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

Experts have been reporting a strong decline in the number of car thefts over the past decade. This decline may be a result of new and improved security technology, better response rates on the side of law enforcement, or a variety of other reasons. However, the Palm Beach Post has recently published an article attesting that fun fact, after a near decade of declining car thefts, grand theft auto seems to be a crime on the rise yet again. More often than not, cars are stolen and used to commit other crimes, or are stripped and sold for parts.

The popular BurgerFi chain has been blossoming throughout South Florida. Many residents in the area have nothing but positive remarks when it comes to the chain. The restaurant also boasts its humane and natural meat, which is becoming a must-have in reputable burger restaurants. However, the chain is falling under some scrutiny as the current partners of the BurgerFi business entity are filing several lawsuits against David Mainiero after he abruptly split from the company earlier this year, without giving a reason why.

The Judge residing over the Goodman vehicular manslaughter case may be calling in the jury for questioning. The circuit judge Jeffrey Colbath held a hearing Tuesday after Goodman's attorneys filed a notice of intent to interview jurors of possible misconduct. Goodman was found guilty of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in March after slamming into Scott Wilson's vehicle and sending it careening into a canal where Wilson, still strapped into the driver seat, drowned.

In the state of Florida, Florida’s Assault and Battery Law supplements domestic violence law. The difference is significant however because even though assault and battery are very specific in the crimes they cover, domestic violence is a specialized form of both in that the penalties are even more severe and the consequences are much more serious.

When a person is convicted of a sex crime, after serving the sentence in prison, the defendant must register as a sex offender immediately after release. Sex offender registration is a public record. Anyone who requests this information as access to it including potential employers, landowners, fellow residents, or even school officials. Being a registered sex offender severely limits one's freedom and ability to make independent choices. While this can be difficult for the offender, what happens to those people who co-exist in the communities with sex offenders?

Undercover police officers put their lives on the line to catch crimes in the act. Law enforcement use police officers to pose as buyers for drugs, weapons, and several other illegal activities. While these methods are often successful, the possibility of entrapment can be an issue. In Pompano Beach, a gun deal involving an undercover deputy went wrong, resulting in the death of the gun dealer.

A consistent headline in the news is how pain clinics are a growing problem. South Florida is considered to be the hotspot for pain clinics and by proxy, prescription drug trafficking. Doctors at pain clinics have an underhanded reputation for handing out prescriptions like they’re candy for highly addictive drugs like Oxycodone. As law enforcement continues to crack down on drug traffickers disguised as pain clinics, drug traffickers continue to find loopholes around the law.

According to state child protective service agencies, more than 1 million children are victims of child abuse and neglect each year. More often than not, child abuse and neglect is not reported to the system because the victims’ suffering goes unreported. Abuse and neglect can happen in any home and often often happens without the parents realizing it.

Law enforcement officers in South Florida are cracking down on pain clinics. The FDLE and DEA are very concerned with the amount of prescription pain pills that are being illegally peddled through pain clinics. The doctors of several pain clinics have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking. There is usually a residual charge of fraud as well. A criminal defense lawyer can explain the whole process if you have been charged with drug trafficking.

Florida’s passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act in 2002 that eliminated criminal intent as an element of the crime. Florida is the only state to eliminate criminal intent. A federal judge has now declared this drug statute as unconstitutional saying that criminal intent is not required to be proven by prosecutors.