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 1st 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 courts are currently offering a deferred prosecution program for some DUI cases. This deferred prosecution program is called Orange County DUI Pre Trial Diversion. There are also two tiers of Orange County DUI diversion based on the breath/blood test results or if there was a breath test refusal. Tier one DUI Pre-Trial Diversion is for those DUI cases where the breath/blood averages to less than .15 and tier two DUI Pre Trial Diversion is for those cases where the individual either refuses the breath test or his/her average breath/blood results are .15 or greater. The primary benefit to such a program is, upon successful completion of its terms and conditions, the office of the State Attorney will file a dismissal of the DUI charge. Unfortunately, the State Attorney’s office is very selective in their admission policy and only admit individuals whose case fits into its narrow parameters. Some of the qualification criteria include:
- Information received by the State Attorney indicates client is a good candidate to successfully complete and benefit from the program.
- No prior alcohol related criminal offenses.
- No accident alleged in the present case including single car accidents.
- No more than one prior diversion program or two prior misdemeanor charges.
At TILDEN LAW, we evaluate every client’s case to determine whether they are qualified for the DUI pre trial diversion program and whether there is a greater likelihood of dismissal through other means. We work with both the Court/State Attorney and the PTD program coordinator to make our client’s entry and completion as smooth as possible.
If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, or if you have had your driver license suspended for a DUI, contact the attorneys at TILDEN LAW for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.
Beginning Friday, March 12, 2010, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Community Safety Task Force, the Ocoee Police Department will be hosting a DUI checkpoint that night, from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday, March 13th.
Information released by law enforcement agencies indicate that eastbound and westbound drivers will be stopped near 11953 West Colonial Drive. Ocoee and Orlando police, deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers will stop drivers in an attempt to remove suspected DUI offenders and other criminal traffic violators from the roadways.
Anyone stopped by police will be subject to a driver license check and possible arrest for suspended license offenses and outstanding warrants.
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.
TILDEN LAW was recently hired by a client charged in Seminole County, Florida with a 4th offense DUI. Additionally, our client was facing charges of refusal to submit to a breath test and driving on a suspended license. Our
According to the police report, our client was driving his vehicle recklessly, failing to maintain a single lane and entering a intersection at a red light causing oncoming cars to swerve to keep from hitting our client’s car. Our client was facing a lifetime driver license revocation if convicted along with mandatory jail. Prior to trial, our office filed pre trial motions and conducted depositions. During the depositions, plea negotiations were conducted with the State Attorney. We were able to present several mitigating factors to the State including independent counseling. We were able to resolve our client’s case at the trial date with a dismissal of the Felony DUI and a plea to the lesser included misdemeanor reckless driving. As a result, our client was not sentenced to jail/prison and avoided the DUI lifetime driver license revocation.
If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, or if you have had your driver license suspended for a DUI, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.
Being arrested for a DUI in Florida can be a frightening event. Facing both from criminal prosecution and a driver’s license suspension, people arrested and accused of DUI often don’t know where to turn. TILDEN LAW has over 15 years of experience in successfully handled thousands of cases in both Seminole County and Orange County Courts. Here is an example of our success.
Our client was arrested in Seminole County on a charge of DUI causing accident and injury. The arresting trooper arrived at the scene of the crash after the paramedics had arrived and began treating both our client and others involved in the accident. During his DUI investigation, the trooper directed our client to submit to a blood draw to test her blood alcohol level. Through the discovery process, it was determined that the trooper’s actions throughout the investigation were improper. Attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, filed multiple motions to suppress state’s evidence which were granted by the trial court. The end result was the DUI was dismissed.
If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, or if you have had your driver license suspended for a DUI, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.
TILDEN LAW was recently successful in defending a client charged with a drug offense which resulted in all criminal charges being dropped. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrest report, our client was initially stopped for throwing a lighted cigarette out of his window while driving his vehicle on Colonial Drive in Orlando, Florida. After being advised the reason for the stop, the Deputy requested permission to search our client’s vehicle which he refused.
A K-9 unit was called to the scene of the stop to conduct a canine search from the vehicle’s exterior. According to the report, the K-9 units sweep search of the vehicle resulted in a “hit” or positive indication of drugs. A search of the interior of the vehicle revealed a bag of Marijuana and two marijuana smoking pipes in the center console.
Immediately after being retained by our client, attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, filed pleadings entering a plea of not guilty as to all charges and requested copies of all drug tests conducted. Mr. Tilden also petitioned the State Attorney’s office to dismiss all charges against his client. As a result, the Orange County State Attorney’s office agreed with our request, dismissing all charges against our client.
If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug crime in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the criminal defense attorneys at TILDEN LAW for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.
Captain Mike Rolls of the Marion County Sheriff’s department couldn’t believe his eyes in the early morning hours of September 15, 2009. Rolls was on patrol traveling eastbound on State Road 200 near Interstate 75 when he saw the strange sight driving westbound toward the interstate’s northbound on-ramp. A motorcyclist who just passed him wasn’t wearing any clothes.
The driver, Dante J. Krauss, 45, of Dunnellon, whose arrest record includes four prior DUI convictions and a 10 year driver license revocation, bonded out of the Marion County Jail later the same day. According to the arrest report, Krauss admitted to drinking and stated that the last thing he remembered was going to Hooters.
Krauss was given a shirt, courtesy of a nearby hotel, and his lower body was covered with a shawl that had been on the handlebars of the motorcycle.
A field sobriety exercise was performed, and Krauss reportedly failed, at which time he was taken to the Marion County Jail. During a breath test, he reportedly registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.178 and 0.162. The state’s legal limit is 0.08.
If you have been arrested and charged with a DUI in Orange County or Seminole County, Florida, contact the DUI defense firm of Tilden Law for a free case evaluation.
A class-action lawsuit was filed claiming Orlando’ red light cameras are unconstitutional and should no longer be used to issue tickets.
The city placed the cameras at seven intersections a year ago but the suit alleges that the real reason for the program was to generate revenue. According to Richard Schuler, an partner with the West Palm Beach law firm that filed the suit against Orlando and several other governments, “It’s a moneymaker.”
City Attorney Maryanne Downs said that Orlando reviewed the legalities before adopting the camera ordinance in December 2007 and is confident it will prevail in court.
Nabeel Ansari, 27, who is the only named plaintiff, had more practical reasons for filing the suit. He racked up 3 tickets from November 29th to June 15th totaling $500.00 in fines. The first offense is $125.00, after that it jumps to $250.00 for the third or subsequent offense in three years.
Though Ansari admitted to running the light, the lawsuit alleges that the cameras are unfair partly because they don’t determine who is driving. It claims the plaintiffs “were presumed guilty by reason of their ownership of the vehicle” and had to prove their innocence which is contrary to legal precedent.
Schuler argues, “you shouldn’t have to prove anything, they should have to prove the case against you.”
If you have been accused of a criminal charge in Orange County or Seminole County, Florida, please contact Tilden Law to speak with an experienced defense attorney and for you free initial consultation at 407-599-1234.
The drivers license of former Altamonte Springs police officer Mark Maupin was suspended following a hearing in Orange County court on charges of failure to wear a seat belt and failure to use due care. Maupin and his attorney challenged the two traffic tickets that he received as a result of a traffic accident in which his vehicle allegedly struck a car driven by Erskine Bell, Jr.
It was determined through investigations by the Altamonte Springs Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol that the patrol car driven by Maupin was traveling at a speed greater than 100 mph when he crashed his vehicle. Bell remains in a coma since the accident. His family, strapped with medical bills, settled with the city of Altamonte Springs earlier this year for $2.1 million.
Maupin who was also injured in the crash was placed on medical leave, later resigned and is no longer with the police department.
If you are have been accused of a criminal charge in Orange County, Florida or Seminole County, Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers at the Tilden Law for a free initial consultation, 4047-599-1234.