contact

captcha

Continue Reading Tickets No Longer Available To Fake Rap Concert At Tampa Club »
March 10, 2010

Tampa Aggravated Assault – Man Fires Two Shots And Then Returns To The Scene Of The Crime

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Charges have been filed against Harmon Colbert for allegedly firing two gunshots at another man, one of which caused a piece of concrete to break off and hit the victim’s leg. Colbert, an 28-year-old Tampa man, has been charged withaggravated assault and
possession of cocainewith intent to distribute and discharging a firearm in public. He was taken to Hillsborough County Jail.

The article on TampaBay.com does not detail what prompted Colbert to fire his gun at the unidentified victim but it does detail that Colbert left the scene after the gunshots were fired only to return later. Police reports say he admitted to firing the gun and that officers found a large amount of cocaine on Colbert when they searched him. There is no mention of Colbert being represented by a Tampa Drug Lawyer or Tampa Criminal Attorney.

Continue Reading Tampa Aggravated Assault – Man Fires Two Shots And Then Returns To The Scene Of The Crime »
Page 1 of 212

Connect With Us on Facebook Follow on Twitter Visit our Linked In Profile Visit our Google +1! Visit us on Youtube.
Tampa Criminal Defense
Florida's Premier Criminal Defense Firm

Recent Posts in drug crimes Category

April 20, 2012

What are the drug possession laws?

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

In the State ofFlorida, drug charges are governed by Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes. In that statute, there is a list of drugs that the state considers to be illegal. The statute itself is very long and complex. But overall, it is illegal to possess marijuana or crack under any circumstance. It is illegal to possess any other drug without a legal prescription.

Whether the charge is a misdemeanor or felony depends on the type of dug and the amount you possess. Almost all drug possession charges are felonies.

If you have been charged with a drug charge you need to contact an experienced drug crime defense lawyer to discuss your case.

Continue Reading What are the drug possession laws? »
October 25, 2010

Pinellas Drug Charges – St. Petersburg Lawyer Arrested On Charges Of Trafficking In Oxycodone

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Florida Oxycodone Trafficking

A Pinellas County lawyer has been arrested in Clearwater on drug charges for allegedly attempting to smuggle the painkiller Oxycdone into the Pinellas County Jail. The lawyer was arrested Friday at a Clearwater gas station where he was set to make an exchange with undercover deputies. The investigation began following a tip to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s.

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that the sheriff’s received a tip on Thursday that the lawyer was bringing illegal substances into the jail. At that point detectives reached out to the lawyer to and set up a deal where the lawyer would take 50 oxycodone pills into the jail in exchange for 20 of the painkillers for himself. The attorney was arrested at the time of the exchange. The arrest took place at a Mobil gas station located on the 4800 block of Ulmerton Road.

The 31-year-old suspect has been charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance. A former Hillsborough County assistant state attorney, the current defense lawyer has been a licensed attorney in Florida for five years. He came under heavy criticism by Hillsborough County Judge William Fuente in 2008 for his defense of a shooting suspect. The trial involved David Rolon who was accused of shooting his neighbor in Sulphur Springs. The judge granted a motion for a new trial based on his in adequate representation of his client. There are no disciplinary actions on record against the man with the Florida Bar despite that judge’s ruling in the case.

In August the man was arrested on spousal battery charges that were eventually dropped. He is currently in the Pinellas County Jail on $105,000 bail on his current Florida felony drug charges. According to another newspaper report the investigation into the attorney is on-going and more information could be forthcoming.

Continue Reading Pinellas Drug Charges – St. Petersburg Lawyer Arrested On Charges Of Trafficking In Oxycodone »
October 20, 2010

Tampa Drug Trafficking – No Second Trial For Doctor Accused Of Prescription Drug Trafficking

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Tampa Drug Lawyer

A doctor accused of illegally dispensing prescription drugs will not face a second trial on Florida drug trafficking charges. Dr. John Mubang was tried in Tampa last month and the jury could not reach a verdict in his case. Now the state has decided to not go through with another trial and Mubang will continue to see patients as he has done since his arrest.

One of the reasons Mubang will not stand trial for a second time was the fact that five of the six jurors wanted to find the doctor not guilty. That was according to a quote from the jury foreman to the St. Petersburg Times. Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta was on the bench for the case and declared the mistrial. The Seffner doctor has agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program that will last 9 to 18 months and include community service hours. Following successful completion all drug trafficking charges will be dropped.

The drug trafficking case dates back to 2008. Prosecutors accused Mubang of prescribing undercover officers addictive medication. According to charges, the doctor prescribed enough drugs to warrant trafficking charges. It was also alleged that the physician never examined the undercover detectives, never asked about their medical histories or any other pertinent questions before writing prescriptions for painkillers. The charges led to the first such trial ever in Hillsborough County.

According to Mubang’s criminal defense attorney, there were no sanctions on the doctor’s medical license and he will continue to practice medicine in Seffner. He also emphasized that there was no admission of guilt by his client. Mubang did not comment following the announcement by prosecutors but his attorney said he felt that the resolution was fair for everyone involved in the case. The quote from the jury foreman had a big effect on the prosecution not moving forward with a second trial according to Mubang’s lawyer.

Continue Reading Tampa Drug Trafficking – No Second Trial For Doctor Accused Of Prescription Drug Trafficking »
September 24, 2010

Manatee County Drug Blog – Anyone Know Where 260 Pounds Of Marijuana And Two Kilos Of Coke Went?

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Bradenton Drug Lawyer

Two suspected drug dealers could be on their way to freedom as their Mantaee County drug case is at risk with the disappearance of 260 pounds of marijuana and two kilos of cocaine. The Herald Tribune ran a front page story today detailing the loss of evidence and the mess that has become evidence property management in Manatee County.

According to the story the missing cocaine and marijuana are from two separate cases and while Sheriff’s officials say they don’t really know what happened they placed some o the blame on a leaky dehumidifier. One of the issues in Manatee County when it comes to storing evidence is that the county does not use a singular location like many other jurisdictions. In Manatee, evidence is stored in three different facilities including a bank vault leased by the county.

The evidence stored in the bank vault was from old cases. According to the article there was poor record keeping of that evidence and the Sheriff’s office eventually decided to incinerate all of that evidence assuming it would never be needed. When The Innocence Project came to ask for a piece of evidence for DNA evaluation in a rape case, it was gone along with evidence that could have been used in a drug trafficking trial from 11 years ago when the suspect was recently apprehended after jumping bail.

With the recent loss of cocaine and marijuana, both cases against those defendants are in jeopardy. While the drugs seem to have been tested and weighed by the Sheriff’s office, it was never independently evaluated by defense lawyers, which may be enough to foil a conviction in both cases. Manatee County has started to use bar codes for their evidence and a central storage facility in hopes of correcting the problem that is jeopardizing the criminal justice process in Bradenton and Manatee County.

Continue Reading Manatee County Drug Blog – Anyone Know Where 260 Pounds Of Marijuana And Two Kilos Of Coke Went? »
May 19, 2010

Tampa Defense Attorney News – Did ‘Hyde Park Rapist’ Really Violate His Probation Leading To His Arrest?

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Tampa Criminal Attorney

The probation violation that led to the arrest of the man known as the ‘Hyde Park Rapist’ should not hold up in court nor should his subsequent arrest according to Bobby Joe Helms’ Tampa Criminal Defense attorney. Helms’ lawyer told 10 Connects that his parole for 12 Tampa rapes and four other attempted rapes in the 1980’s expired in 2006 making the latest arrest of Helms that started as a stop for a probation violation invalid.

Helms has been in jail in Hillsborough County for almost a year. He was originally arrested following a traffic stop based on a tip he had a 17-year-old girl in his car. The arrest was based on the fact that Helms was told to stay away from the girl by his probation officer. His lawyer argued that even if Helms was still on probation there were no terms forbidding him to have contact with minors and that a probation officer cannot make up terms to add on to his probation.

If the defense attorney is right, then Helms should not be sitting in jail. According to the story on WTSP.com Helms had complied with the terms of his parole and never had committed a violation of his probation as reported by the Brevard County Sheriff’s. They had no reported problems with Helms up until last June. At that time there were reports of the 52-year-old having contact with area teenagers.

At the time of the traffic stop that led to his arrest, police did report finding Helms’ in possession of what may be illegal prescription drugs. Helms had a suspicious amount of painkillers and police suspect he may be involved in doctor shopping and prescription fraud. Authorities believe he was trying to illegally acquire Oxycodone and Xanax, which they say also violates the terms of his probation.

Continue Reading Tampa Defense Attorney News – Did ‘Hyde Park Rapist’ Really Violate His Probation Leading To His Arrest? »
May 12, 2010

Tampa Criminal News – High Speed Chase From Tampa To St. Pete May Result In DUI Drug Charges

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Tampa Criminal Lawyers

A man known as Pop Daddy led police on a high-speed chase from Tampa to St. Petersburg before being arrested on drug possession and fleeing and eluding charges. Artez Leon Hooker fled police on I-275 in Tampa in A BMW convertible driving so fast at times that the police helicopter tracking him couldn’t keep up with the car’s speed. Hooker was eventually found in St. Petersburg after abandoning his car.

According to police reports and a story on TampaBay.com, the chase began at 3:00 a.m. when Hooker was spotted running red lights on Tampa’s Armenia Avenue. Police then attempted to pull Hooker over in his 2004 BMW but he took off at speeds of 120 M.P.H. amid I-275 traffic. He eventually turned off his lights to avoid being caught, abandoned his car and hid in a staircase. The police helicopter was able to track Hooker and lead police on the ground to his location.

Hooker was arrested on felony fleeing and eluding charges and was then also hit with drug charges when police discovered marijuana in the backseat of the police car where Hooker was being held. Although he was not charged with DUI police noted in their arrest report that Hooker seemed to be under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.

Hooker has a long history of arrests according to TampaBay.com including charges of reckless driving, driving with a suspended license and cocaine possession. As a juvenile Hooker was arrested on numerous charges including robbery and also he was connected to the shooting of a man. Hooker allegedly shot a man three times after an altercation in which his bicycle was cut off.  He was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to three years.

Continue Reading Tampa Criminal News – High Speed Chase From Tampa To St. Pete May Result In DUI Drug Charges »
April 28, 2010

Pinellas County Warrants – Man Accused Of Fatal Hit-And-Run Has A Warrant Issued For His Arrest in Pinellas

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Pinellas County Attorney

A Pinellas County arrest warrant has been issued for a 22-year-old man named Anthony Bernard Peterson. Peterson is accused of being involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in August. According to TBO.com, Pinellas Park police believe that the 22-year-old in currently hiding out in St. Petersburg.

The arrest warrant in Pinellas stems from an August 24 car accident that left 60-year-old William Trotter dead. Trotter was allegedly hit by a Chrysler 300 that ran a red light. The collision took place just after 2:00 a.m. and Peterson has since been identified as the driver of the Chrysler. Following the accident with Trotter’s Camry, another Camry was hit by the Chrysler before the people inside the Chrysler left the scene of the accident on foot. One of the passengers in the car stayed behind following the fatal hit-and-run.

Police searched the abandoned Chrysler and found crack cocaine and marijuana. They also found an invitation to a birthday party at a strip club. The party was in honor of the passenger who stayed behind at the scene of the accident.

Police, acting on a tip, located Peterson at Manatee Memorial Hospital. He was there with a broken leg. During that interview Peterson allegedly admitted to being the driver of the car that struck Trotter’s Camry.  Peterson claimed he and his friends sped out of the Bottom’s Up club where the birthday party was held due to gunfire at the strip club.

There is no explanation as to why Peterson was not charged immediately after admitting to being the driver of the Chrysler considering the drugs found in the car, the fact he left the scene of the accident and that there was a fatality. Now Pinellas Park police are unable to locate him and are looking for the public’s help in arresting Peterson.

Continue Reading Pinellas County Warrants – Man Accused Of Fatal Hit-And-Run Has A Warrant Issued For His Arrest in Pinellas »
April 20, 2010

Largo Driver Booked On DUI Manslaughter Charges Due To Marijuana In His System

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Karl Merl has been arrested on DUI manslaughter charges in Pinellas County after police received test results that show the Largo man had marijuana in his system at the time of a car accident that killed an 83-year-old pedestrian in 2008. Merl is being held on $50,000 bail in the Pinellas County jail.

The incident took place in November of 2008 near 105th Avenue and Oakhurst Road. According to witnesses Merl made no effort to avoid Kathryn Melnick. Merl’s blood sample showed there was tetrahydrocannabinol on his system. THC is a pyschoactive substance that is found in marijuana.

Continue Reading Largo Driver Booked On DUI Manslaughter Charges Due To Marijuana In His System »
March 17, 2010

Tickets No Longer Available To Fake Rap Concert At Tampa Club

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

If you bought tickets to see Trick
Daddy, Trey Songz and Young Joc at Tampa’s Club Nouveau, there is some
bad news for you. Not only are the tickets fake, so is the concert.
Police arrested three people on Wednesday for dealing in the fake tickets, which allegedly were poorly made and had numerous misspellings on them.

According to TBO.com two women were charged with
grand theft,
possession of marijuana and
organized fraud. The third person arrested, a 21-year-old male, faces charges of contempt of court,
possession of marijuana, being a
felon in possession of a gun, grand theft and organized fraud. The two women arrested are from St Pete and the man who was charged is from Riverview. 
Web Statistics