Fort Myers Criminal Law Blog

A 25-year-old Florida woman speaks at schools to share her tragic story with teen drivers, hoping to convince them that driving while impaired is not cool. She tells them how one night of typical teenage fun back in 2010 -- at 17 years old -- ruined her life. Drunk driving caused the death of her best friend and robbed her of any opportunities to fulfill her dreams.

The woman says she and two friends got into the vehicle after a night of drinking beers at a campfire. She lost control of the truck, rolling it multiple times and ejecting a passenger who had been her best friend since childhood. Her friend died, and she herself spent months in and out of the hospital. An arrest and conviction on DUI manslaughter charges followed three years later, and her sentence included house arrest for two years, 23 years of probation, and a revoked driver's license.

When a driver in Florida is arrested for impaired driving, it sometimes comes along with a fear of the unknown along with shame and a tarnished reputation -- particularly if it is a first offense. Furthermore, the impact of a drunk driving conviction on a driver's bank balance can be severe. However, the burden of proof is on the prosecutors who will have to prove guilt to the charges in court and beyond a reasonable doubt. This is where the skills of an experienced DUI defense attorney come in.

A 29-year-old woman from High Springs will likely seek legal counsel after her recent arrest. According to a police officer, the crash occurred in the early morning hours of a recent Sunday. Law enforcement responded to the scene at about 2:30 a.m. to find a car that had crashed into a light pole. Reportedly, this happened after it jumped the curb and struck a U.S. Postal Service mailbox.

With rising temperatures and the rapid approach of summer in Florida, juvenile mischief will likely be rampant. Sadly, in many cases, the mischief turns into more serious matters, and young people are arrested and accused of committing juvenile crimes. Many such arrests follow status offenses, which constitute acts that are only illegal if committed by minors.

Status offenses include alcohol consumption, truancy and violations of curfew laws. Under Florida statutes, minors are prohibited from being in public establishments or places between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. the next day from Sunday through Thursday. Curfews are also in place between one minute past midnight and 6 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Following an investigation that involved the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service and the Blountstown Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed the indictment by a federal grand jury of a former CEO of a Florida Hospital. He faces charges of embezzlement, wire fraud and filing false tax returns. According to the indictment, the crimes alleged were committed between 2010 and 2015.

It is alleged that the accused man formed a shell company and billed the hospital for nonexistent goods purchased from this company. The payments for these invoices purportedly went to a bank account in the fake company's name, which was managed by the former CEO. The man is also accused of making purchases from vendors such as eBay, and then selling those products at significantly inflated prices to the hospital.