Andrew D. Stine, P.A. - Florida Criminal Defence Attorney

Many people have been following the John Goodman DUI Manslaughter case almost as avidly as they followed the Casey Anthony case. Goodman was convicted in March of killing 23-year-old Scott Wilson in a car crash, he trudged his way through and arduous court process leading to conviction and controversy. Then, Goodman's defense lawyers made several claims that the conviction should be overturned because of jury misconduct. Now, after the hearing and questioning of the jury, the judge may release Goodman while he appeals his conviction.

Two Sarasota grandparents have been arrested charged with child endangerment, the charges also involve alcohol. Many times, child abuse, child neglect, and child endangerment often involves alcohol or drug abuse. When authorities are called to confront a set of parents or guardians, it's usually because a relative, teacher, or some sort of witness has personally seen the child's parents abuse or neglect the child. Often times the abuse or neglect only happens with alcohol. This can be a very tricky situation because the parents or guardians feel they have not done anything wrong.

Animal Services is an organization given the responsibility to care for animals neglected or abused by their owners. It is often heart breaking to hear stories about animal service centers that are under investigations of animal cruelty. For animal lovers, it can be jarring to hear that an organization that is dedicated to helping defenseless animals is actually causing more harm than good. One man was outraged to hear that a dog had been euthanized way too soon - violating policy - and actually made several threatening phone calls to the Hernando County Animal Services, even making a bomb threat.

Petty theft and grand theft are considered to be different solely on the value of the property or money stolen. You will be charged with petty theft if you have stolen property or money valuing less than $300. Greater than $300 is grand theft and is a felony. A felony conviction can cost you your rights as an average citizen. A man in Naples is in need of an experienced criminal defense lawyer because he has so many petty theft convictions on his record that his most recent theft escapade of $1 actually cost him a felony.

Senator Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale,invited members of the public to an open forum Wednesday to discuss their opinions and issues over the Stand Your Ground Law. The Stand Your Ground Law justifies a person in using deadly force when there is a reasonable belief of imminent threat. It is the main point of defense for shooter Zimmerman in the case of Trayvon Martin's death on Feb. 23 - a case rivaling the media attention of Casey Anthony. The forum was a direct response to Gov. Rick Scott's hesitance to form the task force he promised after the shooting.

Bank robberies may seem like they only happen in movies but in truth, it is a crime that is unfortunately common in the South Florida area. In fact, the FBI has been recently trying to track down a man who may have committed seven robberies since this past Christmas Eve. If caught, the robber is facing a seriously long time in prison in addition to heavy fines and a drawn out court case. He will need an extremely experienced criminal defense lawyer to help him through this process because his crimes have been subject to a lot of media attention.

Governor Rick Scott has proclaimed this week, the week of February 4-12 as the fourth annual "Florida Week for the Animals." The awareness week is dedicated to promoting awareness for animals and to give recognition to the organizations throughout that fight for animal rights. There are events like pet adoption festivals, educational activities, and even a salute to working and search and rescue K-9's. These events are put together to celebrate the animals within our community, and shine the light on people who work to prevent animal cruelty.

Many times, a legal defense for the prosecution of a crime includes the definition of entrapment. However, entrapment can be a very difficult defense to use as law enforcement officers are continuously growing more cautious and prepared when planning to catch criminal activity. The only way to be able to use entrapment as a criminal defense is if you have a complete understanding of what it entails and what it means for you.

Probation is a sentence ordered by a judge that allows a convicted person to live in society under the supervision of a probation officer, instead of serving time in jail. Probation is different from parole. Parole is the conditional release of a prison inmate after serving part or all of his or her sentence. Violating probation is a serious charge with many repercussions. Your probation may be revoked.

Plea bargaining can conclude a criminal case without a trial. When it is successful, plea bargaining results in a plea agreement between the prosecutor and defendant. In this agreement, the defendant agrees to plead guilty without a trial, and, in return, the prosecutor agrees to dismiss certain charges or make favorable sentence recommendations to the court. Plea bargaining is expressly authorized in statutes and in court rules.