TILDEN LAW – Orlando Criminal Attorney

TILDEN LAW represents clients in Central Florida accused of DUI and Driving Under the Influence charges.  If you are facing a Orlando, Orange County or Seminole County DUI or Driving Under the Influence charge, call our office for a free case evaluation, 407 599-1234.

Ron DiMenna was arrested last Thursday afternoon and charged with DUI in Brevard County.  DiMenna, 73, is known by most as the founder of Ron Jon’s Surf Shops.  According to the Brevard County sheriff’s office, DiMenna’s pick-up truck was weaving which prompted a motorist to call 911.  DiMenna’s truck had a open 20 ounce can of Four Loko, a alcohol based drink, in his car at the time of his DUI arrest. 

According to police reports, DiMenna showed multiple signs of impairment including, difficulty walking when he stepped from his Ford pickup, flushed face, slurred speech and his demeanor was slow and lethargic.  Also noted in the report written by the deputy “I then requested him to explain the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person. Mr. DiMenna stated, ‘I’ve had a couple.’”

This is not the first DUI charged DiMenna has faced.  His prior DUI arrests were in 2005, when he pleaded guilty to reckless driving, and in 2007, when he was convicted of DUI, according to the Brevard-Seminole State Attorney’s Office. He lost his license for six months and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended.  Other arrests include a 1987 case in New Jersey when he was charged with illegal possession of drugs and firearms after a former employee died outside DiMenna’s motor home. DiMenna previously served 18 months in prison on a 1975 drug conviction.

In addition to driving under the influence on Thursday, DiMenna was charged with refusal to submit to a breath test, the report stated. He was booked into the Brevard County Jail and was released after paying $5,500 bail, the report stated.

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

TILDEN LAW represents clients in Central Florida accused of DUI and Driving Under the Influence charges.  If you are facing a Orlando, Orange County or Seminole County DUI or Driving Under the Influence charge, call our office for a free case evaluation, 407 599-1234.

Recently, a client was arrested on charges of DUI and Leaving he Scene of an Accident (Hit and Run) in Orlando, Orange County, Florida.  The police report alleges that at about 12:00 a.m. our client drove into his apartment complex parking lot and struck two parked cars.  Damage was clearly done to his vehicle and allegedly done to the other vehicles.  Florida highway Patrol were called to investigage and ultimately arrested our client on charges of DUI causing damage and leaving the scene of an accident. DUI Breath tests were refused.

After filing Motions to Supress and having hearings, the case was set for trial.  At trial, TILDEN LAW petitioned the State Attorney for a dismissal which was granted.  All criminal charges were dismissed.

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

TILDEN LAW represents clients in Central Florida accused of DUI and Driving Under the Influence charges.  If you are facing a Orlando, Orange County or Seminole County DUI or Driving Under the Influence charge, call our office for a free case evaluation, 407 599-1234.

In a nine-page order, a six-judge panel denied a request Tuesday to exclude breath-test results in 19 pending driving-under-the-influence cases. The deputy in charge of certifying breath-testing machines for the Sheriff’s Office had a valid permit to do so, the judges ruled.

Defense attorneys argued that Sgt. Edward Bowman’s permit to act as the inspector for the Volusia County sheriff’s three Intoxilyzer 8000 machines had expired. A paperwork error was to blame, they said. The lawyers said Bowman should have been retrained on the breath-testing equipment because he retired in 2003 and returned to the job five years later. Instead, Delgado argued, Bowman took a refresher course.  The judges finding was that Bowman’s permit to inspect the machines was invalid for just two months in 2008,

Bowman left his job in 2003 and was rehired in 2008. His permit, the court decided, became invalid July 1, 2008, but was good again after Sept. 29, 2008, because he completed a renewal course on the equipment, as required. Because each of the 19 pending cases was the result of arrests after that date, when the permits were good, the motion was denied.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Orlando DUI or Seminole County DUI chargen either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the 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.

The Florida Highway Patrol is scheduling a DUI checkpoint near its South Semoran Boulevard headquarters to begin on Friday, June 11, at 9:00 p.m.  The DUI checkpoint is designed to cracking down on unsafe and impaired drivers. Earlier this year, a Orange County DUI checkpoint accounted for nearly 20 Orange County DUI arrests with another 10 arrests on a variety of other criminal charges.  That DUI checkpoint was conducted from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday, March 13^th.

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.

The Orange County State Attorney’s office dropped a DUI charge against D’Anne Leigh Mica, daughter of U.S. Rep. John Mica, after an Orange County judge granted a defense motion to suppress the woman’s initial stop by the police, according to court records and sources familiar with the case.

D’Anne Leigh Mica was arrested in early 2010 on a charge of driving under the influence after police said she was stopped with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit.  Mica’s Orlando defense attorney filed motions to suppress the stop of Mica’s vehicle based on the Maitland Police officer being outside his jurisdiction when he stopped her.  The basis for the stop was to “check on her well being.”  The defense successfully argued that there was in sufficient probable cause to follow the woman and make the stop. 

Specifically, the defense argued that police cannot leave their jurisdiction to “check” on people for a “well-being” check and therefore had no authority to stop Mica’s vehicle outside their jurisdiction.  

Prosecutors initially planned to appeal the ruling but last week decided to drop the case. A police report indicated that Mica, a 34-year-old public-relations executive, was driving east on Horatio Avenue early on Jan. 8 when her black SUV drifted back and forth.  An officer stopped her and asked if she was OK. He noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath and that her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, he wrote in the report.

Mica also reportedly failed two officer-administered breath tests, blowing a 0.192 percent and a 0.198 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

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.

Our office was contactedI  by a former client to assist him in a Felony DUI charge out of Seminole County, Florida.  Our client had 3 prior DUI convictions and was facing mandatory jail and a mandatory lifetime driver license revocation.  In addition to the DUI charge, the State Attorney also charged driving on a suspended license and refusal to submit to a breath test.

Our client was alleged to have driven his vehicle in a manner consistent with impaired drivers.  He was ultimately stopped for weaving outside of his lane and stopping his vehicle in an intersection causing other vehicles to swerve to avoid a accident.  As part of the litigators, we recommended he enrol in counseling for alcohol addiction.  We filed pre trial motions and conducted depositions.  During the depositions, we were able to convince the arresting officer and State Attorney to reduce the Felony DUI to a 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.

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:

1. Information received by the State Attorney indicates client is a good candidate to successfully complete and benefit from the program.
2. No prior alcohol related criminal offenses.
3. No accident alleged in the present case including single car accidents.
4. 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.

DUI and drug offense charges were dismissed in a case against J. C. France, grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.  As a result, J. C. France has been reinstated by Grand-Am Road Racing to compete in Rolex Series road-racing events after a five-month suspension following his arrest last year.

Evidence was thrown out of the case against France and the DUI and drug possession charges were not pursued. All the evidence that Daytona Beach police piled up against France was thrown out because of a jurisdictional technicality.

France, 44, was arrested along with half brother Russell Van Richmond, 41, Oct. 8 by Daytona Beach police on charges of DUI and narcotics possession. The two men were pulled over after an officer saw them racing, then another officer saw France roll through a red light.

According to a police, France and Van Richmond were racing over the Seabreeze Bridge and Daytona Beach police stopped them. When police found both men, who were in separate cars and stopped in different places, they found cocaine on them, according to reports.

In an order earlier this month, Circuit Judge Patrick Kennedy said that France’s traffic infraction occurred within the city of Holly Hill and the officer who followed France made an “unlawful stop” of the vehicle because the officer was outside of his jurisdiction.

France won’t compete in this weekend’s Rolex Series event at Virginia International Raceway. He’s not expected to attend Saturday’s Bosch Engineering 250.

“Being out of the car was tough, not just for that race but since then, too,” France said. “Sometimes it takes losing something to understand its importance. I was getting a little ragged and needed a good kick in the butt; I got it.”

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.

Sharon Wolfe faces charges of DUI and Leaving the Scene of a Crash causing damage (hit and run) stemming from a traffic incident this past Sunday, April 4, 2010.  Sharon Wolfe is the wife of Tavares Mayor, Robert Wolfe.  According to witness statements, Wolfe was driving a Chevrolet Camaro when her car veered off the roadway and struck a speed limit sign before she drove off from the scene.  Wolfe’s DUI charge is considered a higher level offense due to the accident.

Wolfe was later found by Tavares police asleep in the driver’s seat of the car parked in a handicapped space at Florida Hospital Waterman just before 5 a.m.   Police also found a bottle of Kahlua and Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueurs and several pills of the prescription sleep aid Ambien in the car. According to police reports, Wolfe had a blood-alcohol level between .072 and .073 percent. The legal limit in Florida is .08. However, police charged her with DUI because she told officers she drank the alcohol and took the medication.  Because her blood alcohol level was under Florida’s legal limit, Wolfe’s driver’s license will not be administratively suspended.

Florida law allows for DUI charges to be prosecuted by way of the “impairment theory” due to alcohol amounts reacting differently in individuals.  Wolfe was booked into the Lake County Jail and later released after posting $750 bail.