Author Archives: Jay Butchko
When Are You Immune From Prosecution For Drug Charges?
Paranoia can be a side effect of some illegal drugs, but given the draconian punishments you can get for possession of even the smallest quantities of most illegal drugs, your fear of every blue light flashing in the distance and every cell phone camera pointed in your direction is quite reasonable. In many cases,… Read More »
Is Public Nudity A Crime In Florida?
Floridians are famous for their skimpy clothes. Daisy Dukes, thong bathing suits, and visible bra straps were a common sight in Florida long before they became a fashion trend in parts of the country where the weather is less appropriate for such revealing clothes. According to Florida law, though, there is such a thing… Read More »
Inchoate Offenses And Florida Law
Is it a crime to almost commit a crime? It depends on how close you were to the completion of the criminal act. Federal and state laws recognize inchoate offenses, which are where a defendant planned to commit a serious crime (known as the “target offense”) or helped someone else. For example, if the… Read More »
Biden Issues Executive Order Pardoning Federal Convictions For Simple Possession Of Cannabis
Is cannabis a dangerous drug that leads to dangerous behavior in the short term and chronic illness in the long term? Is it a fun vice, like alcohol or tobacco, relatively harmless in moderation? Is it a medical miracle? A wellness fad? It depends who you ask, but whichever interpretation you support, you will… Read More »
Forgery Laws In Florida
You have probably heard of people forging signatures, which means signing someone’s name other than their own on a document, to make it look like someone else signed the document. Under Florida law, the definition of the crime of forgery involves producing fake documents in a way that makes them appear genuine, with the… Read More »
What Must The Prosecution Prove In A Drug Possession Case?
In order to secure a conviction in a criminal case, the prosecution must present strong evidence that the defendant committed the crime of which he or she is being accused. You have the right to consult with a lawyer, and the prosecution must be transparent with your lawyer about the evidence they plan to… Read More »
Ketamine: Don’t Believe The Stereotypes, Even If The Police Do
If you have ever had surgery, there is a good chance that you woke up on the operating table, but you do not remember it. The drugs that anesthesiologists administer do more than make you sleep. Some of them decrease your heart rate and breathing rate, temporarily putting you in a hibernation-like state, while… Read More »
You Can Get A DUI Even If You Are Not Driving
Sleeping in your car after a night of drinking is a lot less dangerous than attempting to drive home while you are drunk, but no good deed goes unpunished. Under certain circumstances, you can get a DUI conviction even if you were drunk in a motor vehicle, even if you were not driving and… Read More »
Failure To Report Child Abuse Or Neglect
If you get arrested on suspicion of a crime, it is easy to be indignant and to insist that you did not do anything. In some cases, that is exactly the problem. Several laws in Florida criminalize something that people don’t do instead of something that they do. For example, you can get criminal… Read More »
Why You Should Hire A Lawyer To Fight Your Traffic Ticket
The hidden costs of getting a criminal conviction become obvious once a judge hands down your sentence. Not only do you have to pay fines, but depending on the nature of your sentence, you might have to pay fees associated with probation or GPS monitoring. If you get sentenced to community service, you will… Read More »