Florida DUI Traffic Ticket Lawyer Blog

Kevin Comny had his driver license suspended 17 years ago for a DUI and had been additionally charged with driving as a habitual offender and possession of a controlled substance. Things could be getting worse for the 46-year-old. Police in Hernando County pulled over Comny when his white van was spotted swerving. He did not initially stop for police but was eventually pulled over. (read more)

Upon being stopped, Comny was given field sobriety tests, which showed he was impaired according to the police. He was arrested and charged with DUI. Blood alcohol tests showed no alcohol in his system but deputies report they found prescription painkillers in his van.

If you have been charged with a drug-related DUI in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Jacksonville teenager is facing nine criminal charges following a traffic accident that killed four of his friends. The SUV he was driving rolled off I-295 in Jacksonville and the accident resulted in four of the eight passengers dying. Most of the eight teenagers were students at Ed White High School. (read more)

Hodges, the 15-year-old driver, turned himself in to police and was held overnight in a juvenile detention center. He is facing eight felony charges and one misdemeanor charge including driving without a license, causing death; driving without a license, causing injury; and careless driving. The case will be tried in juvenile court according to the State’s Attorney but Hodges’ lawyer claims if it wasn’t for his client’s age there would never have been charges filed.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping by our comprehensive website.

We told you weeks ago about the looming increase in fees for driver license and vehicle registration renewals. We said get it done early but you didn’t listen did you? Thousands of Florida drivers who are eligible to renew licenses and registrations before the almost 50% fee increases take effect on September 1. So many citizens have tried to renew online that the Department of Motor Vehicle website crashed Friday. (read more)

There have been long lines all over the state including here in Manatee County. There were 60 people waiting in line near DeSoto Square Mall Friday morning and over 7,000 online transactions were processed Tuesday, almost double the number from the previous day. This is the first time these fees have been increased in 20 years.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping by our comprehensive website.

State law in Florida requires that drivers found guilty of certain traffic violations twice in a 12-month period be required to take a driver-improvement course. That law will be changing on October 1st when driver’s who run a red-light, who are involved in highway racing, get cited for reckless driving or for failing to stop for a school bus will be required to take the four-hour class. (read more)

Drivers who are cited for those infractions currently have the option to take the course in order to keep points off their driving record. This law will make that mandatory and failing to comply will result in a license suspension. The law also includes a fine increase of $65 for three of the four violations, the exception is running red lights.

Stephen Higgins, a traffic lawyer in Tampa, questioned whether a driving school mandate will solve the problem.

"It’s a slippery slope because people are not only going to be required to pay the ticket, but now the state is also going to expect them to attend driver improvement school,” said Higgins. “Driver Improvement school is an added cost to the citizens of Hillsborough County, not to mention the fact that it takes 4 hours to complete the school - taking people's time away from working or spending time with their family."

If you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact one of our experienced Traffic Attorneys at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-348-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact us by visiting our website dedicated to ticket defense all over the state of Florida.

If you read our blog here at Finebloom & Haenel you know that texting and driving is a subject we have been following closely. It has the attention of the Obama Administration and it is now getting set to take center stage in Florida as well. Fox 13 reporter Doug Smith reported this week that state representative Doug Holder of Sarasota will try for a third time to pass a bill banning texting while driving. (read more)

While Holder has been unsuccessful in his previous two attempts this month to get a law passed he believes the third time will be a charm. His case will be bolstered by numerous studies that have been released recently that show the practice of distracted driving is exponentially more dangerous than even drunk driving. If Holder’s bill passes, the ticket will carry a $30 fine.

Texting and driving is not yet illegal but if you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Just before noon Monday on U.S. 19 in New Port Richey two mothers got the scare of a lifetime when a fellow driver pulled out a shotgun and aimed it at them. The driver of the other car was identified as 28-year-old Matthew Tweel who allegedly took aim at the car with his finger on the trigger and pointed the gun into the car with the two mothers and their children. (read more)

The pair wanted to talk to Tweel and alert him that they had three children in their car and his driving was unsafe due to his speeding and near accident with the couple when he cut them off. When they got next to Tweel they saw he had the shotgun pointed right at them. They called 911 and New Port Richey Police apprehended Tweel. After searching his car, police say they found a 12 gauge shotgun, .40 caliber pistol and controlled substances Diazepam and Hydrocodone.

If you have been charged with a crime in St. Petersburg, please do not hesitate to contact Pinellas Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Pinellas County office located at 4500 140th Avenue North Suite #219.

As you drive to work this morning you better beware of the “Move Over” law that was passed in 2002. The law states that drivers must change lanes away an emergency situation when approaching a patrol car, emergency vehicle or even a tow truck. If you are unable to change lanes you must slow down to 20 MPH according to the law. Up until this point the Florida Highway Patrol has lightly enforced the law. That has all changed as of this past weekend. (read more)

The law was passed to protect officers and other emergency workers from being struck by cars traveling at high rates of speed on highways. The crackdown will run through September 7 and if you are ticketed you will receive a $166 fine and three points on your license. More than 150 law enforcement officers nationwide have been killed this decade while performing their jobs on the side of the road.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa, Orlando or anywhere in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email

Are Orlando’s red light cameras unconstitutional? That is what a class action suit filed in Orange County is claiming. The city claimed the cameras, which were installed in September, are there to save lives but the lawsuit alleges that their only purpose is to generate revenue. (read more)

There is only one named plaintiff in the suit filed by a West Palm Beach attorney. The suit claims that the red light cameras do not identify drivers only cars and the owner of the car is presumed guilty, which is the opposite of the standard which is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If the suit is certified as a class action, more plaintiffs are expected to be added.

If you have a traffic ticket in in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourtickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

University of Florida linebacker Dustin Doe pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and one count of second-degree not having a valid driver license. The Gator football player was arrested on July 24 for driving with a suspended license. (read more)

Doe started for the Gators in the team’s National Championship game with Oklahoma. His pleas of no contest to the two charges now clears the way for him to rejoin the team upon coach Urban Meyer’s approval. Doe’s punishment includes working three eight-hour chits with the Alachua Sheriff’s Department. Doe also owes $622 in court costs.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourtickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

Lawyers are alleging that an FDLE employee who was fired for her handling of breath testing devices could have altered the accuracy of 79 machines used in Broward County DUI tests. Defense lawyers went to court to argue that Breathalyzer machines had been hand handled improperly and the results from those machines should not be admissible for evidence in 100’s of past and current cases. (read more)

The motion stems from FDLE employee Sandra Viega who was fired in October. Viega was responsible for certifying the accuracy of testing devices but when it looked like three devices in her control were going to fail inspection she shut them down. That resulted in her dismissal and according to defense lawyers put all the machines under her watch in doubt and all the cases that are dependent on those results in question as well. The judge is expected to rule on the motion shortly.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Sarasota woman was doing 70 MPH on Orange Avenue when she ran a red light at Fruitville Road and eventually crashed into a Sarasota police patrol car. Was the women written any ticket for her traffic violations? She wasn’t because she had a pretty good excuse for her driving. Rebecca Provencher was fleeing from her ex-boyfriend who was holding a gun as he rammed into her SUV from behind. (read more)

Eddie Smith is accused of triggering the incident that caused Provencher to drive erratically and hit officer Katrina Young’s car and sent her to the hospital for a broken wrist. Smith has been charged with three felonies including aggravated battery, aggravated assault and felony battery.

If you have been involved in a traffic-related misdemeanor or felony in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or stop by our Sarasota offices at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

The former vice president of Keiser College in St. Petersburg was killed Monday by a suspected DUI driver. Melvin Patton who now lives in Columbia, Illinois and is a college administrator was killed when a car driven by James Toon crossed into the path of oncoming traffic and collided with Patton’s car. (read more)

Toon has been charged with driving under the influence as authorities believe he was drunk at the time of the crash. Before his time in St. Petersburg the 67-year-old Patton was a standout athlete who obtained All-America honors at Southern Illinois University. He was also a vice president at Fontbonne University in St. Louis.

If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or anywhere in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact DUI Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

Joshua Hope was on the side of the road with car trouble in Brooksville Monday morning. A traffic deputy was dispatched to assess the driver of the car. Hope showed some level of impairment according to the deputy following field sobriety tests but not enough to nave met DUI criteria. Hope called a friend to come pick him up and denied a deputy’s request to search his car but according to police a drug-sniffing dog indicated there were drugs in the car. (read more)

Police went ahead and searched Hope’s vehicle and discovered a safe on the floorboard. Deputies opened the safe and found three grams of methamphetamine and a .38 caliber revolver. Hope was arrested and charged with possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

If you have been charged with a drug felony in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdrugcrime.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Spencer Blanton, the co-director of anesthesiology at Tampa’s Shriners Hospital for Children, is in trouble with the law following a weekend arrest on a DUI charge. The 45-year old Hillsborough County doctor was arrested in Plant City with a reported blood alcohol level of 0.12. He was released on $500 bond following his arrest by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. (read more)

Blanton has been in trouble for a previous DUI from 1982 that also got him in hot water with the State Board of Medicine. The doctor failed to report the court’s decision on his earlier driving under the influence as required by Florida law. That resulted in a small fine for the doctor and required attendance in a medical ethics class.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

There has been a growing trend lately of women driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and even more disturbing many of them committing this crime with their children in the car. The case that brought the rise of women and mothers driving under the influence into the spotlight took place in New York. Diane Schuler’s wrong-way crash killed her and seven other people. The woman had alcohol and drugs in here system at the time of the fatal accident. But we are not immune to the problem in Tampa Bay either. (read more)

Billie Jean Vercellona had her 5-month-old son in her car when she was seen running red lights and driving into oncoming traffic before crashing into two parked cars. She was charged with child abuse and DUI and since she ran into three health care workers she also was charged with three counts of battery on a health care provider. Her baby was unsecured in a car carrier but thankfully was not injured.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Austin Bottie had a rough morning. The 20-year-old Safety Harbor resident crashed his 2006 Honda into a home located at 102 Forest Circle at 5:00 a.m. Friday morning. Now Pinellas County Sheriffs are looking into whether alcohol was a factor and if so Bottie could end up with a possible DUI charge. (read more)

Bottie smashed into the house damaging the concrete block of the Safety Harbor home that is just 3/10 of a mile away from his own house. Bottie was treated for non-life threatening injuries while deputies try to determine what caused the crash.

If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or anywhere in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

We have seen it in Tampa and Sarasota and now the numbers are in from the northern part of Florida as well. The number of tickets issued for seat belt violations is WAY up. In Jacksonville the Sheriff’s Office wrote 529 more tickets for seat belt violations in July than they did in June, a 31% increase. The Florida Highway Patrol wrote 1,186 more tickets in the northern part of Florida for seat belt violations than the previous month, an increase of 60%. (read more)

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said writing seat belt violation citations is a focus for their deputies. While the police are trying to educate the public on wearing seat belts they said there is a zero tolerance policy in Jacksonville. They will not give warnings to seat belt violators.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa, Orlando or anywhere in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

Juan Delvalle, a 26-year-old Tampa man, unleashed two pit bulls on a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy who came to his home on 86th Street to investigate a noise complaint. Deputy Richard Burton was forced to Taser the first dog that was sent to attack him and then had to use his gun on the second dog since he had already deployed his Taser to subdue the first dog that attacked him. (read more)

The dogs were not owned by Delvalle who got into a struggle with the deputy following the dog attacks. Delvalle punched the deputy in the arms and chest but was eventually stunned with a Taser. He was arrested for violating his parole on a DUI charge and four counts related to resisting arrest and assaulting the officer.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email.

Four months ago a white van rolled onto the streets of Juno Beach and since then there have been more tickets issued by the mobile unit than there are permanent residents in the town. Over 4000 citations totaling $261,000 have been issued by the unmanned van that uses cameras to catch speeders, the first of its kind in Florida. (read more)

An average of 35 motorists are being ticketed each day if they drive nine miles or more over the posted speed limit. Offenders receive a $125 ticket in the mail. The citation is a civil penalty and does not go on a driver’s permanent record. The van is moved to a different location every day and uses an infrared light beam system to record a passing car’s speed.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

Deputy Tex Thomas has made over 120 arrests for DUI since he began working for the Polk County Sheriff’s office but charges against 54 of those people have been dropped by prosecutors citing concerns over the deputy’s conducting blood alcohol tests and taking shortcuts in writing reports. (read more)

Thomas reportedly admitted to cutting-and-pasting words from previous DUI reports during a deposition. That caused prosecutors to not file charges on 50 suspects and drop charges on four others. Defense attorney’s credited the state prosecutor for looking into their complaints in these cases and coming to the conclusion that they could not proceed with the cases.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa, Hillsborough or Polk County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpolkdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

John Hillmer, the senior pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, was arrested and charged with DUI last week. The 57-year-old was pulled over by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies early in the morning. He was stopped at the corner of North Dale Mabry and Hudson Lane in Tampa. According to the sheriff’s deputy Hillmer was driving 58 MPH in a 45 and his car drifted between lanes on more than one occasion. When he was pulled over the deputy gave him three breath tests. All three came back above the legal limit of 0.08. One measured 0.146. (read more)

Hilmer has found support from his congregation at Grace Lutheran Church. Just days after his arrest he attended worship service Sunday with approximately 300 parishioners. According to one of the church’s members, Kathy Crouthamel, the pastor received ‘total support’.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

It was a busy two days for the Florida Highway Patrol at the end of July. As part of the ‘Be Smart, Drive Smart Florida!’ campaign the FHP wrote 2,622 tickets on July 30 and July 31 in a region spanning from Orlando to Tampa and along the Florida Turnpike. (read more)

This was the first of several enforcement operations in the campaign to curb aggressive driving in Florida. There were 1,036 citations for speeding, 253 for safety belt violations and 67 for careless driving.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa, Orlando or anywhere in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

A few weeks ago we warned you about the red light cameras being installed in Bradenton. Well now they are up and running. Bradenton drivers think twice about running that red light coming off the DeSoto Bridge and heading south on U.S. 41 due to the activation of the newly installed cameras. The camera is up and started taking photos of license plates beginning Thursday. (read more)

This camera is just the first of 10 cameras Bradenton plans to install. Violators will receive a $125 fine in the mail. The next three cameras scheduled to go up are at Manatee Ave. East and U.S. 41, Seventh Avenue East and Ninth Street East and Manatee Avenue West and 15th Street West.

If you have a traffic ticket in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourtickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

Sheriff’s in Pinellas Park were involved in a high-speed chase on U.S. 19 Wednesday night after they tried to pull a car over that had a tag belonging to another vehicle. Sheriffs attempted to pull the car over at a gas station but the 2001 Chevy Malibu went into reverse to hit the police cruiser before taking off. The driver of the car, Victor Butler, Jr., hit three cars while being pursued including an off-duty deputy cruiser. The two men in the car eventually tried to escape on foot before they were arrested (read more)

A passenger in one of the three cars Butler hit was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The 21-year-old Butler was charged with a slew of crimes including possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, driving with an unassigned tag, driving with a suspended license and three counts of leaving the scene of a crash.

If you have been arrested following a traffic stop, please call Pinellas Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website at www.fightyourfelony.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

The new seat belt law in Florida was put on the books in order to save lives according to law makers but some saw it as just another excuse for the police to pull people over they suspect of any number of things. It seems that the law is leading to arrests for other crimes. Just look at Alachua County. In a two day span there were drug arrests made after cars were stopped under the new seat belt law. (read more)

The most recent incident in Gainesville involved a pharmacy technician and her husband who were stopped for not wearing their seatbelts. The couple allegedly gave the officers permission to search the car where they found marijuana, morphine and oxycodone which the woman said she stole from her job.

If you have been pulled over and ticketed under the new seat belt law, please call Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website at www.fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Distracted driving has become a major story these days with numerous reports coming out on the dangers of driving while texting or reading emails. Report after report lately indicates that driving while text messaging is exponentially more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol. The dangerous practice is now ready to go under the microscope in Washington D.C. (read more)

The Obama Administration, led by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, will hold a summit with experts from all fields in an effort to come up with a solution to the problem. LaHood has recently gone on record saying if it were up to him he would ban texting while driving. The plan is to come out of this summit with concrete steps to put an end to unsafe cell phone use in cars according to LaHood.

Texting and driving is not yet illegal but if you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Joshua Conwell, a 21-year-old Parrish county man, was arrested by an off-duty Tampa cop following what was believed to be his third hit-and-run of the day. He was arrested after the Tampa Police officer saw Conwell hit the third car. When pulled over, the officer alleged he found a bottle containing 84 pills of the drug carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant. (read more)

Officers say they are able to link Conwell to all three crashes while driving his black Chevy Blazer. The Bradenton police charged Conwell with fleeing the scene of an accident with property damage, driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Sarasota, Bradenton or Manatee County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourbradentondui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

Mary Anne Mann, 78, and her 11-year-old-dog Sadie found themselves in trouble earlier this week due to an unpaid parking ticket from November of 2008. When Pasco Sheriff’s deputy William Peace, Jr. pulled over Mann’s white Cadillac he thought he had caught an impaired driver. He recognized the driver from when she reported the same Cadillac as stolen in June of 2008. Turns out the car was dropped off for an oil change and left at the shop for two weeks. (read more)

Peace ran the grandmother’s license after he pulled her over for driving 20 miles per hour under the speed limit and found there was a warrant out for her arrest due to that unpaid parking ticket. Mann was arrested, without the use of handcuffs, and her dog taken in by a fellow deputy to avoid calling Animal Control. Mann spent 5 ½ hours in the Land O’Lakes jail.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

John Hillmer, the senior pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, was arrested and charged with DUI according to reports. The 57-year-old was pulled over by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies early Friday morning. He was stopped at the corner of North Dale Mabry and Hudson Lane in Tampa. (read more)

According to the sheriff’s deputy Hillmer was driving 58 MPH in a 45 and his car drifted between lanes on more than one occasion. When he was pulled over the deputy gave him three breath tests. All three came back above the legal limit of 0.08. One measured 0.146. Hillmer was jailed at Orient Road Jail on $500 bail.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.