Serving alcohol at a party comes with a great deal of responsibility. Many hosts do not realize they may face legal consequences if a guest drives while inebriated and injures or kills someone, or if any guest is under the legal drinking age of 21. If you are going to throw a party for whatever...
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Female teacher arrested for allegedly having sex with her student. Teacher was booked into the Polk County Jail on counts of
Yesterday, a female Polk County teacher was arrested for allegedly having sex with her 17 year old student. The teacher, Jennifer Fichter, is an English teacher at Central Florida Aerospace Academy. The arrest allegedly stemmed from text messages the teen's mother found on her son's phone. The mother then allegedly asked the teacher to come to...
Read MorePinellas County law enforcement and federal law enforcement conduct “Operation Home Alone” targeting travel to meet a minor suspects.
Federal law enforcement agencies along with various law enforcement agencies in Pinellas County conducted a criminal sting operation this past weekend. 35 people were arrested. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which has run nine (9) of these child sex crime stings in the past, also assisted in “Operation Home Alone.” The charges suspects were arrested...
Read MoreDNA Samples May Be Garnered from Criminal Suspects Without a Warrant
The legal landscape just changed with regard to obtaining a warrant to collect DNA from criminal offenders. The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a decision that has enormous ramifications for criminal offenders and criminal defense attorneys. The Court handed down a ruling that says law enforcement officers may gather DNA samples without getting a warrant...
Read MoreRules of sequestration, does it apply to alleged victim's family?
The George Zimmerman case may be over soon. The prosecution has rested their case, so now the defense may present evidence if they wish. Normally in a criminal trial, the attorneys will invoke the "Rule of Sequestration" that prevents witnesses from being present in the court room when another witness is testifying. It also prevents...
Read MoreOpen House Party, Florida Statutes 856.015 in Polk County
An open house party criminal charge can cause an arrested person many problems. The majority of the time, these charges arise out of college parties or house parties when a minor's or juvenile's parents go out of town. However, if you are a student at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, this criminal charge or...
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