TILDEN LAW – Orlando Criminal Attorney

A 17 year old girl has accused an Altamonte Springs Officer of having a inappropriate sexual relationship with her.  The accusations were reported this past Friday.  Officer Clay Toomes resigned from the Altamonte Springs police force following the accusations and a four month suspension while under investigation by Orlando police.

 Information shows that the 17year old girl gave Officer Toomes her e-mail address at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where the high school girl was volunteering when the officer showed up to interview a patient involved in a traffic crash.

 According to court documents, the 38-year-old officer had sex with the 17-year-old girl. Police said he knew the victim was underage and a student at a local high school. Reports show that in one e-mail, the girl wrote, “I’m 17. I have no problem with the age gap, but you might.”  Toomes then replied, “I have to start by asking you, when do you turn 18?”

Documents show over the course of 5 months, they exchanged 89 e-mails. They exposed themselves to each other over the internet on a video chat account Toomes created under a fake name. They met on several occasions and had sex at least three times.

In one e-mail she wrote: “Birth control doesn’t work 1 percent of the time. I carried your child until I had that spontaneous abortion.”  Investigators won’t confirm if she really carried his child.

If you have been accused or are being investigated of criminal conduct in Central Florida, contact the Criminal Defense firm of Tilden Law for a free initial conference to discuss your rights and possible defenses, 407-599-1234.

The owner of a prominent Ocala real estate firm was arrested on charges of soliciting a prostitute on Friday.  Fred Roberts, Sr., 71, was one of seven men arrested on allegations of solicitation for prostitution.  The prostitution sting was conducted by the Multi-Agency Drug Enforcement Team, which is a task force comprised of officers from various local law enforcement agencies.

The undercover operation, one of three or four that the task force conducts each year, occurred in the area of 3600 W. State Road 40 between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.  Sgt. Lee Whitston, who supervised the operation, said the team used female officers to pose as prostitutes. Men who approached them for sex were taken to a hotel room, where they were arrested.

According to an Ocala Police Department arrest report, Roberts approached a female undercover officer at about 4 p.m. and offered $50 in exchange for sex. He told officers he had never picked up prostitutes in Ocala but had done so in Tampa and had not been caught, the report stated.  Roberts was booked into the Marion County Jail at 6:30 p.m. and released on $500 bail.

If you have been arrested or charged with a sex, prostitution or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Temporary Restraining Order’s “TRO” are commonly sought by alleged victims in connection with Domestic Violence charges/accusations in Orange County, Florida courts.  Often times, the allegations include past or prior domestic violence and the fear of future domestic violence.  Once a TRO petition is granted, the court will hold a hearing to determine whether to make the temporary domestic violence injunction permanent. 

Recently, an Orange County Florida resident was served with a TRO based on allegations that he previously stalked and battered a family member.  In support of the allegations, numerous statements and documents were filed by the petitioner’s attorney.  Through intensive negotiations, the petitioner agreed to voluntarily dismiss the domestic violence injunction petition prior to the hearing. 

If you have been served with a Domestic Violence Injunction in Orange County, Seminole County or the Orlando, Florida area, please contact the experienced TRO defense attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s office arrested a jail employee on allegations of DUI yesterday.  According to authorities, Diane Ferron, an assistant inmate records supervisor, was leaving work Wednesday when she lost control of her vehicle and plowed through the jail’s exterior chain-link fence.  Ferron, a civilian employee at the Pinellas County jail was charged with driving under the influence after reportedly crashing through a jail fence.

When deputies responded, they noted that Ferron seemed to be impaired. She reportedly failed a field sobriety test, but deputies ruled out alcohol. Ferron said she had taken prescription medication.

Ferron was charged with DUI and DUI with property damage. Since both charges are misdemeanors, the sheriff’s office reports that Ferron will be allowed to return to work pending an internal inquiry.

Florida penalties for a DUI with accident are considered more severe than an ordinary DUI charge.  When a crash is involved, the minimum charge is a 1^st degree misdemeanor which means the potential jail sentence is 1 year instead of 6 months.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Orange County DUI or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Orange County detectives arrested a Marion County Methodist pastor on allegations of soliciting a minor for sex and transmitting harmful materials to a minor.  According to Orlando detectives, pastor Kenneth Kleckner, a pastor at the Ocala West United Methodist church, a high school teacher from Texas was the latest to be arrested in a sex sting operation earlier today. 

According to authorities, Kleckner, a 44-year-old pastor, who is married and has four children, exposed himself via a web camera and talked about meeting the girl, Graves said.  They communicated through Yahoo and other chat services, and those communications took place at the church and Kleckner’s home, the detective said.

Detective’s said that Kleckner was “immediately remorseful,” when he was arrested at the church Friday andadmitted to engaging in the chats,” Graves said.  Kleckner was booked into the Marion County Jail on $55,000 bond.

Kleckner’s arrest follows that of Selami Duman, a 28-year-old high school teacher from Ft. Worth, Texas, who was also nabbed in a sheriff’s sex sting.  Duman was arrested in June after he traveled to Orlando to meet with who he thought was a girl he met online for sex, investigators said.  Graves said Duman also exposed himself on a web camera.  Duman was arrested June 15 on charges of transmitting harmful material to a minor and soliciting a minor for sex. He was released from the Orange County Jail on June 18 on GPS monitoring.

 If you have been arrested or charged with a sex, prostitution or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Volusia County Sheriff’s officers made a surprising find while conducting a raid on a local residence.  Dozens of snakes, monitor lizards and other creatures were located in the home of James Walsh.  Walsh, 51, was arrested and charged with cultivation of marijuana, a felony and possession of drug paraphernalia.  Along with the arrest, Walsh was issued several citations by officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for  improper storage of a venomous reptile, possession of a venomous reptile without a permit and possession of a species of concern.

Two other people who were in the home when a search warrant was served may face charges, according to the sheriff’s department.  The raid came after an investigation into drug activity at the home that last several months.

Agents seized 13 marijuana plants, almost 50 grams of cultivated marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun and narcotics paraphernalia such as smoking devices and rolling paper and an array of growing equipment that included fans, lights and plant chemicals, Davidson said.

Three of the plants were found inside the house, while the other 10 were growing on a patio deck in the rear of the home, placed among tomato plants to conceal them from view.

Agents found 26 snakes – some as long as 14 feet – kept throughout the house in aquariums, glass cases and storage tubs.  Five of snakes – a rattlesnake, a water moccasin and three vipers – were venomous and were among 11 snakes seized by the wildlife officers.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug Crime or other criminal offense in the Orlando area and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Osceola County or Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.