Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog

An argument over a pot-gobbling pooch ended with a South Florida model in handcuffs after telling deputies her boyfriend had repeatedly walked into the knife in her hand.

The 26-year-old was arrested for domestic battery in Dania Beach after responding deputies took note of a couple small knife cuts to the boyfriend’s head and face and another cut across his hand. He was not seriously injured and did not require hospitalization.

Although reporters described the judge as “bemused” as he read aloud the incident report before the court during the defendant’s first appearance, a charge of domestic battery is no laughing matter.
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A Florida appellate court has ruled that a woman who received two decades behind bars for firing a warning shot at her reportedly abusive husband – a shot that injured no one – is entitled to a new trial.

Our domestic violence defense attorneys in Fort Lauderdale are familiar with the case, in which the defendant was given a mandatory 20-year sentence by a reluctant judge after a conviction on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The appellate court’s decision in Alexander v. State of Florida hinged on the fact that the jury had been improperly instructed with regard to the issue of self-defense. Prior to the conviction, the jury had been told that in order for her to claim self-defense, she would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she believed her husband was about to seriously harm her or her children, who were present in the home.
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A 25-year-old man from Coconut Creek has been arrested for stalking pro-golfer Morgan Pressel – the third time since 2009 that he’s been arrested for the same offense. He’s been arrested on at least four other occasions since 2007 for trespassing and contempt of court.

Authorities say the defendant began harassing Pressel via Twitter several days before he attempted to gain access to the gated community where she lives, telling a security guard that he was her boyfriend. The security guard, aware of the restraining order, contacted sheriff’s deputies. At the time of his arrest, he was subject to an order of protection mandating he stay at least 500 feet from her and her home.

The case was made particularly noteworthy because of the celebrity element. It’s fairly obvious when hearing the defendant’s explanation (that another professional golfer, Jack Nicklaus, and the CIA had instructed him to go to Pressel’s home) that there is something amiss. However, our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyers know that the majority of stalking arrests in Florida stem from domestic disputes or between individuals who actually know one another.
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