Domestic Violence includes assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of one family or household member by another family or household member. Domestic violence arrests in Pinellas County and throughout the Tampa Bay area have increased…
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It is stressful enough to receive an official notice that you must appear in criminal court. It only makes matters worse when you are left to attempt to decipher what the purpose of the hearing is with names like Arraignment, Pre-Trial, and Dispositional Hearing. So, here are the most common court hearing types and what…
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When police want to question a suspect, by law they should read a Miranda warning. Often, individuals refer to this as being read their “rights.” A Miranda warning in Florida should include the following: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of…
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Seth Shapiro, Attorney at Law, Owner at the Morris Law Firm has been awarded the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award for 2020. See Seth Shapiro’s Avvo Profile here. The Avvo Clients’ Choice Award is presented each year to attorneys based on their positive relationships with their clients. Recipients of the Clients’ Choice Award are primarily evaluated…
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If you are arrested by local law enforcement, or charged with a crime by the State Attorney’s Office, you have a choice as to how you can defend yourself in court. You can represent yourself (from Latin called “pro se,” meaning “for oneself” which in law means to argue on one’s own behalf in a…
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What Is Sealing or Expunging A Criminal History Record: A criminal history record is created when a person is arrested or charged with a crime and includes the details of the arrest, a record of court proceedings in the matter, and the disposition of the case (dismissal of charges before trial, not guilty, guilty, or…
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Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies to monitor our local waterways for impaired boaters. Boating Under the Influence applies to drugs, as well as alcohol. Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a year-round boating under the influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign. The stated goal of Operation Dry Water is to reduce the…
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St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay, Florida Attorney Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm has been rated one of the Top 3 Criminal Defense Lawyers in St. Petersburg by ThreeBestRated.com for 2020. The ThreeBestRated review team selected Melinda Morris for the accolade using a 50-Point Inspection that includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction,…
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The breath test machine or instrument used in Florida, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater in Pinellas County, Florida, is called the Intoxilyzer 8000 manufactured by CMI Inc. The Intoxilyzer 8000 has been used in Florida since 2006. A 2014 Court ruling in Florida referred to the Intoxilyzer 8000 DUI breath test machine this way:…
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At the intersection of illegal cannabis, legal hemp, and medical marijuana Florida is in a haze of legal confusion. What is Legal? Medical Marijuana In 2016, 71 percent of Floridians voted to legalize medical marijuana. The 2017 bill signed into law by then-governor Scott says “a licensed medical marijuana treatment center shall cultivate, process, transport…
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