Miami Criminal Lawyer Blog

Is Driving While “Buzzed” Still Too Dangerous?

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:41:02 -0500

In the United States., the legal blood alcohol limit (BAC), is .08%. This standard implies that any BAC below this level is not only legal, but safe as well. However, a new study published in Addiction contends that when it comes to BAC levels, there is no safe level.

Is buzzed driving safe? This question was highlighted when the news reported that MTV star Ryan Dunn, 34, has been in a fatal accident after drinking in a bar. Both Dunn and his passenger were killed. The bartender working at the bar at the time said that Dunn did not appear intoxicated when he left. Unfortunately, toxicology reports that followed showed that Dunn had a BAC of .19% that evening.

Newlywed Arrested for Domestic Violence

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:34:18 -0500

So much for wedded bliss. A wedding turned into a nightmare for a couple from Broward County who had just said their vows only hours before.

Bernadette Besario Catan-Keeler, 30, was arrested only several hours after her wedding for allegedly attacked her husband.

The fight started shortly after the wedding ceremony at a nightclub. Keeler became upset that his wife had become “to frisky” on the dance floor. Keeler left the club, but his bride followed him and bit him once on the shoulder.

Driving Intoxicated? There is an App for That

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:30:58 -0500

If you drink and drive, you will no longer be able to rely on an app from Apple for assistance. Apple has updated its App Store review guidelines, banning apps that alert drivers of DUI checkpoints in the area that has not been disclosed by police.

This development comes after four U.S. senators, Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York, Tom Udall of New Mexico, and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey sent letters to Google, Research in Motion, and Apple, asking them to stop selling these DUI apps. They contend that the creation of these apps fosters drinking and driving activities, and should be banned.

Miami Man Stabs Wife, Barricades Himself in Home

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:41:51 -0500

Police have arrested a Miami man for stabbing his wife to death, the barricading himself into his apartment.

City of Miami officers responded to a report that a woman had suffered stab wounds at 135 NW 26th Avenue. Police found her under an awning, behind a home. Miami Police spokesperson Kenia Reyes stated, “It all stemmed from domestic violence.”

The woman was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she later died. The victim was 33-year-old Eileen Lozano. Her common law husband Lazuro Bernabeu, 49, had a long history of domestic violence.

Dania Condo Resident Charged With Arson

Mon, 30 May 2011 15:24:33 -0500

Joseph Creasy, 23, was charged on April 30 with setting four separate fires in the trash chute of his condominium complex at 501 E. Dania Beach Boulevard.

While there was smoke damage, the most unfortunate impact of these fires was it caused the residents of the condominium complex to live in fear.

4-Year-Old Girl Beaten To Death

Thu, 26 May 2011 15:19:05 -0500

Calvin Morris Lewis, 21, was arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated child abuse for the beating death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter.

Police responded to a 911 call on April 25, for an unresponsive child at the 6200 block of Northwest 3d Avenue.

According the medical examiner, the girl had extensive trauma to her liver and other organs. Her death was classified as a homicide.

Walgreens Tinkler Faces Charges of Criminal Mischief

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:05:52 -0500

Larry Donell White, 22, a Florida resident, was charged caught on camera at a Sanford Walgreens relieving himself on packages of cough drops.

He was arrested and is facing charges of criminal mischief and property damage when White was caught on the store’s video tape urinating over packages of cough medicine.

Florida Shoe-Shiner faces Robbery Charges

Fri, 20 May 2011 14:57:11 -0500

William Abrons, 50, of Fort Lauderdale, is a shoe-shiner by trade, and makes his living on the front steps of the Broward County courthouse.

Abrons has been accused of robbing a CVS store at 5501 Park Blvd. on May 4. Surveillance video shows Abrons with his face and hands wrapped in gauze, holding up two cashiers at gunpoint. He pulled the trigger several times but the gun had thankfully jammed. He was later arrested at a nearby Laundromat, where the police found a gun inside a clothing dryer.

Davie Man Charged with Hate Crime

Tue, 17 May 2011 16:37:27 -0500

John William Koontz was arrested on April 26, and is being held without bail after an altercation outside a CVS store located in the 5200 block of Southwest 34th street in Davie.

Koontz was arrested when he approached Miguel “Angel” Rodriguez, 46, outside a CVS store and repeatedly punched, kicked him, and shouted insults.

Slain Football Player’s Teammates Sidestep Criminal Mischief Charges

Tue, 10 May 2011 11:05:28 -0500

Friends were Hit with Charges When Police Shot Pace U Student, Danroy Henry, Jr.

Justice has prevailed in at least one of the circumstances surrounding the tragic October 17, 2010, death of Pace University junior and football player, Danroy Henry, Jr., with the agreed dismissal of criminal mischief and other charges that were brought against four teammates and friends who were out celebrating Pace’s homecoming with Henry when he was killed by police. As if the incident wasn’t shocking enough, local police chose afterward to fire a volley of criminal charges at the friends, who claimed they only attempted to help Henry, after an officer climbed onto the hood of their car and shot him, point-blank, through the windshield.

Arsons were Attempts to Cover Insurance Fraud, Murder, Even Baby Stealing

Tue, 03 May 2011 17:20:09 -0500

Florida Arson Laws would Provide Harsh Results for Felony Arsons

Arson is a serious criminal offense, but often, arson investigations lead authorities to discover far more sinister underlying crimes. For example, investigators examining the death of a New Jersey man who apparently died in a March, 2011, house fire discovered recently that the fire was actually arson, designed to cover up the fact that the 59-year-old man, software engineer Robert Cantor, had been shot, according to a March 8, 2011, article published in the Cliffview Pilot.

Florida Cases Illustrate the Uncertainty in Child Abuse Prosecutions

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:36:41 -0500

In February, 2011, news sources nationwide began reporting the Florida aggravated child abuse and child murder case involving 10-year-old twins adopted by the now-notorious Jorge and Carmen Barhona. Though unquestionably horrendous, the situation illustrates the point that when abuse is reported, investigations by child protection authorities are rarely perfect.

The Barahonas adopted the Florida twins from Florida’s foster care system, after being investigated and approved by state social workers, over the objections of a therapist who was also involved. Tragically, in February, 2011, the twins were found in Jorge Barahona’s pickup, one twin’s dead and battered body stuffed into a plastic bag, the other twin beaten and burned by a caustic liquid. Their adoptive father, found unconscious on the roadside and now charged with murder and aggravated child abuse, later claimed that he had planned suicide.

16 year old Charged with First-Degree Murder to be Raised to Adult Court

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:35:59 -0500

Over the course of two short years, Ryan Ray, amassed a criminal record that initially consisted of petty crimes and then rapidly graduated to felony offenses. Today, he stands charged with first-degree murder.

While Ray’s story may seem drastic, experts say it is a scenario being replayed frequently throughout Florida, particularly in recent years. The Orlando Sentinel reports that, since 2005, young offenders are involved in ever increasing violent crimes and, as a result, juveniles are being transferred to stand trial in adult court. Statistics reveal that, while youth crime has decreased, juvenile violent crimes have not declined in comparison.

Miami Taxi Cab Robberies

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:24:01 -0500

The Miami Herald announced that Miami Police have arrested a man suspected of as many as 7 armed taxi cab robberies.

Although Christopher Albert Debanos, 21, has been charged with armed robbery with a firearm, police believe Debanos had an accomplice who still remains on the loose and is considered dangerous.

One victim alleges Debanos held a gun to the back of his head and demanded money, his cell phone and wallet.

One of the Youngest Criminals Sentenced with Life in Prison

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:33:58 -0500

The parents of 15-year-old, Jose Guadalupe Walle, said their son used to be a soccer player and good student that eventually got involved with the wrong crowd in middle school. Walle was involved with marijuana and was eventually sent to drug treatment and counseling.

The parents of Walle asked him to be punished by the juvenile court, but he was eventually released. Walle ran away four months before he was put behind bars for his crime, and the parents were informed that the only way the teenager would be caught and found was if he committed a crime. At 13-years-old, Walle was out on the street involving himself with LSD, cocaine, Xanax and alcohol.