2011 CT 011492 SC

Sarasota County

The Defendant was stopped for speeding and failing to maintain a single lane by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.  Based upon the odor of alcohol and the failure to produce the proper insurance card for the vehicle a DUI investigation was begun.   The Defendant refused to perform any tests and was subsequently arrest for his third DUI.  Darren Finebloom closely scrutinized the case, set the case for trial  and on the morning of trial the State reduced the charge to reckless driving.

2011 CT 003652

Manatee County

The Defendant was accused of running a red light and causing an accident.   Manatee county Sheriff arrived on the scene and noticed a few beer cans around the accident location and smelled alcohol on the defendant.  The Deputy began a DUI investigation and subsequently arrested the Defendant for DUI.  The Defendant blew a .059 under the legal limit.  However, the Deputy then asked for the Defendant to provide a urine sample. The urine result came back positive for marijuana. Darren Finebloom requested depositions of the arresting officer and showed conclusively that the Officer had no probable cause to request a urine sample.  The State disagreed.  Darren Finebloom filed a motion to suppress and argued that there was insufficient evidence to request a urine sample.  The County Court Judge in Manatee County agreed and suppressed the positive marijuana sample.  Shortly thereafter the DUI was completely dismissed.

7061-XEF

Defendant was driving the wrong way on a one way street in South Tampa.  Defendant admitted to coming from Drynk, a local bar and consented to perform Field Sobriety Exercises which he failed.  He was arrested, taken to the Central Breath Testing at Orient Road Jail and provided breath samples of .167 and .174.  Prior to trial, Stephen Higgins was able to get the charge amended to a Reckless Driving.

3815-XGA

Defendant was stopped for speeding in South Tampa.  He consented to field sobriety exercises which were performed on video.  Despite his decent performance, he was arrested and transported to the jail.  At the jail, he refused to provide a breath sample.   During plea negotiations, Stpehen Higgins got the charge amended to a Reckless Driving with no conviction.

Result: No Conviction
2011CT002953NC

The Defendant was stopped for swerving and not having his headlights on. When the Deputy stopped the Defendant he noticed him to have a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and poor coordination. The Defendant also admitted to drinking. The Defendant submitted to the field sobriety tests and was arrested for DUI. Once taken to the jail the Defendant refused the breath test. The Defendant called the Law Firm of Finebloom and Haenel to discuss his options. AnneMarie went over the defenses in his case the plan of action. AnneMarie immediately began to zealously advocate for her client. The State Attorney’s office still did not offer a deal which satisfied her or her client. AnneMarie set the case for trial. After the team at Finebloom and Haenel continued to negotiate with the State Attorney, they eventually recognized the weaknesses in their case and dropped the charge to a Reckless Driving with no formal conviction.

Result: No Conviction
2011CT012124NC (Sarasota)

The Defendant was investigated by law enforcement when they observed his vehicle resting against a sign halfway in the roadway. When the Deputy approached the vehicle the Defendant appeared to be passed out. When the Deputy awoke the Defendant he observed him to have a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech and to be disoriented. The Defendant admitted to drinking. The Defendant refused to perform field sobriety tests and to give a breath test. The Defendant was nervous about the charges he was facing immediately hired AnneMarie Rizzo after being recommended to her by a former client. AnneMarie took the sworn testimony of the Deputy and filed a motion to suppress all of the State’s evidence in the case. At the motion hearing AnneMarie convinced the Prosecutor to reduce the charge to Reckless Driving and kept her client from ever losing his driver’s license or being formally convicted.

Result: Not Guilty
2011CT006002NC (Sarasota)

The Defendant was stopped for making a wide left turn and failing to maintain a single lane. The DUI deputy noticed an open container in the car and several indicators of impairment. At that time he asked the Defendant to perform Field Sobriety Tests. The Defendant refused to perform the tests and refused to give a breath test. After being arrested the Deputy found a receipt with 20 drinks purchased from a local bar in the Defendant’s pocket.Darren Finebloomand AnneMarie Rizzo were hired to represent him. AnneMarie and Darren explained the plan of attack, investigated the case, and set the case for trial. AnneMarie and Darren successfully argued to the Judge the reasons for not allowing the receipt in evidence. The Prosecutor still refused to offer AnneMarie and Darren’s client a deal. At the end of the trial the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY for their client.

Result: No Conviction
2011CF003700NC (SARASOTA)

The Defendant was investigated by law enforcement when they suspected he was in violation of his business purpose license for a pending DUI charge. When the officer began to speak with him he noticed the Defendant had an odor of alcohol, slurred speech and several other indicators of impairment. The Defendant admitted to drinking. The Deputy wanted to begin a DUI investigation of the Defendant of which the Defendant refused to cooperate and then began to resist being arrested. After a struggle and being tased by the Deputies the Defendant was taken into custody where he was charged with multiple felonies and another DUI. AnneMarie Rizzo was hired again by this client to defend his best interests. After a very intense and detailed investigation of the facts of the case, depositions and several meetings with the Prosecutor AnneMarie was able to expose the weaknesses of the case to the Prosecutor resulting in the DUI charges being reduced to a Reckless Driving and the felonies being dismissed.

Result: No Conviction
2011CF006214NC (Sarasota)

The Defendant was stopped for traffic infractions. When the Deputy made contact with the Defendant he observed him to have a odor of alcohol, poor balance, bloodshot watery eyes and slurred speech. At this time the Defendant was requested to perform field sobriety tests and began questioning the Deputy as to his reasons for requesting them. A struggle ensued between the Deputy and the Defendant. The Defendant was ultimately arrested and charged with DUI and Felony Battery on a Law Enforcement officer.  The Defendant was nervous and scared and came to the Law Firm of Finebloom and Haenel for help. Here he met with AnneMarie Rizzo. The State Attorney’s did not want to give their client a deal as the Deputy claimed to have several injuries due to the Defendant’s actions. AnneMarie investigated the case and the Deputy thoroughly. After long fight AnneMarie convinced the Prosecutor to drop the charges of DUI and Battery on a law enforcement officer. Ultimately AnneMarie’s client resolve the case to obstruction of an investigation without violence and did not receive any conviction.

Result: No Conviction
2011CT004773SC (SARASOTA)

The Defendant was stopped for speeding and almost causing an accident. When contacted by law enforcement they noticed he had bloodshot watery eyes, an odor of alcohol, and slurred speech. The Deputies also stated they noticed she was having trouble balancing. The Defendant willingly participated in the Field Sobriety Tests of which the Deputies said he did not do well. The Defendant was then arrested for DUI and refused to give a breath test. As soon as David Haeneland AnneMarie Rizzo were retained they zealously began to advocate for their client to get him the best possible result. AnneMarie and David set the case for trial challenging the State’s evidence. Ultimately the Prosecutor agreed to reduce the charge to Reckless Driving.