South Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Mark Anthony Griffin, a homeless man from Bartlow, FL, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing a box of cereal and a can of evaporated milk. The reason for this man’s incredibly steep penalty is due to the fact that he has been labeled a “prison release re-offender.” This title carries some heavier penalties for individuals who are convicted of a crime within three years of prison release. Griffin’s petty theft would have landed him 3 years in prison and 2 years of probation according to the plea deal he rejected.
Florida Man Tased During a DUI Stop
Stephen Crowley was arrested and charged with DUI and resisting an officer without violence. Crowley was found slumped in his car while it was running. Officers took medical action on the man since they saw that he was breathing from the open window. Eventually he woke up after numerous attempts by police to wake him up. He said he was “just waiting for the light to change” yet conflicting reports from the Navy base he was found on said he had been in that position for 30 minutes. The officer on scene had to turn off the car physically while Crowley was in the car and refusing to comply with commands. After being wrestled to the ground and tased for repeatedly not complying, Crowley was finally handcuffed. Crowley was taken into custody official on charges of driving under the influence.
16-Year-Old Florida Boy Will Not Get Bond After Murder
Amer Ejak, 16, will be facing first-degree murder as an adult after his move a juvenile detention facility into the county jail. We covered this murder in a previous blog post weeks ago, but to briefly go over the event, Ejak and Christopher Cox, 22, killed a 34 year old man after hitting him in the head with a whiskey bottle in his own apartment. The two hid the body in a closet and fled the scene. Ejak will not be allowed bond and will be held by the state in preparation of his trial. The victim’s parents attempted to contact their son for a few days before they notified police of his disappearance. Detectives searched the victim’s apartment after serving a search warrant and then found the dead body.
Fort Lauderdale Marijuana Bust Yields Impressive Arrest
Ramiro Rodriguez, of Hialeah, was arrested after being caught with hundreds of pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. He was transporting all the pot in individually-wrapped packages. The GMC Yukon was towing a trailer full of the stuff when detectives discovered it. Broward Sheriff Office and DEA agents worked together and believe that the two men arrested in the aforementioned bust were actually members of a larger group in the area that are smuggling heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. The two men were formally charged with drug trafficking.
Florida Traffic Stop Leads to Marijuana Arrest
Jason Rivera, Hiram Maldonado, 24, and Nathanael Desmornes, 24, were arrested by Orange County Sheriff’s Office with charges related to possession of a stolen gun and marijuana. The three were pulled over in Rivera’s vehicle after officers noticed that the front passengers were not wearing seat belts. According to Florida’s Click-It-or-Ticket law, police were authorized to stop the vehicle and thus proceed with their investigation. The investigation turned out four Xanax pills with no medication prescription and a stolen 9mm pistol fully loaded. The firearm was stolen from an unlocked vehicle near the campus of the University of Central Florida according to records. Maldonado and Desmornes were identified as members of a street gang, as well.
Infamous Florida Child Predator Dies in Prison
John Couey, 51, died in prison according to a Florida Department of Corrections spokesman. He had been on death row for four years in the murder, abduction, and rape of Jessica Lunsford age 9. Couey had been ill for some time, according to prison officials. The murder of Jessica Lunsford was quite graphic and disturbing, even to some court officials and officers. She was lured to his trailor from her own, raped, and when he thought he was going to be caught, buried her alive in garbage bags which would suffocate her. Couey explicitly told all the events to police including every gory detail while saying in a nonchalant manner to the press “this kind of thing happens every day.” “To me, death is sad,” stated Jessica’s father, Mark Lunsford. “But her death, Jessie’s death, has been redeemed … I’m relieved. I’m glad it’s over with.”
Florida Fugitive Caught In Tough Situation Faces Prison Time
A 37-year-old man left the state of Florida last June with a $25,000 bail in lieu of a conspiracy for trafficking ecstasy charge. The man’s name will remain anonymous due to death threats he has been receiving and pending legal proceedings. Due to a life-and-death incident he faced, he left Florida to Canada on illegal standing due to organized criminals in Florida. The unidentified man will be facing 15 years in US prison for the falsification of documents and skipping bail in Florida.
Florida Cocaine Runner Sentenced to Federal Prison
Todd Jackson Sr., 42, was charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. The US Attorney’s Office indicted Jackson after investigating his career as being part of a cocaine distribution network that reached from Broward County north to the Treasure and Space coasts. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison in lieu of possession of more than 5 kilos of cocaine. Haiti and the Bahamas were the primary sources of Jackson’s smuggled cocaine. From the entry into the US, distribution would be made to other smaller dealing sources in Broward, St. Lucie, Brevard and Palm Beach counties. Many sites were raided by federal agents totaling in 243 kilos of cocaine, 80 grams of crack cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy, guns, over $100,000 in cash and nearly half a million dollars worth of jewelry.
Family Killed by Father in Florida Makes Headline News
The Dieu family is at the center of media attention revolving around their gruesome murder by the man of the house. He fled to Haiti after killing at children and his wife. Police in Haiti caught him once he was off the flight and he is now in custody. Mackindy Dieu, a relative to the family murdered, never noticed any abusive behavior involving the couple. “He never showed any aggression toward her, when I was around, because he knew I wouldn’t put up with that crap,” he says. Police say this incident was one of the most tragic they have seen in a long time.
Under Florida law, a person who is arrested for domestic violence (DV) can be charged with battery, assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or certain kinds of sexual abuse. The accused must also be held in jail without bond until he or she speaks with a judge.
Florida Teenager Charged in Horse Killing Case
Santiago Cabrera, 19, was arrested by Miami-Dade Police under the charges of armed burglary and animal cruelty. Police say an incident involving Cabrera and the horse’s death was for the horse’s meat while he held the horse down for another person to come and slit its throat. Miguel Cordero, 18, was arrested recently by police in the area on similar charges.
The burglary statute in Florida covers not only wrongful entries into real property, such as a building or home, but also a conveyance: a conveyance in Florida can be an automobile, truck, bus, or anything that moves on the highways. If you are accused of burglary of a conveyance the state must prove that you wrongfully entered the conveyance with the fully formed intent to commit a crime. It is a burglary of a conveyance if you reach through a window of an automobile and hit someone.