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March 10, 2010

Tampa Probation Violation – Two Dogs Shot As Hillsborough Sheriff’s Arrest Man For Violating Probation

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Two pit bulls were fatally shot when
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s tried to arrest a Tampa man for
probation violations on
grand theft,
burglary and
giving false information
on a pawn form convictions. The shootings took place Wednesday morning
as deputies attempted to take 23-year-old Garrett McGall into custody
in a home with six unsecured pit bulls.

According to TampaBay.com McGall refused to secure his dogs.
Deputies tried to use pepper spray on the dogs but it had little
effect. As one of the dogs went after a detective, he was shot and then
a second went after another law enforcement agent and was killed as
well. The investigation is ongoing. 

Continue Reading Tampa Probation Violation – Two Dogs Shot As Hillsborough Sheriff’s Arrest Man For Violating Probation »
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 »
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Recent Posts in Hillsborough County Category

November 9, 2010

Florida DUI News – Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To DUI Manslaughter Charges Now Awaiting DUI Sentence

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Florida DUI Penalty

A series of car crashes that led to multiple DUI charges in Tampa including DUI manslaughter against an Army veteran has led to the man pleading guilty after claiming his innocence for more than a year. Randy Archiquette is waiting to be sentenced now on two counts of DUI manslaughter, three counts of DUI with property damage and leaving the scene of numerous accidents.

Archiquette could be looking at life in prison for killing two women in a series of crashes. According to TampaBay.com on April 13, 2009 Archiquette caused five crashes in a 30-minute period while driving his Chevrolet Yukon with a 0.147 blood alcohol level. He was driving near Hillsborough and Florida Avenues when his truck finally flipped ending his rampage. Following the crashes Archiquette learned that 20-year-old Brittany McFarland and 69-year-old Betty Williams were both dead. He steadfastly denied he could have killed the two women. Prosecutors contend that Archiquette was not only drunk but under the influence of prescription drugs as well at the time of the car crashes.

The families who lost loved ones that day will have to wait until February 11 to find out what Archiquette’s Florida DUI sentence will entail. The judge warned Archiquette that he could not change his mind once he pleads guilty and the penalty for DUI manslaughter in Florida could be life in prison. Archiquette acknowledged that he understood that. He has already been in jail for 19 months since his arrest as he was not given bail. The Army veteran spent 12 years serving his country and has two young daughters.

Several family members attended the hearing as did the grandmother of Summer Moll who was severely injured in a DUI crash in which Tammy Rosian also lost her daughter. Rosian connected with families of the victims of this accident on Facebook and came to lend support.

Continue Reading Florida DUI News – Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To DUI Manslaughter Charges Now Awaiting DUI Sentence »
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 »
July 12, 2010

Tampa Criminal News – Brawl In Ybor City Leads To Seven Arrests Including Battery And Resisting Arrest

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Tampa Criminal Lawyers

According to a story on TBO.com, a brawl in Ybor City early Sunday morning led to seven arrests including a woman from Tampa charged with battery. The Tampa Tribune story does not mention what started the fight but it did include one interesting side note that a man who was watching the fight, but not part of the brawl, was arrested for slapping a police horse.

The brawl took place on Seventh Avenue and 18th Street with the first arrest coming at approximately 2:30 a.m. The first person charged was a Massachusetts woman. The 30-year-old was charged with affray. Another Massachusetts woman was arrested on charges of battery, affray, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence.

The fight, which seemed to be between the two women at the start, drew a crowd and eventually more people got involved and more arrests followed. Two Tampa men and another man from Winter Haven were charged with affray. An 18-year-old man from Port Charlotte was arrested for resisting an officer without violence while standing in the middle of the street. He allegedly refused to move when asked to do so by the police.

The oddest part of the whole story was the arrest of a 23-year-old Bradenton man. The Tampa Tribune is reporting Calvin Esaw was not part of the street fight but he slapped a police horse when mounted units arrived on the scene to help break-up the altercation.

The story did not report what type of battery was charged in the case but typically a simple battery charge could carry a Florida jail sentence of up to one year in county and up to a $1000 fine. If the battery is a felony jail sentences can start out at five years. The main distinction between a misdemeanor battery and a felony battery charge is the amount of harm inflicted on the victim.

Continue Reading Tampa Criminal News – Brawl In Ybor City Leads To Seven Arrests Including Battery And Resisting Arrest »
June 22, 2010

Tampa Legal News– Man Pleads Guilty To Criminal Charges Of Second Degree Murder After Shooting

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

criminal charges

A Tampa man facing criminal charges involving a murder and possible drug dealings has plead guilty to second degree murder and received a three year prison sentence. Alexis Rivera Nunez shot and killed Yoandy Cancio who he claims approached him holding a submachine gun according to TBO.com. Prosecutors contended that Nunez shot an unarmed man over stolen drugs.

The shooting took place in 2009 and prosecutors agreed to the plea deal this week. The judge in the case accepted the agreement and sentenced Nunez to three years in prison followed by a probation term of 15 years. Nunez could have been facing a prison sentence ranging from 25 years to life.

Prosecutors felt they needed to come to a plea agreement because their main witness was shot and killed. Julio De La Torre was sitting in his car in Seffner when he was shot and killed. A 23-year-old man named Isaiah Ridley has been charged with that killing. Remaining witnesses in the case had conflicting statements further hampering the case against Nunez.

Nunez’s criminal defense attorney was prepared to argue that the shooting was in self defense had he not accepted the second degree murder charges. Some of the witnesses in the case claim that Nunez believed Cancio stole drugs from him and that Nunez threatened to kill him. While police first reported that both men had guns one witness stated Cancio was unarmed and had his back to Nunez walking away when he was shot in the abdomen after turning back towards Nunez. Nunez’s attorney claimed that Cancio had a Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol with a 32-round clip at the time of the shooting.

According to the story on TBO.com the family of the victim was not in agreement with the three-year prison sentence. None of them showed up in court to her the guilty plea.

Continue Reading Tampa Legal News– Man Pleads Guilty To Criminal Charges Of Second Degree Murder After Shooting »
June 8, 2010

Tampa Arrest Warrants Served – Major Operation In Tampa Today Targets 600 Warrants For Arrest

Posted By 1 800 FIGHT IT

Tampa Criminal Lawyer

It is called Operation Summer Slam and the goal in Tampa today was to track down 600 people with warrants for their arrest for anything from failure to appear to traffic violations to felony warrants. The operation was a joint venture by three different law enforcement agencies and was executed today all over Tampa. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs, Temple Terrace Police and Tampa Police joined forces to make 40 arrests before noon.

According to TampaBay.com most of the warrants were for misdemeanors but there were also some felony warrants. According to one officer many of the warrants he was serving stemmed from traffic citations in Sulphur Springs.

The operation was deliberately planned right as county schools let out for summer break. Tampa Police say they often see a spike in criminal activity at this time of the year. The operation was meant to not only track down Tampa residents with outstanding warrants but to also send a strong message.

The problem the law enforcement agencies encountered with trying to serve the arrest warrants in Tampa was that many of the addresses that law enforcement had were no longer valid making it tough to track down the violators. The operation which is scheduled to run through Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m. is not the only area of enforcement that the agencies are ratcheting up. According to the story on-line there will also be increased enforcement of DUI and drug crimes most likely resulting in more drug possession charges and arrests for drunk driving.

There was no further information on the number of arrests made later in the day but with more than 30 hours still remaining, that number could easily top 100. The arrestees are being taken to a holding area at Copeland Park.

Continue Reading Tampa Arrest Warrants Served – Major Operation In Tampa Today Targets 600 Warrants For Arrest »
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 »
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. 
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