By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
An unusual way to order pizza, courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times website...
CLEARWATER — Police have arrested a teenager and are looking for another suspect accused of robbing a pizza delivery man at knifepoint Tuesday night.
The juvenile criminal defendant, 17, of Clearwater, was charged with armed robbery, resisting arrest without violence and loitering and prowling and was taken to the Pinellas County Juvenile Detention Center.
According to Clearwater police, The juvenile criminal defendant and another male, believed to be a teenager, called a Pizza Hut at 407 S Belcher Road on Tuesday evening and ordered pizza to be delivered to a phony apartment number at Canterbury Oaks Apartments at 2025 Rogers Street.
When delivery driver and soon to be robbery victim arrived at the complex around 7:30, the juvenile hit him in the face (battery) and demanded money, police said.
The victim fell to the ground and was threatened by the other suspect with a pocketknife. That teen is described as a Hispanic male with a thin build who was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt.
The victim gave the two a small amount of cash and grabbed the pizza before running away.
Officers set up a perimeter in the area and used a police canine to track the juvenile suspect to the 1200 block of Canterbury Road.
Detectives said they are still investigating to determine if any other people were involved.
Have you been arrested on a theft or juvenile charge? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Welcome to the blog of a Clearwater-based Tampa bay area criminal defense attorney. Visit our website at www.BlakeDorstenLaw.com or call us at 727-286-6141 for all your legal needs. Our office is located across from the 49th street criminal courthouse, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater 33762.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Justice
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
From the St. Pete Times website, another example of the old saying "A person who represents himself has a fool for a client"
TAMPA — The verdict hit the man accused of rape so hard he dropped to his seat and wept.
He was guilty, a jury decided late Thursday night. He posed as a cop (impersonating a police officer) to rob and rape a woman along Bayshore Boulevard.
He had spent nine hours awaiting the news in a holding cell, stripped of his tie and his belt.
He could spend the rest of his life in prison. He'll get his sentence Feb. 17, though his attorneys plan to appeal.
He was led out of the courtroom for jail, head hung, after telling his mother he loved her. He said one last thing, at the mention of a second case in which he is accused of posing as a cop (impersonating a police officer) and pistol-whipping a man:
"I'm not waiving speedy trial!"
The same declaration led him, three weeks ago, to ditch his criminal defense attorney who wanted time to prepare. Most defendants facing steep charges waive the right to a trial within 175 days of arrest. The man convicted of rape refused. He opted for a failed three-day attempt at self-representation, in which jurors saw him struggle as he cross-examined the victim and was admonished by the judge.
Those jurors got one last image of him before they went in for deliberations: the defendant being yanked from the courtroom.
The defendant, who made a sudden request for criminal defense attorneys midway through the trial, wanted to have the last word in his defense.
And he got it.
Just after a prosecutor finished closing arguments, the defendant stood and pointed to the victim.
The sudden move prompted one juror to duck.
The soon to be convicted rapist began to blurt out things not admitted into the trial as evidence.
"What they're not telling you is she has four DUIs," he bellowed. "She's been arrested four times."
"Sit down!" yelled the Circuit Judge. "Get him out of the courtroom right now!"
Jurors watched as three bailiffs grabbed the rape suspect and pushed him out a back door. One covered his mouth, but the defendant kept trying to say something about the victim laughing in an interview.
As if nothing had happened, the judge immediately began to instruct jurors on the law they needed to use to deliberate.
The judge didn't address the outburst. He said he didn't think jurors heard much over the judge's yells.
And nobody moved for a mistrial, something the Tampa rape suspect told his mother he wanted soon after the trial began. The reason, he told her: He didn't like his jury.
The four men and two women worked for more than nine hours Thursday, asking for transcripts of testimony. They told the judge they wanted to be thorough. They ate lunch in the courtroom. Dinner, too. Even the alternates who got dismissed stuck around, curious.
They had spent two weeks with a pinhole view of one of the most chaotic, bizarre trials in the court's recent history, kept out of the loop last week as the judge pondered a mistrial. In another courtroom, the jurors had talked football and played card games.
Finally, on Tuesday, they got back to work listening to testimony. They heard closing arguments Thursday from a prosecutor and a defense attorney who summed up both accounts of the night of July 29.
The attorney for the suspect told jurors not to hold his' lawyering attempt against him.
"Although that may not have been the smartest decision," it was said, "he is not on trial to test his common sense."
One juror later said he and the others based their guilty verdict solely on the evidence provided and didn't weigh in any of the rape suspect's outbursts, tears or his attempt to represent himself.
"That didn't have any weight in the decision we made," he said.
The attorney for the defendant told jurors the victim's story has changed and the truth should never change.
The Assistant State Attorney said it was the rape story that kept changing. He lied to detectives during an interview, saying he had never seen the victim. She said the defendant was sweating on the video they watched, trying to keep his lies straight.
The prosecutor asked them to consider this:
If he'd had consensual sex with the victim, why did police find him hiding on a rooftop?
Just after that question, the defendant shot from his seat.
His mother watched with approval. The jury needed to know, said the defendant's mother, "what kind of girl" the victim is.
The victim has been arrested on suspicion of DUI, but jail records show her blood alcohol content was 0.00 and court records show no convictions.
Jurors didn't know the defendant served a prison sentence for grand theft and was acquitted of a 1999 rape charge.
His mother clutched a tissue when she spoke with the St. Petersburg Times and cried over the possibility her son could spend the rest of his life in prison.
"He's all I have," she said as she waited for the verdict. "In my heart, I know he's innocent."
The victim, too, lingered.
At the beginning of the day, she'd taken the front-row seat.
A prosecutor had reached for her hand and told her, "We have to trust the jury."
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a violent crime? Then contact the Tampa Bay criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com.
We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
From the St. Pete Times website, another example of the old saying "A person who represents himself has a fool for a client"
TAMPA — The verdict hit the man accused of rape so hard he dropped to his seat and wept.
He was guilty, a jury decided late Thursday night. He posed as a cop (impersonating a police officer) to rob and rape a woman along Bayshore Boulevard.
He had spent nine hours awaiting the news in a holding cell, stripped of his tie and his belt.
He could spend the rest of his life in prison. He'll get his sentence Feb. 17, though his attorneys plan to appeal.
He was led out of the courtroom for jail, head hung, after telling his mother he loved her. He said one last thing, at the mention of a second case in which he is accused of posing as a cop (impersonating a police officer) and pistol-whipping a man:
"I'm not waiving speedy trial!"
The same declaration led him, three weeks ago, to ditch his criminal defense attorney who wanted time to prepare. Most defendants facing steep charges waive the right to a trial within 175 days of arrest. The man convicted of rape refused. He opted for a failed three-day attempt at self-representation, in which jurors saw him struggle as he cross-examined the victim and was admonished by the judge.
Those jurors got one last image of him before they went in for deliberations: the defendant being yanked from the courtroom.
The defendant, who made a sudden request for criminal defense attorneys midway through the trial, wanted to have the last word in his defense.
And he got it.
Just after a prosecutor finished closing arguments, the defendant stood and pointed to the victim.
The sudden move prompted one juror to duck.
The soon to be convicted rapist began to blurt out things not admitted into the trial as evidence.
"What they're not telling you is she has four DUIs," he bellowed. "She's been arrested four times."
"Sit down!" yelled the Circuit Judge. "Get him out of the courtroom right now!"
Jurors watched as three bailiffs grabbed the rape suspect and pushed him out a back door. One covered his mouth, but the defendant kept trying to say something about the victim laughing in an interview.
As if nothing had happened, the judge immediately began to instruct jurors on the law they needed to use to deliberate.
The judge didn't address the outburst. He said he didn't think jurors heard much over the judge's yells.
And nobody moved for a mistrial, something the Tampa rape suspect told his mother he wanted soon after the trial began. The reason, he told her: He didn't like his jury.
The four men and two women worked for more than nine hours Thursday, asking for transcripts of testimony. They told the judge they wanted to be thorough. They ate lunch in the courtroom. Dinner, too. Even the alternates who got dismissed stuck around, curious.
They had spent two weeks with a pinhole view of one of the most chaotic, bizarre trials in the court's recent history, kept out of the loop last week as the judge pondered a mistrial. In another courtroom, the jurors had talked football and played card games.
Finally, on Tuesday, they got back to work listening to testimony. They heard closing arguments Thursday from a prosecutor and a defense attorney who summed up both accounts of the night of July 29.
The attorney for the suspect told jurors not to hold his' lawyering attempt against him.
"Although that may not have been the smartest decision," it was said, "he is not on trial to test his common sense."
One juror later said he and the others based their guilty verdict solely on the evidence provided and didn't weigh in any of the rape suspect's outbursts, tears or his attempt to represent himself.
"That didn't have any weight in the decision we made," he said.
The attorney for the defendant told jurors the victim's story has changed and the truth should never change.
The Assistant State Attorney said it was the rape story that kept changing. He lied to detectives during an interview, saying he had never seen the victim. She said the defendant was sweating on the video they watched, trying to keep his lies straight.
The prosecutor asked them to consider this:
If he'd had consensual sex with the victim, why did police find him hiding on a rooftop?
Just after that question, the defendant shot from his seat.
His mother watched with approval. The jury needed to know, said the defendant's mother, "what kind of girl" the victim is.
The victim has been arrested on suspicion of DUI, but jail records show her blood alcohol content was 0.00 and court records show no convictions.
Jurors didn't know the defendant served a prison sentence for grand theft and was acquitted of a 1999 rape charge.
His mother clutched a tissue when she spoke with the St. Petersburg Times and cried over the possibility her son could spend the rest of his life in prison.
"He's all I have," she said as she waited for the verdict. "In my heart, I know he's innocent."
The victim, too, lingered.
At the beginning of the day, she'd taken the front-row seat.
A prosecutor had reached for her hand and told her, "We have to trust the jury."
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a violent crime? Then contact the Tampa Bay criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Tampa Bay criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com.
We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - America's Most Wanted
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
A St. Petersburg, Florida fugitive is to be featured on an upcoming episode of "America's Most Wanted"
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Elrick Bernard "Big E" Wynn made millions pushing crack cocaine in the 1990s, authorities say, building the biggest drug syndicate in city history by the age of 27.
The U.S. Attorney's Office called the Wynn organization the "Microsoft" of St. Petersburg, Florida when the law broke up the violent drug ring in 1998. But its Bill Gates had already escaped.
Wynn learned the business from the drug kingpins before him, authorities say, then supplanted and surpassed them. But they got caught. He got away, thanks to a last-minute tip.
It has been 14 years since anyone with a badge has laid eyes on Wynn. Those who still see him tell police he's like a "ghost."
Did he fake his death or was he killed? Did he flee to the Virgin Islands? Does he still scratch his gambling itch in Las Vegas and Biloxi? Does he still sneak into town to visit his mother and family?
Deputy U.S. Marshal Lisa Alfonso is pretty sure that last rumor is true: "He's a momma's boy," she said.
Wynn, who is wanted on multiple federal drug charges, was be showcased on Saturday's America's Most Wanted at 9 p.m. on WTVT-Ch. 13. U.S. marshals are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. Authorities hope that will help them finally capture him.
Not only is he considered armed and dangerous, but authorities say the 6-foot-2, 260-pound fugitive may be sporting something else:
A woman's wig, lipstick, fake eyelashes and a blouse.
• • •
In 2009 there were 11 murders in St. Petersburg, Florida the city's lowest number of homicides in 40 years. Compare that with 1989, the height of the crack epidemic: There were 44 murders that year, the highest number on record.
Robert Earl "Wonderman" Lee was the first of St. Petersburg's crack kingpins. When authorities shut him down in 1989, they said the family had already made millions. Lee once lost $30,000 because he forgot he had stashed it in the garbage. In 1990, he and his brother Roy Larry Lee were sentenced to life in prison.
A year later residents lined the sidewalks of Bartlett Park and cheered as officers led away their successor: Ronald Eugene "Romeo" Mathis.
Once a cog in the Lee operation, authorities said, Mathis went on to build a sophisticated machine that sold drugs in three shifts 24 hours a day, brought in $300,000 a week and left residents terrified.
"I'll be back," said a smiling, handcuffed Mathis, according to a 1991 news story detailing his arrest.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 1994.
Next up, authorities say, was Elrick Wynn.
• • •
Wynn worked for both the Wonderman Lee and Romeo Mathis organizations, said St. Petersburg narcotics Detective Mike Celona.
"Elrick Wynn had been an important player," Celona said. "Mathis and Jeffrey Lee were Wynn's mentors. He learned a lot from them and built up a vast organization. He controlled a majority of the crack and powder cocaine in St. Pete."
Wynn wasn't as flashy as his predecessors, authorities say, but he was more productive: They estimate his organization moved a total of one ton — 50 to 100 pounds a month — of crack cocaine in and out of St. Petersburg, Florida from 1993 to 1998. Authorities estimate he made $700,000 a month and more than $8 million a year.
Wynn drove with a small arsenal that included grenades. He also carried brown paper bags filled with thousands that he gambled on games of pool and high-stakes poker every night.
But in 1998, it was the Wynn organization's turn to fall.
• • •
Authorities believe they just missed him during the raids that year. He was tipped off, they say, by an associate who was arrested as he got off the phone from warning Wynn.
Detective Celona said there were rumors at the time that Wynn was killed by a former lieutenant or faked his own death (his motorcycle was later found abandoned on the side of a road.) But authorities actually believe he could still be in the drug trade and may be traveling between Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Richmond.
"They call him a ghost," Alfonso said of the fugitive's known associates. "They say he comes and goes."
Money isn't an issue for Wynn, authorities say. He may also have another advantage: impeccable fake credentials. One of the men authorities arrested in 1998 was a driver's license clerk who they say provided Wynn and his employees with legitimate Florida driver's licenses issued to fake names. Authorities say they still have no idea how many of those IDs he may have.
"He's a little more sophisticated than most fugitives," Alfonso said.
• • •
Wynn is 41 now. He is wanted on federal charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
Authorities believe he still likes to gamble. They think he still has a tattoo on his left bicep that says "THE WYNN." He was spotted with a beard two years ago in Ocala. But closer to home he has been spotted in a new disguise:
Witnesses have reported seeing the imposing fugitive wearing a woman's wig, fake eyelashes, makeup and blouse.
"Can he pull it off?" Celona said.
"Some folks say he did lose some weight," Alfonso said.
The authorities believe he uses that disguise to visit his mother and family and drive around St. Petersburg without scrutiny.
His mother, Margianna Speights, once told a federal grand jury she doesn't know where her son is. Alfonso said the U.S. marshals aren't sure of that, but hope she's able to deliver this message:
"My advice to his mother is to get him to turn himself in peacefully," Alfonso said. "We consider him armed and dangerous, and if we get a tip, we're coming with everything we've got."
Have you or someone you love been arrested for possession of cocaine or drug charges? Then call the St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. today!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.
A St. Petersburg, Florida fugitive is to be featured on an upcoming episode of "America's Most Wanted"
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Elrick Bernard "Big E" Wynn made millions pushing crack cocaine in the 1990s, authorities say, building the biggest drug syndicate in city history by the age of 27.
The U.S. Attorney's Office called the Wynn organization the "Microsoft" of St. Petersburg, Florida when the law broke up the violent drug ring in 1998. But its Bill Gates had already escaped.
Wynn learned the business from the drug kingpins before him, authorities say, then supplanted and surpassed them. But they got caught. He got away, thanks to a last-minute tip.
It has been 14 years since anyone with a badge has laid eyes on Wynn. Those who still see him tell police he's like a "ghost."
Did he fake his death or was he killed? Did he flee to the Virgin Islands? Does he still scratch his gambling itch in Las Vegas and Biloxi? Does he still sneak into town to visit his mother and family?
Deputy U.S. Marshal Lisa Alfonso is pretty sure that last rumor is true: "He's a momma's boy," she said.
Wynn, who is wanted on multiple federal drug charges, was be showcased on Saturday's America's Most Wanted at 9 p.m. on WTVT-Ch. 13. U.S. marshals are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. Authorities hope that will help them finally capture him.
Not only is he considered armed and dangerous, but authorities say the 6-foot-2, 260-pound fugitive may be sporting something else:
A woman's wig, lipstick, fake eyelashes and a blouse.
• • •
In 2009 there were 11 murders in St. Petersburg, Florida the city's lowest number of homicides in 40 years. Compare that with 1989, the height of the crack epidemic: There were 44 murders that year, the highest number on record.
Robert Earl "Wonderman" Lee was the first of St. Petersburg's crack kingpins. When authorities shut him down in 1989, they said the family had already made millions. Lee once lost $30,000 because he forgot he had stashed it in the garbage. In 1990, he and his brother Roy Larry Lee were sentenced to life in prison.
A year later residents lined the sidewalks of Bartlett Park and cheered as officers led away their successor: Ronald Eugene "Romeo" Mathis.
Once a cog in the Lee operation, authorities said, Mathis went on to build a sophisticated machine that sold drugs in three shifts 24 hours a day, brought in $300,000 a week and left residents terrified.
"I'll be back," said a smiling, handcuffed Mathis, according to a 1991 news story detailing his arrest.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 1994.
Next up, authorities say, was Elrick Wynn.
• • •
Wynn worked for both the Wonderman Lee and Romeo Mathis organizations, said St. Petersburg narcotics Detective Mike Celona.
"Elrick Wynn had been an important player," Celona said. "Mathis and Jeffrey Lee were Wynn's mentors. He learned a lot from them and built up a vast organization. He controlled a majority of the crack and powder cocaine in St. Pete."
Wynn wasn't as flashy as his predecessors, authorities say, but he was more productive: They estimate his organization moved a total of one ton — 50 to 100 pounds a month — of crack cocaine in and out of St. Petersburg, Florida from 1993 to 1998. Authorities estimate he made $700,000 a month and more than $8 million a year.
Wynn drove with a small arsenal that included grenades. He also carried brown paper bags filled with thousands that he gambled on games of pool and high-stakes poker every night.
But in 1998, it was the Wynn organization's turn to fall.
• • •
Authorities believe they just missed him during the raids that year. He was tipped off, they say, by an associate who was arrested as he got off the phone from warning Wynn.
Detective Celona said there were rumors at the time that Wynn was killed by a former lieutenant or faked his own death (his motorcycle was later found abandoned on the side of a road.) But authorities actually believe he could still be in the drug trade and may be traveling between Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Richmond.
"They call him a ghost," Alfonso said of the fugitive's known associates. "They say he comes and goes."
Money isn't an issue for Wynn, authorities say. He may also have another advantage: impeccable fake credentials. One of the men authorities arrested in 1998 was a driver's license clerk who they say provided Wynn and his employees with legitimate Florida driver's licenses issued to fake names. Authorities say they still have no idea how many of those IDs he may have.
"He's a little more sophisticated than most fugitives," Alfonso said.
• • •
Wynn is 41 now. He is wanted on federal charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
Authorities believe he still likes to gamble. They think he still has a tattoo on his left bicep that says "THE WYNN." He was spotted with a beard two years ago in Ocala. But closer to home he has been spotted in a new disguise:
Witnesses have reported seeing the imposing fugitive wearing a woman's wig, fake eyelashes, makeup and blouse.
"Can he pull it off?" Celona said.
"Some folks say he did lose some weight," Alfonso said.
The authorities believe he uses that disguise to visit his mother and family and drive around St. Petersburg without scrutiny.
His mother, Margianna Speights, once told a federal grand jury she doesn't know where her son is. Alfonso said the U.S. marshals aren't sure of that, but hope she's able to deliver this message:
"My advice to his mother is to get him to turn himself in peacefully," Alfonso said. "We consider him armed and dangerous, and if we get a tip, we're coming with everything we've got."
Have you or someone you love been arrested for possession of cocaine or drug charges? Then call the St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. today!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - oh waitress...
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
From the St. Pete times website, local waitresses get busted for drug possession...
CLEARWATER — Responding to a tip that narcotics were being sold at a Drew Street restaurant, police arrested three waitresses at Tilted Kilt on Saturday night, according to arrest reports.
Two were charged with drug possession and the third is accused of trying to hide evidence (tampering with evidence), but none were charged with drug sales or drug trafficking.
One suspect, 19, of the 1900 block of Rebecca Drive, was charged with possession of oxycodone, phenobarbital and possession of Soma. Another suspect, 20, of the 2600 block of Drew Street, was charged with possession of oxycodone. The last suspect, 21, of the 10400 block of Oakhurst Road in Largo, was charged with tampering with physical evidence.
According to the reports, Clearwater police went to the restaurant at 2571 Drew St. around 9 p.m. after an anonymous caller reported the women had prescription pills and may be selling them.
Police said the first two suspects consented to be searched. They said they found six pills in one purse, and learned that said she had bought four of them from the second suspect and the other two were given to her, reports show.
Police said they found eight oxycodone pills in a makeup case belonging to one of the girls and that the third suspect tried to hide by throwing in a trash can.
The suspect admitted she threw the pills away after someone said police were searching her possessions, according a report.
None of the girls didn't have prescriptions for the medications, police said.
All three women were released from the Pinellas County Jail Sunday morning after each posted $2,000 bail.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From the St. Pete times website, local waitresses get busted for drug possession...
CLEARWATER — Responding to a tip that narcotics were being sold at a Drew Street restaurant, police arrested three waitresses at Tilted Kilt on Saturday night, according to arrest reports.
Two were charged with drug possession and the third is accused of trying to hide evidence (tampering with evidence), but none were charged with drug sales or drug trafficking.
One suspect, 19, of the 1900 block of Rebecca Drive, was charged with possession of oxycodone, phenobarbital and possession of Soma. Another suspect, 20, of the 2600 block of Drew Street, was charged with possession of oxycodone. The last suspect, 21, of the 10400 block of Oakhurst Road in Largo, was charged with tampering with physical evidence.
According to the reports, Clearwater police went to the restaurant at 2571 Drew St. around 9 p.m. after an anonymous caller reported the women had prescription pills and may be selling them.
Police said the first two suspects consented to be searched. They said they found six pills in one purse, and learned that said she had bought four of them from the second suspect and the other two were given to her, reports show.
Police said they found eight oxycodone pills in a makeup case belonging to one of the girls and that the third suspect tried to hide by throwing in a trash can.
The suspect admitted she threw the pills away after someone said police were searching her possessions, according a report.
None of the girls didn't have prescriptions for the medications, police said.
All three women were released from the Pinellas County Jail Sunday morning after each posted $2,000 bail.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - sting
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Similar to a prior drug raid that was blogged about here, it looks like the Clearwater police department is at it again per the St. Pete Times...
CLEARWATER — Detectives arrested two people and seized crack cocaine and prescription pills during a drug raid Tuesday evening, police said.
One suspect, 46, was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, four counts of sale of cocaine, five counts of possession of cocaine, sale and possession of oxycodone, and possession of Alprazolam and marijuana.
Another suspect, 44, was charged with possession of morphine and violation of probation on a drug possession charge.
Police had received tips that drugs were being sold from the home, said a Clearwater police spokeswoman.
Suspect #1 then sold cocaine and pills to undercover officers from a home at 208 S Hillcrest Ave. on numerous occasions in December and early January, according to arrest reports.
When the narcotics unit and other officers executed the search warrant about 6:40 p.m., the suspect ran, then hit an officer as he was being taken into custody, police said.
Detectives found 15 grams of crack cocaine, various prescription pills and about $350 in cash.
Suspect #2, who was also at the house when it was raided, had a morphine pill on her, according to an arrest report.
That suspect, who lives at the Hillcrest address, was being held Wednesday in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $74,000 bail. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, he was convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon in Pinellas County in 1985 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Most recently, he was released from prison in January 2010 after a conviction on cocaine possession charges in 2007.
In addition, the other suspectof 15 N Jefferson Ave., was being held without bail on the probation violation.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or cocaine charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Similar to a prior drug raid that was blogged about here, it looks like the Clearwater police department is at it again per the St. Pete Times...
CLEARWATER — Detectives arrested two people and seized crack cocaine and prescription pills during a drug raid Tuesday evening, police said.
One suspect, 46, was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, four counts of sale of cocaine, five counts of possession of cocaine, sale and possession of oxycodone, and possession of Alprazolam and marijuana.
Another suspect, 44, was charged with possession of morphine and violation of probation on a drug possession charge.
Police had received tips that drugs were being sold from the home, said a Clearwater police spokeswoman.
Suspect #1 then sold cocaine and pills to undercover officers from a home at 208 S Hillcrest Ave. on numerous occasions in December and early January, according to arrest reports.
When the narcotics unit and other officers executed the search warrant about 6:40 p.m., the suspect ran, then hit an officer as he was being taken into custody, police said.
Detectives found 15 grams of crack cocaine, various prescription pills and about $350 in cash.
Suspect #2, who was also at the house when it was raided, had a morphine pill on her, according to an arrest report.
That suspect, who lives at the Hillcrest address, was being held Wednesday in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $74,000 bail. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, he was convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon in Pinellas County in 1985 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Most recently, he was released from prison in January 2010 after a conviction on cocaine possession charges in 2007.
In addition, the other suspectof 15 N Jefferson Ave., was being held without bail on the probation violation.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or cocaine charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - tragedy
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
A truly sad occurence, as seen on the St. Pete Times website...
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 55-year-old registered sex offender repeatedly raped a woman he held captive in his apartment for several hours early Saturday morning, according to St. Petersburg police.
The Defendant was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges of sexual battery by threat of force or violence and false imprisonment.
The 24-year-old victim, who was not identified by police, said she does not know the Defendant. It is also the policy of this blog not to identify sexual assault victims.
The woman met her alleged attacker about 1:30 a.m. outside his building and asked for a cigarette, she told police. He told her to come up to his apartment in the 500 block of Ninth Avenue N to get it, police said.
Once inside, police said, the Defendant shut the door and locked it. He demanded she have intercourse with him, police said, and threatened her life if she didn't comply. He beat and choked the woman and sexually assaulted her several times, police said.
The Defendant released the victim about 7:45 a.m. She reported the rape to a friend and police and took officers to his apartment. The Defendant was arrested about noon that afternoon.
A search of the Defendant's record showed that his first arrest was at age 16 in St. Petersburg in 1972 on a charge of burglary, according to records. Six years later he was arrested in Pinellas County on one count of sexual battery with a weapon and two counts of burglary. He was 22 at the time.
In that incident, according to a 1978 article in the Times, the Defendant broke into a woman's house and crawled into her bed, police said. He assaulted the woman when she tried to leave, according to police, and raped her several times. He threatened her life with a butcher knife and held her captive for hours, police said.
He pleaded no contest and was adjudicated guilty by a judge, records show. In 1980 he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was released in 2003 after serving 28 years. In 2005 he spent another year behind bars for failing to comply with the conditions placed upon him as a sexual offender, records show.
Then from 2006 to 2009, Pinellas records show he racked up more arrests for disorderly conduct, trespassing and battery.
The suspect told police he often lets homeless women stay at his place. He also said he was being treated for mental problems. But when they asked him about the sexual assault allegations, according to police, he asked for a lawyer and declined to speak.
The suspect was being held Monday in the Pinellas County jail in lieu of $110,000 bail.
Have you or someone you love been arrested for violation of an injunction, domestic violence or battery? Then call the criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
A truly sad occurence, as seen on the St. Pete Times website...
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 55-year-old registered sex offender repeatedly raped a woman he held captive in his apartment for several hours early Saturday morning, according to St. Petersburg police.
The Defendant was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges of sexual battery by threat of force or violence and false imprisonment.
The 24-year-old victim, who was not identified by police, said she does not know the Defendant. It is also the policy of this blog not to identify sexual assault victims.
The woman met her alleged attacker about 1:30 a.m. outside his building and asked for a cigarette, she told police. He told her to come up to his apartment in the 500 block of Ninth Avenue N to get it, police said.
Once inside, police said, the Defendant shut the door and locked it. He demanded she have intercourse with him, police said, and threatened her life if she didn't comply. He beat and choked the woman and sexually assaulted her several times, police said.
The Defendant released the victim about 7:45 a.m. She reported the rape to a friend and police and took officers to his apartment. The Defendant was arrested about noon that afternoon.
A search of the Defendant's record showed that his first arrest was at age 16 in St. Petersburg in 1972 on a charge of burglary, according to records. Six years later he was arrested in Pinellas County on one count of sexual battery with a weapon and two counts of burglary. He was 22 at the time.
In that incident, according to a 1978 article in the Times, the Defendant broke into a woman's house and crawled into her bed, police said. He assaulted the woman when she tried to leave, according to police, and raped her several times. He threatened her life with a butcher knife and held her captive for hours, police said.
He pleaded no contest and was adjudicated guilty by a judge, records show. In 1980 he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was released in 2003 after serving 28 years. In 2005 he spent another year behind bars for failing to comply with the conditions placed upon him as a sexual offender, records show.
Then from 2006 to 2009, Pinellas records show he racked up more arrests for disorderly conduct, trespassing and battery.
The suspect told police he often lets homeless women stay at his place. He also said he was being treated for mental problems. But when they asked him about the sexual assault allegations, according to police, he asked for a lawyer and declined to speak.
The suspect was being held Monday in the Pinellas County jail in lieu of $110,000 bail.
Have you or someone you love been arrested for violation of an injunction, domestic violence or battery? Then call the criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Bucs charged again
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
In what is becoming an embarassing problem, the hometown Tampa Bay Bucs added to their string of arrests with yet one more, article courtesy of the St. Pete times
TAMPA — Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King was arrested early Sunday on a DUI charge.
King, 33, of St. Petersburg, was stopped at 2:12 a.m. on U.S. 301 and Holland Road in southern Hillsborough County, according to jail records. He refused to take a blood-alcohol test. He was released about 10 a.m. Sunday after posting $500 bail.
King played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1999 to 2003. He later was an analyst for ESPN and more recently was hired as an analyst for Bright House Sports Network and co-host of an afternoon show on WQYK-AM 1010.
King appeared Monday as usual on his weekday radio show. He addressed the issue briefly at the top of the show, mostly thanking those who have called him with support.
"As most of you know, I was involved in a very unfortunate circumstance over the weekend,'' King told listeners. "I can't comment on it, but I definitely appreciate the support.''
As shown above, this is just the most recent of arrest for former or current Bucs players. Previous Bucs have been arrested for drug possession, DUI, disorderly conduct and assorted other charges.
Have you or someone you loved been charged with a DUI? Do you need the help of a St. Petersburg Criminal Defense lawyer or Clearwater DUI attorney? Then Call Blake & Dorsten, P.A. today!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email your questions to: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
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