forced to pay fines in these automated Jacksonville Traffic Cases. The cameras have been up for some time, but tickets cannot be issued immediately when the camera are installed, according to a report on News4Jax. Actual tickets can only be issued after the camera has been installed and active for one month. The tickets began on violations at the end of January and carry a $158 fine, according to the news report. Drivers have been receiving warning notices in the mail if they have been caught running the lights at these three intersections, but the fines in these Jacksonville Traffic Cases are what really matter.

Jacksonville Traffic Cases can be expensive, and the real cost comes down the road, when the points assessed to a driver’s license start to add up. Red light camera tickets are a little different, and that’s why some have criticized the cameras as simply a money grab for the counties that install them. Unlike any other moving violation in a Jacksonville Traffic Case, red light camera tickets do not have points that count against a person’s driver license – IF the $158 fine is paid within 30 days. But, in order for a driver to protest a red light camera ticket in a Jacksonville Traffic Case, the driver must let that 30-day window expire for the ticket to become a traditional traffic ticket. By that point, though, the fine has jumped by more than $100 and the driver faces three points on his or her license.

That’s a risk counties are likely hoping drivers won’t take. They are hoping drivers see the evidence on the photo, figure they can’t win, and just write the check for the $158 to move on. Any many probably will, especially because the risk of points can be expensive in the long run. Points can lead to soaring car insurance rates, and could eventually lead to a license suspension. In Florida:

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After months of undercover investigations, police announced they’ve arrested 15 people in a Nassau County drug sweep. All 15 are charged with felonies in these Nassau County Drug Crime Cases, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police made the arrests last month and said there are still four people wanted for Nassau County Drug Crimes connected with the investigations, the newspaper reported.

This roundup differs slightly than others in Northeast Florida, in that every one of the 15 is charged with selling drugs. In many cases, there are a few people included on possession charges, possibly people who were buying drugs at the wrong time, or had other drugs on them when police arrested them. In all, the group of 15 faces 30 felony counts, the newspaper reported. It’s unclear whether the people involved in these Nassau County Drug Crimes cases are connected to one specific drug ring, or if they are a part of separate drug operations up and running throughout the county. Charges include sale or delivery of marijuana, sale or delivery of cocaine and sale or delivery of a controlled substance. Some of the drugs involved in these Nassau County Drug Crimes cases are Ecstasy and prescription pain pills, the newspaper reported.

The felony degree and maximum punishment in a Nassau County Drug Crimes case is partially determined by the drug in question. For example, sale or delivery of marijuana is a third-degree felony with a maximum punishment of five years in state prison. Sale or delivery of cocaine, on the other hand, is a second-degree felony with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison. There are other factors in Nassau County Drug Crimes cases that can enhance the penalties, and one major factor is included in a few of these recent charges. Similar to real estate, location matters when it comes to Nassau County Drug Crimes cases. If someone is charged with sale of marijuana and that sale is within 1,000 feet of a church or a school, that third-degree felony becomes a second degree felony. The same enhancement can be used in sale or delivery of cocaine, only the second-degree felony turns into a first-degree felony. First-degree felonies carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Our Nassau County Criminal Defense Attorney has represented people on a variety of Nassau County Drug Crimes, from misdemeanor possession of marijuana, on up to sales similar to these cases in this recent sweep.

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Police arrested a Clay County mother, alleging her young son who died in December had drugs in his system that caused his death. Kathern Powell was arrested more than a month after the medical examiner ruled the boy’s cause of death was a homicide caused by acute bronchopneumonia following drug toxicity, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. She was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and culpable negligence. In most cases, aggravated manslaughter is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison. But the degree changes when a child, elderly person or a law enforcement officer is involved. Because this Clay County Manslaughter Case involves child, Powell’s charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in state prison.

Powell allegedly found the boy face down in his crib and tried to wake him up in the shower before the child’s father and grandfather both attempted CPR, the newspaper reported. The boy was taken to the hospital and died a week later, the newspaper reported. Subsequent tests found opiates in his blood and urine, the newspaper reported. Police have not released Powell’s role in the case, nor have they discussed what drugs were involved or how the child ingested them, the newspaper reported. Those details will obviously be the key to this Clay County Manslaughter Case.

In a recent, Jacksonville Manslaughter Case, a mother pleaded guilty to the same charge after policed alleged she had drugged her child before to get him to fall asleep. That mother was sentenced to 15 years in prison, likely because the court found she had done it before. Past activity such as this when it involves a child can drastically affect a sentence in a Clay County Manslaughter Case. It is one thing for a child to get into drugs or any other substance if it’s in a drawer or in the reach of a child, but it’s quite another to intentionally give a child illegal drugs to try to get he or she to stay or fall asleep. The details will be important in this Clay County Drug Crimes case. If there is not a trial in this Clay County Manslaughter Case, it may not be until the sentencing hearing until those details emerge. At that point, or at trial, the defense will have its chance to explain the events, and provide information or mitigation to the judge in asking for a favorable sentence.

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Police arrested two people on several felony drug charges after St. Johns County police raided a suspected meth lab in an upscale neighborhood. Neighbors had notified police about suspicious activity and detectives converged about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning last month and arrested two of the occupants, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police said the occupants were not making the drug at the time, but there was evidence that methamphetamine had been cooked and produced there in the past, the newspaper reported. David Austin and Kayleigh Wyman were both arrested and charged with possession and production of methamphetamine, maintaining a drug dwelling and possession of drug paraphernalia in this St. Johns County Drug Crimes Case, the newspaper reported.

Possession and production of methamphetamine is a second-degree felony in Florida with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison and is the most serious of the charges the two are facing. Maintaining a drug dwelling is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison and possession of drug paraphernalia is a misdemeanor that only qualifies for time in the county jail. Police were at the house with a tent and the hazardous materials unit, cleaning near the townhouse to get rid of the poisonous chemicals used to manufacture the drug, the newspaper reported. Methamphetamine labs have been prevalent recently in some of the counties right outside Jacksonville. And while they are more common in hotels and apartment complexes, this isn’t the first time a meth lab has been uncovered in a more residential area. The fumes that are emitted from the production of the drug can be lethal, and also carry a distinct odor than can make it difficult to hide from neighbors and from law enforcement.

Methamphetamines crimes are becoming more and more common in St. Johns County, where authorities have taken an aggressive approach to investigating the crimes and targeting the manufacturing of the dangerous drug. All penalties and charges in St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases hinge on two key factors: the type of drug and the amount. Methamphetamine carries among the most severe penalties of any drug, as there is no such thing as a misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine. Any amount is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, as opposed to a drug such as marijuana, where anything up to 28 grams is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of up to a year in the county jail. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney represents defendants facing any and all drug charges from possession of marijuana on up to producing or trafficking in methamphetamine and cocaine.

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After his initial dismissal and arrest on theft charges, police implied there may be more charges filed against a former Clay County information technology director accused of stealing and pawning county property. Those charges came this month in his Clay County Theft Case, with prosecutors filing an all-compassing charge with major ramifications, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The charge brings at least 80 confirmed cases against Michael Hamilton under one umbrella, the newspaper reported. Hamilton was arrested in December on three felony charges.

This time, Hamilton is charged with running a scheme to defraud. As with all Clay County Theft Cases, the felony degree and, subsequently, the maximum prison time, is determined by the value of the property involved in the alleged scheme. In this Clay County Theft Case, Hamilton comes in at the very top of the scale. He is charged with a scheme to defraud more than $50,000, a first-degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in state prison. According to state statutes, a scheme to defraud is “a systematic, ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud one or more persons, or with intent to obtain property from one or more persons by false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises or willful misrepresentations of a future act.”

Police say dozens of computers and other electronic equipment were stolen, pawned and then traced back to Hamilton, the newspaper reported. Police have tracked down about 60 percent of the items and about $15,000 in equipment is still unaccounted for, the newspaper reported. There are two tracks the state can take in a Clay County Theft Case such as this. Prosecutors can stack all of the cases up together and charge Hamilton with dozens of theft and dealing in stolen property charges, the most serious of which is a second-degree felony. Second-degree felonies have a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, so if Hamilton was found guilty of several of them, his maximum sentence could be well into the triple digits. But judges are often more likely to let defendants serve sentences concurrently, meaning if he received 15 years on 20 different counts, he would likely just serve the 15 years and be done. Now, the maximum will be 30 years and the state will have laid out its entire case, showing the sheer volume it alleges Hamilton stole. The state often holds back a couple of theft charges it can try individually, a sort of insurance policy if something happens with the larger case. Our Clay County Theft Attorneys represent people accused of all levels of theft – from misdemeanors with something worth less than $100 to first-degree felonies that Hamilton is now facing.

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Jacksonville police are asking for the public’s help in finding a woman detectives believe is responsible for a series of automobile burglaries in a Westside neighborhood. Police say they believe Bresha Harris either pawned or attempted to sell various items that were stolen from cars and trucks at the end of last year, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. She has not been charged, but would likely be facing at least 20 years in prison if convicted.

She would likely be facing a third-degree felony for a burglary to a motor vehicle and a second-degree felony for dealing in stolen property in this Jacksonville Theft Case. Third-degree felonies are punishable by up to five years in prison while a second-degree felony has a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison. And while the two terms are often used interchangeably in Jacksonville Theft Cases, there is a huge distinction between a burglary and a robbery. A burglary in Duval County is taking something from a structure or place – whether that’s a home, a business, a car, etc. A robbery in Jacksonville is taking something directly from a person, with the real or perceived threat of violence if the victim does not comply. All Jacksonville Theft Crimes are serious, but burglary often carries less time in prison, while someone convicted in an armed robbery could receive up to life in prison.

The thinking is a robbery puts human life in immediate danger. So it also makes sense in burglary cases that the charge, felony degree and, ultimately, length of sentence if a defendant pleads or is found guilty, is determined by whether people are present. For example, if someone is accused of breaking into a vehicle and there happens to be a person inside the vehicle at the time, that third-degree felony becomes a second-degree felony. And, any Jacksonville Theft Case that is a burglary from breaking into a person’s home automatically becomes a second-degree felony. Cases involving people are obviously more serious and burglaries to vehicles are, unfortunately, a dime a dozen in Jacksonville and in every major city across the country. In many cases, suspects are not caught and police typically don’t have the resources to make the cases a top priority.

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