The ‘Stand Your Ground Law’ is a very controversial law that has come into the spotlight in recent years. In many states, the law allows people to stand their ground and use deadly force as a means of self protection. The Stand Your Ground Law In Florida Florida was the first state in America to pass a stand-your-ground law 12 years ago and since, 34 other states have followed in their tracks. Currently, the stand-your-ground law in Florida states that residents are allowed to use force as a method of self-defense if they feel as though their lives are in danger. Defendants can opt for immunity under the current law as long as there is evidence present. The state of Florida has just passed measures that would bolster the law, taking… […]

Failure To Appear In Court Warrants Have a warrant for failure to appear? When a failure to appear has been issued by a Florida court, the person who failed to appear should contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately so a motion to recall the warrant/capias can be filed. Failure to appear warrants or capiases are issued by Florida judges when a person does not appear in court for a hearing. In order for the warrant to properly issue, the person named in the court event must have ‘notice’ of the hearing. Notice To Appear Notices to appear at court are usually provided by an arresting officer or an officer issuing a notice due to a traffic crime or misdemeanor. The citation or notice to appear will have a date and… […]

Making the choice to go to trial or plead guilty in a criminal case is up to the accused. But with proper guidance and information, the accused can make a better decision when they rely on an experienced criminal defense lawyer like Andrew D Stine. On January 24, 2017, a Palm Beach County jury picked by Andrew D Stine came back with a not guilty verdict in an aggravated battery with a deadly weapon case. The Case In case number 15CF006162AWB, the defendant Michael Joseph, was charged with a second degree felony punishable by 15 years in prison. The State of Florida alleged that Mr. Joseph used his vehicle as a missile in running down and striking Nathanial Holmes, causing Holmes to receive severe bodily injuries in Belle Glade, FL.… […]

Should a person accused of a crime go down to the sheriff station and give a statement to law enforcement? The guiding principle as to whether or not one accused of a crime should ‘ever’ talk to the police is embodied in the United States and the Florida Constitutions. The answer is simply: NO! Do Yourself a Favor and Hire an Attorney Before You Speak As a criminal defense lawyer, I am contacted regularly by people who are under investigation or who are being questioned by law enforcement. The telephone will ring or the office conference will occur, and the person will undoubtedly ask whether or not they should speak to the ‘cops’? The target of the investigation (the suspect) will then go into panic mode and try to give every… […]

Driving under the influence of prescription drugs is a major problem in Florida, according to Florida Law Enforcement Officials. Florida law enforcement officials have been cracking down on drivers suspected to be ‘impaired’ by prescription drugs. The DUI Law in Florida Florida law is very clear on the issue of prescription drug ‘impairment’ and operation of a motor vehicle. The law proscribes DUI guilt if someone is driving, or in actual physical control of a vehicle, while under the influence of a chemical substance set forth in FL Statute 877.111 or any of the controlled substances in chapter 893. Controlled substances listed under the 893 chapter of Florida law are drugs that are commonly known as street drugs: Heroin Cocaine Methamphetamines Marijuana Other similar ‘illegal’ drugs. But what about prescription drugs? The same… […]

Recent arrests of Anonymous protestors for trespassing were completely politically motivated says Andrew Stine West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney. On May 20, 2016 the West Palm Beach Police Department arrested many “protesters”, belonging to a group called Anonymous, for “trespassing,” reports West Palm Beach defense attorney Andrew Stine. The protestors were calling for the arrest of Officer Nouman Raja, the off-duty Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer, who shot to death Corey Jones. The protest started at the Palm Beach County Courthouse. The arrest of the protestors was triggered, however, not at the governmental building in downtown West Palm Beach, FL, but at an open field located close to the home of the Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg. Dave Aronberg is the top prosecutor in Palm Beach County,… […]

Appellate attorney Stine fought to get his client, restrained by an injunction, the due process rights mandated by law and denied by the trial court judge. The law office of Andrew D. Stine has filed and successfully won many appeals over the past 14 years. Recently, the District Court of Appeals of the State of Florida Fourth District (4th DCA), agreed with Palm Beach County defense attorney Andrew D. Stine, when he successfully argued that Palm Beach County Circuit Judge, Lisa S. Small, denied due process to Mr. Michael Vaught when she entered an injunction against him in a domestic violence case. On April 20, 2016, the 4th DCA issued its ruling and specifically stated that the injunction entered against the husband, Mr. Vaught, was entered in violation of his… […]

Aggressive enforcement against Palm Beach County pill mills has fueled heroin use and a spike in violent crime, reports criminal defense attorney Andrew Stine. Palm Beach County, Florida was recently known as the pill mill capital of the United States. But since the authorities, including the Federal Government through the DEA and the Palm Beach County Drug Task Force, led by the Office of the Palm Beach County Sheriff shut down the local pill mills, the need for addicts to get their fix on opium has not withered. As a matter of fact, over the past few years or since 2013, the rise of heroin on the streets of Palm Beach County, FL has escalated to epidemic levels. Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Lake-Worth have seen significant amounts of heroin… […]

The Office of the State Attorney wants Malachi Love Robinson to accept a plea bargain that would put him in jail for three years for operating his clinic. Andrew D. Stine, West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney reports that Malachi Love Robinson, the 18 year old who “played doctor,” according to the Office of the State Attorney in and for Palm Beach County Florida has again been the center of many national news sources. Malachi Love Robinson, also known as Dr. Love, was in court this week and the assistant state attorney announced that the State of Florida is requesting that Dr. Love plead guilty in exchange for 3 years in the Florida Department of Corrections with 5 years of probation to follow the prison sentence. The State believes they… […]

According to criminal defense lawyer Andrew Stine, DCF has earned a reputation for using underhanded tactics to remove children from their homes. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has a nefarious reputation throughout Florida for illegally removing children from their families, reports Andrew D. Stine, Palm Beach defense attorney. DCF will receive a report through the “hotline” regarding child abuse, child endangerment or child neglect and then use underhanded tactics in their investigation of the allegations. Several investigation tools used by DCF allow for the “child” to be interviewed, without the parents even knowing about the investigation let alone the interview. Schools are a favorite place for DCF to use this underhanded tactic in their bag of investigative tools. DCF likes to show up at elementary schools, middle schools… […]