Fort Lauderdale Criminal Law Blog

The new year is off to a rough start for one Gainesville man. On Jan. 3, he was arrested for allegedly hiding cocaine between beer cases in a store and attempting to flee from police.

According to authorities, the 39-year-old defendant was driving on the 100 block of Northwest 12th Street in Gainesville around 11 p.m. when a law enforcement officer noticed he was driving on a suspended license. The officer followed him to a McDonald's drive-thru on the 1200 block of West University Avenue and motioned for him to pull over. In response, the man pulled into the parking lot for Gator Beverage Inc. and walked into the store. Once inside, he ducked down and tried to hide. The officer apprehended the defendant and placed him under arrest. He then discovered that the defendant had left a boy between the ages of 5 and 8 alone in the front seat of his vehicle.

A traffic stop on Christmas Eve in Monroe County in Florida resulted in a 40-year-old man going to jail for the holidays. Although he obtained his release two days later after posting a $64,000 bond, he has multiple felony charges related to controlled substances allegedly found in his car for which to answer.

The arrest report filed by a sheriff's deputy asserted that the man had been driving 70 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone. The deputy initiated a traffic stop, and the male driver said that he was rushing home with Christmas presents. To thwart a search of the vehicle, the man threw his keys into the car and locked it. Deputies called for a tow truck and proceeded with a search after the car was unlocked. They reported finding cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine and prescriptions pills without a prescription.

A 29-year-old Florida man is facing multiple drug charges after law enforcement officers pulled over his vehicle on Dec. 12 and discovered thousands of painkillers as well as nearly half a million dollars in cash. The incident occurred on Brian Setterich Road near Wewahitchka.

According to media reports, deputies from the Gulf County Sheriff's Office attempted to execute a traffic stop on a blue Kia van after radar indicated it was traveling 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. However, the van didn't stop and turned onto northbound Highway 71. It then crossed into the southbound lane and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. After coming to a stop, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and dashed into the nearby woods. Deputies ran after him and eventually took him into custody.

Like most states, Florida has fairly strict laws when it comes to drug possession. In general, possession occurs when a person holds a controlled substance for personal use. In other words, the individual was not engaging in activities such as manufacturing, distributing or selling the controlled substance. For example, if a police officer in Fort Lauderdale finds that you have a small amount of marijuana on your person and you do not have a prescription for medical use, then you could face a drug possession charge.

However, if you also possess items that indicate you intended to sell the drugs, then the court might elevate the charges to possession with the intent to sell. As with many other criminal law matters, the level of offense will depend on specific circumstances such as the type of drugs the police discovered. Here is a brief overview of Florida's drug possession laws.