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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Taking the reins as police chief in June 2010, John Carroll has been with the Largo Police Department since 1980. He heads an agency that has the equivalent of 207 full-time employees, including 137 sworn officers at the time of the interview. Carroll, who was deputy police chief, was named police chief in May 2010. He succeeded Lester Aradi, who retired.
After a year at the helm, what has been the biggest difference in being No. 2 in the department and No. 1?
I would say that first of all I had the privilege of being deputy chief for all those years for Lester Aradi, and he made that job for me very easy. I enjoyed that job because the second in command is very much like an operational commander – more behind the scenes but more hands-on. Chief Aradi was very big on networking, thinking outside this department, working with the Florida police chiefs, and other initiatives, Silver Alerts, things like that. He was on the legislative committee, a lot of trips to Tallahassee …
Now that I have taken the position of police chief, I find myself doing more of that. I won’t say it’s foreign to me because I have always been involved with my counterparts. I have gone beyond Pinellas County a little more – active in some of the bigger organizations with police chiefs.
I guess the toughest thing for me is to let go of some of the hands-on stuff I did as deputy chief throughout my whole career … I’m really conscientiously trying to mentor and have a succession plan for the deputy chief, the captains and the lieutenants.
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DUI Manslaughter Trial in Death of Largo Cab Driver Underway
Joshua was just trying to make a living.
The 32-year-old didn’t really want to be driving a taxi, but the former bartender and construction worker was having trouble finding a steady job.
So about 2 a.m. on April 12, 2010, Joshua was waiting for his next fare as he drove along Drew Street approaching Belcher Road. With a green light, he entered the intersection.
“Unfortunately, that’s where he crossed the defendant’s path,” prosecutor Della Connolly said in her opening statement Tuesday in the trial of the man accused of killing Joshua while driving drunk.
Brian F., a habitual traffic offender whose license had been yanked by a judge nearly a decade earlier after multiple DUI convictions, is charged with DUI manslaughter, fleeing and eluding, and driving with a revoked license.
Prosecutors said Tuesday that Brian F., a 48-year-old transient from Largo, was fleeing a traffic stop when he blew through a red light and slammed into Joshua’s taxi.
When Clearwater police Officer Kyle Resler approached the mangled sedan, Joshua was “gasping for breath,” he testified in court Tuesday.
Joshua, a father of three daughters from New Port Richey, was pronounced dead at Mease Countryside Hospital at 2:35 a.m., less than an hour after Resler had seen Brian F. drive away from the Copper Mug Bar on Belcher Road in a pickup truck.
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A 79-year-old woman who crashed her vehicle into a pickup truck that pulled out in front of her earlier this week died Thursday, the Clearwater Police Department said.
Jane Doe of Largo died at St. Joseph’s Hospital as a result of the injuries she sustained in Tuesday’s crash, Clearwater police said.
At the time of the crash, the pickup was northbound on Belcher Road when its driver turned left, coming into the path of Doe’s southbound Toyota. The Toyota struck the rear end of the pickup before traveling another 200 feet and crashing into a sign at Rainbow Drive.
The pickup’s driver was attempting to turn into an “exit only” area of a U.S. Postal Service parking lot. Afterward, the pickup continued through the lot and left the scene, police said.
The suspect’s vehicle was described as a silver or gray pickup, possibly a 2005 or 2006 Dodge, with tinted windows. It was believed to have damage to the rear quarter panel and back end.
In an effort to identify the driver in the hit-and-run, Clearwater police on Wednesday released a photograph of a pickup truck they believe is similar to the one he or she was driving.
Anyone with information about the crash and pickup was asked to call the Clearwater Police Department at (727) 562-4200.
RIP – Largo, FL DUI Attorney.
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Man sleeping at wheel arrested on DUI charge
A Largo man was charged with DUI and possession of a controlled substance after police said they found him asleep in an idling car in front of a Publix. John Doe, 31, was slumped over behind the wheel when police approached to check on him about 11 p.m. Wednesday at 5000 East Bay Drive, according to an arrest report. Police said he appeared confused and sluggish and showed signs of impairment during field sobriety tests, then he admitted to having taken oxycodone and Xanax before driving. He was being held in the Pinellas County Jail on Thursday in lieu of $3,500 bail.
If you’ve also been charged with DUI in Largo or elsewhere in Pinellas County, don’t accept guilt. Although it may seem as if the evidence against you is rather compelling, there ARE defenses that can be used to either get your charge(s) reduced or free you of a DUI conviction altogether. The key is hiring an attorney with experience representing those accused of DUI; look no further then the Florida DUI attorneys at Musca Law.
To schedule your free consultation with a Pinellas County DUI attorney at our firm, call 727-480-9675 anytime (phones answered 24/7).
Whether you were arrested in St. Petersburg (St. Pete), Largo, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Park or elsewhere in Pinellas County, we can represent you. Contact us before it’s too late!
A man was arrested early Wednesday and charged with driving under the influence after crashing into a police cruiser, authorities said.
According to arrest reports, John Doe, 37, of Starkey Road in Largo was driving west in the 2000 block of East Bay Drive about 1 a.m. when he collided with a police cruiser that was traveling east in the median lane.
Officer David Green, who was behind the wheel of the cruiser, was taken to Largo Medical Center for evaluation. He did not suffer a major injury.
Police said Doe’s eyes were red and glassy and his breath smelled of alcohol, but he refused to submit to field sobriety tests or a breath sample.
He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance after a white powder found in his pocket tested positive for cocaine, police said.
According to arrest reports, Doe had been arrested Jan. 22 on a DUI charge in which he also refused to submit to testing. His license was suspended as a result, and he is now charged with driving with a suspended license.
According to court records, Doe was convicted of DUI in February 2006 and received one year of probation.
Doe was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday afternoon on $6,750 bail.
If you’ve too been charged with DUI in Pinellas County, you shouldn’t panic. Although you may not realize it, there are many defenses that can be used to weaken the prosecution’s case against you and ultimately free you of being convicted.
To learn how you could fight your Pinellas County DUI charge, contact a Pinellas County DUI attorney at our firm today. Whether your arrest occurred in St. Petersburg, Largo, Palm Harbor or elsewhere in Pinellas County, our attorneys can represent you. However, it’s vital you contact us promptly, as our early involvement in the case can make all the difference.
Call 727-480-9675 to schedule your free consultation with a Largo DUI attorney at our firm now. If anyone can help you avoid being convicted of DUI, it’s the lawyers at Musca Law.
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LARGO – If you’re going to bring an open container of alcohol to a party in your neighborhood, put it in a cooler.
That, basically, is one of the compromise provisions of an open container ordinance commissioners adopted on first reading Jan. 18. Some commissioners were uncomfortable with a draft of the ordinance discussed at their Jan. 4 meeting.
One of the issues raised by Commissioner Robert Murray at that meeting was whether the original ordinance would prohibit somebody with an open container from walking across the street to a neighbor’s house.
Assistant City Attorney Mary Hale said she worked closely over the past couple of weeks with police Lt. Mike Loux to find language in the ordinance to address that concern, but at the “same time keep in place an effective ordinance that could be enforced in the field.”
She said they addressed that issue through language modeled after a provision in St. Petersburg’s ordinance.
The provision allows people to have open containers with them so long as they are in another closed container, specifically, a cooler, and they are not drinking the beverage on a public right of way.
The ordinance stems from concern that the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places will lead to an increase in crime and nuisance complaints.
Several surrounding communities have similar ordinances, and the intent behind the regulations is to prevent people from exploiting the fact that Largo doesn’t. Police officials have said that the department will use discretion in enforcing the ordinance.
“It seems like you have made this more restrictive for people transporting alcohol,” Commissioner Gigi Arntzen said. “When I read this it’s like a container, inside a container, inside a container …”
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Have you been accused of driving under the influence (DUI) or a related criminal offense (BUI, hit-and-run, etc.) in Pinellas County, FL? If so, this is no question a difficult and worrisome time for you. The good news, however, is that you’re only a phone call away from getting the Largo DUI attorneys at our firm on the case.
Contact a FL DUI Lawyer at our firm today for your free and confidential consultation.
Our team of DUI defense attorneys has over 100 years of combined experience. We will investigate the constitutionality of the stop, the procedures used in obtaining evidence, the constitutionality of any statements you gave, and the accuracy of any tests administered.
We have the experience and understanding to represent you if you have been charged with an alcohol related offense. We are equipped to handle your criminal hearing as well as the formal administrative review hearing regarding the retention of your driving privileges.
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