A Fort Lauderdale police officer has been cleared of the last of three drug-related charges against him. The first two felony charges were dismissed last month. The Broward County judge cited police entrapment as the reason for the dismissal of all charges. Prosecutors did not object. The officer had been with the department for over three years when the alleged…
False accusations of sex crimes can impact your life in many ways. Friends or family members may question you or your motives; your coworkers or employer may dislike being associated with your new reputation, which could lead to you being let go from your job. You could find yourself expelled from school or a university, or you could be in…
Chances are that your schedule is very full over the next few weeks with shopping, decorating, gift wrapping and holiday parties. Regardless of how you feel about the latter of these yuletide responsibilities, there’s a good chance that when you do go to a family party or work get-together, you’ll have an hors d’oeuvre plate in one hand and a…
Imagine for a moment that you are a young person who has just been pulled over by police for a small traffic violation. You’re nervous, naturally, because you’ve never been pulled over before. You’re doing all you can to stop from shaking. You’re not even thinking about your rights or what constitutes a violation of your rights. During the course…
In previous posts, we’ve discussed how it’s extremely important for Florida residents not to underestimate the severity of certain marijuana-related charges. In particular, we’ve discussed this in the context of possession for personal use, one of the more commonly charged drug crimes here in the Sunshine State. It’s important to understand, however, that this warning applies not just to simple possession,…
In Florida and practically every other state, there are continual concerns about the overcrowding of prisons. At the center of the debate is whether convictions for drug-related crimes are to blame. Statistics demonstrate that convicted drug offenders do not make up a majority of the prison population. From 1980 to 1990 when there was a high rate of drug crime…
Broward County is a popular vacation spot for visitors. Nevertheless, its recent media attention is one that local residents would like to see disappear. Broward County is the nation’s leading location for drug cases involving the synthetic drug, flakka. However, a recent cooperative effort between the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Chinese government, where the primary ingredient for…
Back in September, federal officials indicated that roughly 70,000 sexual assault kits — an invaluable tool used in proving both guilt and innocence — have gone untested, gathering dust on the shelves of evidence rooms and crime laboratories across the nation. In response, these officials indicated that close to $80 million in funding would be allocated with the goal of…
There is no question that attitudes toward marijuana have undergone a significant change here in the U.S. over the last decade. By way of illustration, consider that just last week, voters in Ohio rejected a bid to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Here, the point is not that voters in the Buckeye State voted “no” to pot…
It’s important to understand that when a person is charged with driving under the influence here in Florida, they are facing some potentially serious consequences. Indeed, this is the case even for a first-offense DUI, as a conviction could result in fines of up to $1,000 and up to six months behind bars. Furthermore, it can also result in a license…
