November 1st, 2011

Largo Sued Over 2006 DUI Arrest

A routine traffic stop in 2006 might cost the city more than $100,000.

A Seminole woman sued Largo in federal court in March, accusing a former Largo police officer of arresting her without cause on a DUI charge, and of slamming her against a wall, breaking her ribs.

The officer said the arrest and use of force was justified, and the city’s investigation into the case agreed. But Largo’s legal staff has recommended settling the case for $65,000. When added to the $37,800 legal bill, the case’s total cost is $102,800.

The City Commission was scheduled to vote Tuesday night on the settlement. “Due to mounting defense costs and the uncertainty associated with a jury trial, the city’s legal counsel recommended settlement of this matter,” a commission agenda item explained.

Occurrences like this show exactly why DUI attorneys are a necessary part of our society. You should always contact an attorney ASAP after being arrest for DUI in Largo.

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October 19th, 2011

St. Petersburg Driver Charged With Double DUI Manslaughter

A man who crashed his vehicle into another car killing two people last month was arrested today, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Daniel D., 20, of St. Petersburg, was discharged from the hospital today and charged with two counts of driving under the influence manslaughter, one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding and one count of driving while license suspended causing death, the sheriff’s office said.

Daniel is being held at the Pinellas County Jail.

On Sept. 30, Daniel was driving a silver GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle heading south on Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach at around 8:40 p.m.

He was driving 69 mph in a 35 mph zone. A St. Pete Beach police officer on a motorcycle followed Daniel and initiated a traffic stop, the sheriff’s office said.

Daniel accelerated, lost control of the SUV and crashed into a 2006 silver Mazda 3.

The 2 occupants in the Mazda died at the scene.

Daniel was ejected from the SUV and found unconscious in the roadway and taken to Bayfront Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the case. Detectives want to locate the driver of an older model maroon or purple minivan that may have been racing Daniel in the area of 5th Avenue and 66th Street North in St. Petersburg shortly before the crash.

RIP – St. Petersburg DUI Lawyer

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September 23rd, 2011

I’ve just been charged with Pinellas DUI, what comes first?

Most states have these laws and may require you to schedule an administrative hearing within a short period of time after the arrest – generally within 5 to 10 days. This hearing is independent of your appearance in court. In other words, two governmental entities may be aiming to suspend or revoke your license independently and simultaneously. The administrative licensing hearing does not deal with whether you are guilty of a criminal act, but instead addresses the circumstances surrounding your arrest such as:

•Was your arrest based on reasonable grounds?
•Did the officer request that you take a test?
•Were you made aware of the consequences if you refused or failed the test?
•Did you refuse or fail the test?
•Should your license be suspended or revoked?

If you would like to save your license, it’s essential that you schedule and attend this hearing. For assistance with your legal options and defense, contact a Pinellas County DUI attorney at our firm today for a free consultation. We’ve helped and continue to help those accused of DUI across Florida get their lives back on track.

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September 16th, 2011

St. Petersburg Unveils New DUI Vehicle

In their continuing effort to deter drinking and driving, the St. Petersburg Police Department has unveiled their newly awarded DUI vehicle.

The new Chevrolet Tahoe comes with moving radar and on-board breath testing, allowing officers to conduct their DUI investigations on scene.

The Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Public Safety Institute awarded the police department with the vehicle because officers made more than 600 arrests in the “Over the Limit-under Arrest” campaign, qualifying them for the prize.

If you’ve been accused of DUI in Pinellas County, there’s no reason to plead guilty without discussing your legal options with a qualified attorney. Instead, contact a St. Petersburg DUI lawyer at Musca Law today for a free consultation.

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September 8th, 2011

Tickets and Traffic School no Deterrent to Fatal Crash

Last summer, a Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy clocked a Volvo going 90 mph on Interstate 4.

Riverview dentist Matthew M. got a speeding ticket, his 10th in 12 years. The citation left no points on his Florida driving record because Mathew agreed to return to traffic school.

A few weeks later, he got ticketed in Minnesota. Speeding, again.

And he was speeding — this time, drunk — in October, police say, when he killed two pedestrians on Tampa’s Harbour Island Bridge.

Only then, as a condition of bail, did a judge bar him from driving.

In Florida, motorists routinely keep their licenses by attending state-sanctioned driver improvement courses.

But multiple studies show that traffic schools are largely ineffective at preventing crashes.
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August 30th, 2011

Judge Hands Out Maximum Sentence in DUI Manslaughter Case

A Pinellas County engineer was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday for a DUI accident that killed 22-year-old Daniel H. of Land O’ Lakes.

William S. sobbed as he apologized to Daniel’s family, and told Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Cynthia Newton he never intended to hurt anyone when he got in his silver Mercedes on the night of Aug. 23, 2009.

But Newton, who presided at the trial this May in which William was found guilty, said her decision was not just based on the accident that night, which occurred on Interstate 275 near the Howard Frankland Bridge, when William rear-ended Daniel’s pickup. She said she also considered that William had two previous DUI cases, which showed a pattern of behavior he should have stopped.

“I do believe that the just sentence in this case is the maximum sentence,” Newton said.

A test after the fatal accident indicated William’s blood alcohol level was .171, more than twice the level at which Florida law considers drivers impaired.

Daniel’s grandmother Deborah Thiel said “I know if he was here today that he’d forgive you, because that was Danny.” But she wasn’t ready to forgive, at least not yet.

She told Newton that if she sentenced William to the maximum, “it’ll be over for him then but it’ll never be over ever for me and my family.”

She said the close-knit family was so devastated by the accident that they haven’t put up Christmas or Halloween decorations since Daniel was killed, because it would just remind them that he can’t be there to enjoy the celebrations.

“Life’s just not the same and never will be,” Thiel said.
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August 20th, 2011

Police: DUI Not a Factor in School Bus Accident

Rashad H. is in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center after the vehicle he was driving hit a school bus Friday morning. The bus did not have children on board.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Rashad, 21, was headed west on 18th Avenue South and speeding when he approached the intersection of 44th Street South about 10:30 a.m. Friday.

A school bus was pulling out of a stop sign at 44th Street South and 18th Avenue South when the vehicles collided.

The car slid sideways, hit a curb and rolled onto its roof.

The school bus driver, Darcey R., was not injured.

Officials say alcohol was not involved.

The Pinellas County school year begins Monday.

Darcey was lucky enough to avoid being charged with DUI, but in a similar situation, you might not be. Contact our Pinellas DUI attorneys today to discuss saving your license and avoiding a conviction.

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August 16th, 2011

Dunedin Wreck Under Investigation

A 26-year-old Clearwater motorcyclist was severely injured Monday after he collided with an oncoming vehicle that tried to make a left turn in front of him, authorities said.

Chad K. of Quail Hollow Road was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg with life-threatening injuries, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

The crash occurred about 11:20 a.m. on Main Street at Virginia Street in Dunedin.

Chad was driving his 2003 Yamaha motorcycle east on Main. Alvin B., 84, of Palm Harbor was driving a Lincoln Towncar west on Main, deputies said.
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August 12th, 2011

St. Petersburg Man Charged With 2 Counts of DUI Manslaughter

A 30-year-old St. Petersburg man faces two counts of DUI manslaughter and two counts of vehicular homicide in a crash that killed two St. Petersburg residents.

Scott N. was arrested Thursday on multiple charges from a St. Petersburg crash that killed Charles L. and Diana N.

Investigators say that Scott was drunk and driving at an “an extremely high rate of speed” on June 3, when he lost control of the Chevrolet and it slammed into another vehicle, at 62nd Avenue and 22nd Street.

The brakes on the 2007 Chevrolet locked, causing it to slide into a Saturn driven by Devin Plant of north St. Petersburg. Plant, 25, had been driving east on 62nd Avenue North and trying to turn left on to 22nd Street when the Chevrolet, heading west, slammed into the right side of his car.

The Saturn spun out of control and hit a bus stop sign and utiity pole before coming to a stop. Charles, 25, and Diana, 25, had been passengers in the back seat of Plant’s vehicle. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
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August 7th, 2011

St. Petersburg Police Reach Out on National Night Out

A band made music, teens played beach volleyball, and small children got to sit on a motorcycle.

These were the scenes in North Shore Park Tuesday night for National Night Out, whose purpose is to raise community as much as it is to share crime-prevention tools.

The spectacular beauty of the downtown shorefront is not exactly Ground Zero for fighting dastardly crime. But the annual event’s laid-back setting underscored its purpose: to bring like-minded people together with the common goal of keeping neighborhoods safe.

National Night Out marked its 28th year Tuesday. It is a night where Americans are urged to turn on their porch lights and take the old-fashioned step of talking to their neighbors and sharing an interest about what goes in their communities.

It’s a unique but effective way to organize groups to fight neighborhood crime.

St. Petersburg Police also see the event has a public relations tool. Police made stops at North Shore Park and similar events around the city, from motorcycle cops to the Police Chief. Other sites were Westminster Shores/Bahama Shores, Bartlett Park, Kenwood and Holiday Park.

The gathering at North Shore Park earned dividends almost immediately for St. Petersburg Police Maj. Dede Carron.

She met a citizen who happened to have a tip about a burglary.
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