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

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. 

According to an article in the Palm Beach Post, a minor has been arrested and stands accused of firing a gun at a house party near Apopka Saturday night and wounding nine people. It is unclear why the shooting occurred but the teen that opened fire has been charged with several crimes including possession of a firearm by a minor.

In 2009, there were 30,911 reported robberies. That number continues to increase. Out of every state in the country, Florida ranks the 5th highest for the robbery rate as of 2009, according to The Disaster Center. There is generally a new robbery every day locally in West Palm Beach covered in the news. 

Crimes against children are the most aggressively prosecuted within the justice system. One crime against children that is considered the most severe is attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity through the use of a computer – especially if the perpetrator is a registered sex offender.

An 18-month-old’s future is in the hands of the law now after his father was arrested Saturday on child neglect charges. The case was so severe that an emergency hearing has been scheduled for today to determine who will receive custody of the child. It is highly unlikely that the father will be able to have the child in his care ever again.

A report released in early February denotes that there are about 825,000 illegal immigrants in the state of Florida. That number has declined sharply since 2007, when the number of illegal immigrants amounted to about 1.05 million. The decrease might be a result from the Coast Guards' increased efforts along the shores of South Florida. Even though the number is decreasing, there are still a significant number of illegal immigrants making it through the South Florida coastline. 

According to an article in WPTV News, a Riviera Beach couple was arrested Wednesday night for child neglect, after allegedly telling police that they live life in God and don't need to work despite not having any money to feed their toddler.

Drug-related crime covers a significant percentage of all crime committed in South Florida. Many officials believe that the huge drug problem in our area is due to the close proximity to international ports. International ports make it much easier for drug traffickers to transport large amounts of drugs to South Florida for distribution elsewhere. However, criminals are becoming more creative with their distribution methods – including using the Internet.

According to an article in WPTV News, a marijuana grow house was busted on Wednesday after police accidentally stumbled upon it. Usually, grow houses are caught and found through informants, anonymous tipsters, or sting operations. This one however, the police sniffed their way into.