Jacksonville Criminal Defense Law Blog

The case of a sibling trio on the run from the law sounds like a story that TV movies are made of. The case is very real, however, and a set of siblings from Florida have some serious criminal charges to face should they ever be found by officials.

And it isn't just Florida authorities who are looking for the trio. Law enforcement in Georgia also has reason to target the suspects. In Florida, the fugitives are wanted for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. In Georgia, they are wanted for a bank robbery. The more the sibling suspects travel, sources suggest that the number of crimes attached to them will increase.

Every pet owner knows that there is a slim chance that their animal companion could injure them or others that they come into contact with. It isn't completely uncommon for pet owners to be held liable for an injury caused by the animal in civil suits throughout the county, specifically when the pet owners had reason to know that the animal had vicious propensities.

However, a Florida court recently assigned a whole new level of responsibility regarding animal attacks to a set of parents who lost their child in a freak accident. They were convicted of murder in the third degree and child endangerment after their family pet caused the death of their 2-year old daughter.

A Florida man was convicted of murder more than 30 years ago. At the moment of his conviction, he might have felt like his life was over - but now that reality is probably feeling all too real. The man is sentenced to the death penalty, but he hasn't yet been put to death because of a legal debate surrounding the method of execution in Florida.

According to reports, just last June, a change took place in Florida with regards to the death penalty. Up until then, lethal injection was the method of execution for extreme cases like murder, but now a new drug is being used during the controversial process. The 61-year-old inmate's attorneys have challenged the death penalty for their client because they argue that the new drug used during execution might not work as it should.

A Florida Department of Child and Family Services (DCF) caseworker erred in judging a Florida couple fit to adopt and keep twins although evidence of alleged child abuse existed. Often, the caseworker ended visits without actually seeing the children. The parents earned enough credibility with DCF investigators that the children were left in an abusive environment judged low risk.

The child abuse ended when one child was found dead, the other suffering from extreme abuse, with the adoptive parents implicated in the abuse and homicide. The abused children were discovered with the adoptive father on a Florida road in West Palm Beach.

Despite how helpless a person might feel after being arrested for drunk driving in Florida, there are legal strategies that effectively work to protect a defendant's future. One aspect of a DUI arrest that Florida defense attorneys target in order to help their clients is the initial stop. Did the arresting officer have a legit reason to pull the suspect over in the first place?

Often times in DUI cases, a court will find that the initial stop was not legal. When that is the case, then any evidence gathered that led to a DUI charge is inadmissible and the charge is dropped. Challenging the initial stop, therefore, can be an effective defense strategy. But, in some cases that tactic is less effective. A recent Jacksonville DUI arrest, for example, involves a woman who likely is not the least bit surprised that she was pulled over.

Keith W. Downey of Jacksonville was indicted in San Jose, California federal court for conspiring to help attack PayPal accounts set up in support of WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is, of course, the controversial organization that leaked thousands of documents that included top secret information related to the United States and other countries around the world. Wiki Leaks has also threatened to release documents against Bank of America and other corporations around the world. WikiLeaks head is Julian Assange, who is currently in jail for charges related to raping two Swedish women.

Downey stated in an interview in an interview relayed in the Jacksonville Times Union that he was participating in a "the college sit-ins of the '70s and even to Gandhi's civil disobedience movement against British rule."

Keith W. Downey of Jacksonville was indicted in San Jose, California federal court for conspiring to help attack PayPal accounts set up in support of WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is, of course, the controversial organization that leaked thousands of documents that included top secret information related to the United States and other countries around the world. Wiki Leaks has also threatened to release documents against Bank of America and other corporations around the world. WikiLeaks head is Julian Assange, who is currently in jail for charges related to raping two Swedish women.

Downey stated in an interview in an interview relayed in the Jacksonville Times Union that he was participating in a "the college sit-ins of the '70s and even to Gandhi's civil disobedience movement against British rule."

The State Attorney's Office in rural Jackson County in the Panhandle of Florida convened a grand jury to decide whether Internet gaming devices were illegal under Florida Law. The grand jury decided that the seizure of the machines was a lawful action taken by the Sheriff's office.

This action is not only a cowardly act by the State Attorney's Office but really adds nothing to the equation. In Florida, the only cases typically taken to a grand jury are indictments on First Degree Murder charges. The seizure of some gaming devices pales in comparison to those charges.

Further, the grand jury process is not adversarial. The State gets to present its case without cross examination or any evidence presented by the owners of the machines in question. This is why they said that you can indict a ham sandwich in front of a grand jury.

Lawyers at the Arnold Law Firm has represented gaming interest in Florida and Georgia. Shawn Arnold, a Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, has litigated issues involving gambling as a prosecutor and defense attorney for more than 10 years.

In Jacksonville, a well thought out ordinance was adopted which allows Internet Cafes under a strict regiment of rules and regulations for both the machines, but the operators as well. Our lawyers were able to protect the interest of the small operators to prevent their livelihood from being taken away. Melissa Gross-Arnold, a Board Certified Attorney in Local Government law drafted much of the language that was adopted to protect small business owners who were our clients.

The Legislature or other counties would be wise to adopt such regimes as those adopted in Jacksonville.