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Unfortunately, we are often inclined to automatically believe the accusations that others make without first checking out their story.  The inevitable result is that we are sometimes duped into believing false accusations.  When false accusations are made in the criminal justice system, the consequences can be devastating.  Fortunately for a man in Texas, an accusation of […]

  According to Florida law, the term "drug paraphernalia" includes many different types of devices that can be used to consume or to make controlled substances such as cocaine, marijuana, and hashish.  This article contains a list of 19 such devices.   1.  Scales and balances used to weigh or measure controlled substances.   2.  Blenders, bowls, spoons, and mixing […]

The following story appeared April 25, 2008 in the Palm Beach County edition of Hometown News: By Michelle Gentile Staff writer JUPITER — A co-defendant in the shooting trial of a 21-year-old Jupiter man arranged a plea deal with prosecutors and testified against the man who the jury considered the principal in the murder. Both […]

If you are convicted of certain crimes and you have a Florida driver's license, your license will be suspended by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The length of time that your license will be suspended for depends upon the crime that you're convicted of. The more serious the crime, the longer […]

Your criminal history record cannot be sealed or expunged in Florida if you were found guilty by a judge or pled guilty or nolo contendere (no contest) to certain crimes, even if adjudication was withheld and even if you were convicted of simply attempting or conspiring to commit certain crimes.  The following is a list of […]

The following story appeared April 4, 2008 in the Palm Beach County edition of Hometown News: By Michelle Gentile Staff writer JUPITER - For the first time since her son was murdered two years ago, Charla Las Casas is flying back to Jupiter. She wants to be there when attorneys start selecting the jury next […]

Why aren't all DUI investigations videotaped?  Perhaps it's because police departments across the country are afraid that such a practice might result in more jury acquittals than is presently the case. The following story, which appears in the blog of the Criminal Lawyers' Association in Harris County Texas, addresses this very issue: You might think that the […]

The Fall 2007 edition of the Florida Defender, a publication of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, contains an article entitled "False Allegations of Sexual Assault:  Why Do People Lie?"  In that article, the authors make the insightful observation that "[c]ases of self-inflicted injury are particularly insidious because, except in suicide attempts, law enforcement […]

            If you would like to get your record sealed or expunged in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Belle Glade, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lake Park, Lake Worth, Lantana, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Springs, Riviera Beach, Royal Palm Beach, or Wellington, call me, attorney Ron Chapman, […]

When the police search a car and find drugs such as marijuana or cocaine, the person located closest to the drugs is often arrested even though there were other people located in the automobile just before the car was searched.  In that situation, the person who was arrested may well have a good argument that he […]