Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Car Chase in St. Petersburg Equals Drugs

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

Very similar to a past post we blogged about, a simple traffic stop in St. Petersburg became a violent chase with guns and drugs recovered...

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Police found 4 pounds of marijuana, prescription drugs, cash and a high-powered weapon after a traffic stop turned violent Monday night.

At about 9:45 p.m., St. Petersburg police covert street crimes officers began following a silver Kia. They saw the driver, suspect, 25, of St. Petersburg run a red light at 22nd Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, and proceeded to have a marked police unit pull the vehicle over a few blocks away.

The driver got out of the vehicle and began fighting with officers. The suspect turned out to have warrants in Hillsborough County on charges of home invasion robbery and other charges, he was armed with a handgun, police said.

An officer was treated for minor injuries because of the fight.

As the fugitive was struggling with officers, his passenger, a 22-year-old female, hopped from the passenger side to behind the wheel and sped away, striking a police cruiser.

Police were then given permission to pursue the Kia and followed the vehicle to 40th Avenue NE and Birch Street, where the pursuit ended without further incident.

Police found 4 pounds of marijuana, more than 100 Xanax pills, 66 oxycodone pills, nine hydrocodone pills, more than $5,000 in cash and a loaded, high-capacity weapon, police said.

The driver faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, resisting arrest with violence and felon in possession of a firearm. He was being held without bail at the Pinellas County Jail.

The passenger now faces three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of marijuana, carrying a concealed firearm, leaving the scene of an accident and aggravated fleeing and eluding. She was being held at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $90,250.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a possession of marijuana or fleeing and eluding? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg 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.

Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Chase and Shooting in St. Petersburg

By Nick Dorsten, Esq.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Two men wanted in a robbery and shooting last week were arrested quickly right after they led police on a high-speed chase.

Police say that the two men, 28, and , 24, tried to rob the victim, who was shot twice, police said. The victim was later listed in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center.

Witnesses told police the robbers fled in a dark Nissan Altima and a car of that description was seen at 4:17 a.m., getting onto Interstate 275 in south St. Petersburg.

When officers tried to stop it, police said, the vehicle sped off, heading north on I-275, at speeds of up to 100 mph. As the Altima got off at 22 Avenue N, it crashed into a concrete median hard enough to disable it.

The two men inside got out and ran, (a fleeing and eluding).

A five-block perimeter was later set up as officers searched for the men, eventually closing the westbound lanes of 22nd Avenue N for about an hour, as reported byBay News 9.

The driver was arrested after a brief foot chase, but not before trying to punch the arresting officer (battery of a law enforcement).

The passenger slipped out of the area but was later tracked by a police dog and found hiding behind a fence in a yard. The police dog had bit the passenger in his lower left leg, it was reported.

Both men were in custody just before 5 a.m.

A 9 mm handgun was found on the driver's side floor of the Altima, police said.

The car is registered to a St. Petersburg woman whom police did not identify.

The two men denied any involvement in the robbery and shooting, police said.

The driver was charged with fleeing and eluding, being a felon in possession of a firearm, resisting a police officer with violence and marijuana possession.

The passenger, who already was wanted for failure to appear in court on an obstruction of justice charge, was charged with marijuana possession and resisting arrest without violence.

Records do show both men have a history of arrests in Pinellas County.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a possession of marijuana or a child abuse? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg 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.

Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - St. Petersburg drug sting leads to crash

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

From the tampa bay website...

ST. PETERSBURG — A 22-year-old St. Petersburg man led police on a pursuit reaching speeds of 90 mph and injuring two after a drug sting Saturday, police said.

The incident began about 10:15 p.m. after police said the criminal defendant sold six crack cocaine rocks to a St. Pete Beach police informer for $70.

After the deal, an officer on a motorcycle tried to pull over his black Chevrolet Impala on 75th Avenue and Blind Pass Road.

But the defendant cut between two other vehicles to try to get away. At Boca Ciega Drive, he slammed on the brakes in an attempt to strike the officer, police said. Then he tried to turn into the officer as the officer was trying to avoid the crash, police said.

The man then drove the wrong way on the Treasure Island Causeway, police said, striking another car.

The occupants were injured. A female was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with serious injuries. The other man's condition was not available.

Police say they found 5.2 grams of crack cocaine in the Impala.

The suspect was held at the Pinellas County Jail on $45,650 bail.

Another man, 22, of St. Petersburg was also arrested. Police said he was at the drug deal and a passenger during the chase. He was released from the jail after posting $5,000 bail.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a possession of controlled substance or drug trafficking? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg 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.

Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Shut up!

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

From the Times website, an article that shows sometimes you need to know when to keep your mouth shut...

LARGO — Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Philip Federico was speaking at a court hearing on Wednesday when the criminal defendant started talking over him.

That didn't last long.

"Go ahead and get him muzzled so we can bring him back in," Federico said to courtroom deputies. As they led the criminal defendant out, he shouted to prosecutors, "You burn in hell!"

The criminal had made a series of outbursts during a trial in March in which he was convicted of vehicular homicide and other charges such as fleeing and eluding, aggravated stalking and disorderly conduct.

When deputies brought the criminal back into the courtroom on Wednesday, his mouth was covered with what appeared to be duct tape.

It was a rare but not unprecedented case of a judge attempting to silence a disruptive defendant. In this case, the attempt wasn't completely effective — he kept right on arguing through his taped mouth.

"You guys need to go back to the drawing board on the whole tape thing," Federico told the courtroom deputies.

Robert Batey, a professor at the Stetson University College of Law, said the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the practice of gagging defendants in some cases. He referred to a memorable case from decades ago when a judge ordered Black Panther Bobby Seale to be gagged during a trial.

In cases like this, judges face a balancing act: On one hand, some defendants are so disruptive that it's difficult for the court case to proceed. On the other hand, defendants generally have a right to be present in court. Gagging a defendant is a way to keep the court case moving, with the defendant in the courtroom.

Pinellas-Pasco Chief Judge Thomas McGrady would not comment on this specific case, but did comment in general on the practice of preventing a defendant from speaking in court.

"It's done rarely, but sometimes it's the most appropriate way to allow (a defendant) to stay but not be disruptive."

Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett said the criminal had repeatedly been disruptive in previous court proceedings, apparently attempting "to turn it into a big circus." He said Federico showed "a high level of restraint in dealing with him."

The criminal, 49, was arrested in 2008 after fleeing from police in a Nissan SUV, crashing into another SUV, and then smashing into a downtown Clearwater building. A victim, one of the passengers in the SUV that was hit, was killed in the crash.

Have you been arrested on fleeing and eluding or disorderly conduct 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

Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - bank robbery

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

A bank robbery with a twist...courtesu of the st. pete times.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — A man who police say robbed a bank then got in a car crash as he was fleeing nearly two weeks ago is now behind bars, authorities said.

The St. Petersburg, Florida bank robbery suspect, 52, of Quincy, was transferred to the Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday, after he was arrested on a warrant Nov. 24 by the Tallahassee Police Department.

The St. Petersburg, Florida bank robbery suspect police say, is the man who robbed a Regions Bank at 2751 54th Ave. S at about 10:30 a.m. Nov. 19.

The suspect was armed with a small handgun and got an undisclosed about of cash along with a dye pack.

About 15 minutes later, authorities said, the man was involved in a traffic crash at First Avenue South and 20th Street South. He ran away from the scene but he was not charged with fleeing and eluding or leaving the scene of an accident.
Officers responding to the crash scene found residue from the dye pack inside of the suspect's vehicle.

St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz said investigators developed the man as a suspect, who they believe was in the St. Petersburg area visiting relatives at the time he committed the robbery.

An arrest warrant was issued, and local detectives got word this week that authorities in Leon County had found the bank robbery suspect.

He remained in the Pinellas County Jail on Thursday in lieu of $50,000 bail. He faces a robbery charge

Have you or someone you love been arrested for burglary, robbery or battery? Then call Blake & Dorsten, P.A. 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.