Florida DUI Traffic Ticket Lawyer Blog

Tampa man Eric Bentley was arrested for the 13th time in Hillsborough County Tuesday night following a high speed chase. The 36-year-old was reportedly driving 75 M.P.H. in a residential area with his 12-year-old son in the car according to a story on tampabay.com. Police ran the man’s plates and found he was driving with a suspended license for failure to pay child support. At that point two officers attempted to stop Bentley but he fled and was eventually boxed in by a combination of marked and unmarked police cars. Following the stop Bentley tried to flee on foot but he was apprehended and arrested.

Bentley was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail where he was being held on $15,500 bail. He has been charged with numerous counts including child neglect, reckless driving, fleeing to allude arrest at a high speed and driving without a license. According to the report Bentley has previously been charged with offenses involving cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, trespassing, leaving the scene of a crash, aggravated battery and false imprisonment among others.

If you have been involved in a traffic incident in Tampa that has led to your arrest in Hillsborough County and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Tampa couple thought a bomb exploded in their neighborhood Monday night while they were watching television. What they heard was the sound of Felecia Ward crashing her 1994 Acura Legend into their Town ‘N Country home. According to a story on tbo.com Ward lost control of her car and crashed through a wall and penetrating two of the house’s bedrooms.

Ward, who police do not believe was intoxicated, claimed she was driving 35 M.P.H. in a 30 zone but investigators believe she may have been traveling as fast as 60 when she lost control of her vehicle. A witness told police that the 40-year-old woman drove past a stop sign and was traveling fast on Cresthill Drive. Ward has been cited for running a stop sign, failing to use due care and careless driving.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

According to a column in the Tallahassee Democrat, there were 5.21 million traffic citations in Florida in 2008. That is a small 1% decrease from the year before and bucked a trend that saw the number of citations increase every year starting in 2004. The reason for the decrease according to the author is that Floridians are driving less.

There is one area that did show a large increase and that concerned Driving Under the Influence. From 2007 to 2008 there was a 9% increase in DUI convictions in the state of Florida. Half of all citations written in 2008 were issued by city cops, a quarter by county sheriffs and a fifth by the FHP. Overall tickets may have been down but the number of cops is up as there were more full-time officers on the job statewide in 2007 than in 2008.

If you have a traffic ticket or fine anywhere in Florida and need qualified legal representation please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

Joshua West is facing three felony counts after investigators and the state attorney decided to charge the 24-year-old who struck a Safety Harbor teenager last April. According to a report on 10connects.com, West is being charged with Driving Under the Influence causing serious bodily injury, driving without a license causing serious bodily injuries and leaving the scene of a crash with injury.

West is currently serving time in the Putnam County Correctional Institute for a violation of probation on an unrelated charge in Hillsborough County. Sheriff’s allege West struck 19-year-old Andrew Hall who was standing on a sidewalk. Hall lost his leg and is still in a hospital. He was nearly killed.

If you have been charged with a DUI crime 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 (1-800-344-4848) 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.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Labor and Employment Lawyer James Gorman was arrested this week on DUI charges. The Orlando lawyer was arrested according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following an incident where four burglary suspects were being apprehended near Apopka. Apparently one of the four arrestees was a client of Brown’s and he was reportedly cursing at officers.

The University of North Carolina law school graduate is 64-years-old and he lives in Apopka. According to police reports Brown drove up to officers who were holding the four suspects and claimed to be the lawyer for one of the teens. The officer’s said Brown was close enough that they could smell alcohol on his breath. He was given field sobriety tests, which officers claim he failed.

If you have been cited for a DUI in Orlando, Seminole or Orange County please do not hesitate to contact DUI Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourOrlandoDUI.com to discuss the matter. Also feel free to stop by our Orlando office located at 189 S. Orange Avenue.

The West Palm Beach attorney who has taken up the fight against Red Light Cameras in the State of Florida has made the point that the devices are causing people to be fined even though 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 he needs a case to illustrate that point, he only needs to talk with Sarasota’s Silvia Cuervo. Her frustrating story is detailed in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Cuervo has received two tickets from red light cameras. The problem is she drives a 2003 Nissan and it’s a Mercury sedan pictured slowly rolling through red lights. Oh and the tag number on the car that was in violation of the red light cameras isn’t even close to the one on her car. On top of that one of the tickets came from Lakeland, a city she has never been to.

The first time Cuervo got ticketed she just paid the fine. The second time she decided she would try and find out what was going on. She got no help from the people in Lakeland and was told she could drive the 80 miles to defend herself against a ticket she should never have received. Tom Lyons of the Sarasota Herald Tribune contacted Lakeland officials and they stood by the ticket saying the car on camera had a plate registered to Cuervo.

Thanks to Lyons who then contacted the DMV, it was discovered that the people in charge of verifying the photos in Lakeland misread the tag on the car in the photo. That wasn’t the only mistake. The police officer who is supposed to provide the checks and balances in the system didn’t verify the tag they believed was on the car matched the vehicle description. Lyons makes the point that nobody cared to check Cuervo’s story despite strong evidence. The company that runs the cameras and the city seemed to be banking on the fact she would just pay the ticket like she did before and the money would keep rolling in for the city.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakeland or anywhere in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

The Federal Government has begun to take a long look at the dangers of distracted driving which stems from drivers texting, talking on their phones or even reading newspapers and magazines while driving! The Obama Administration has begun to take the first steps to curtail this behavior but it seems the first law may come from a recommendation made by the National Transportation Safety Board during the Bush administration. The NTSB has put banning commercial drivers from talking on cell phones on their list of the most important safety measures that need to be adopted and it doesn’t seem anyone is objecting according to an Associated Press article on BradentonHerald.com.

The Obama administration seems poised to act on this issue and an announcement could be made as early as next week at a two-day summit on distracted driving. Right now 17 states prohibit bus drivers from using cell phones while driving and 18 states have passed laws making it illegal to text and drive. Both of those practices have been banned in the District of Columbia as well.

If you are a commercial driver and have a traffic ticket or fine anywhere in the state of Florida we know how important your driving privleges are. Please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

For police officers, even the most mundane of duties carries the risk that it can escalate into violence. That is what happened to Florida Highway Patrol trooper John Paikai on Tuesday. Paikai attempted to execute a routine traffic stop after Robert Swank ran a red light in Avon Park. The officer was most likely just planning on writing a traffic ticket to the Florida driver but that’s when things took a deadly turn according to an Associated Press story on the Bradenton Herald Tribune website.

After Paikai pulled Swank over he exited his cruiser and began to approach Swank’s car. At that point the 37-year-old struck the officer with his car. In order to stop the assault Paikai fired his weapon and shot and killed the car’s passenger, 33-year-old Amber Gregory. Paikai was taken to the hospital and an investigation is under way.

If you have a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida, please don’t do something you will regret or get anyone hurt. Just contact Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

Charles Rogers, a former Detroit Lion and Michigan state star, has had his share of problems and despite telling ESPN that he was changing his life for the better, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The winner of the 2002 Biletnikoff Award, which is presented annually in Tallahassee, Florida, was charged with misdemeanor DUI and driving without a valid license. He was held on $50,000 bond at his arraignment and did not have an attorney present according to an ESPN report.

Rogers, now 28, was arrested following his refusal to take a breath test. According to reports Rogers was found behind the wheel of a 2003 Mercedes and was non-responsive. The car was running and in gear in a left turn lane. He has already served jail time for a domestic violence case.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Back in June a Tampa Day Care Center operator made the news when she was charged with child abuse in a case involving four children. The story became major news due to the fact that Dorothy Ann Sampson-Monroe had a spotty criminal history in the first place but was still licensed to run the Just For Kids day care center. According to an article on tbo.com the woman is back in trouble stemming from a DUI arrest in June.

Sampson-Monroe is accused of failing to appear in court on her DUI charge. She was arrested and then sent to jail on that charge and on her four counts of child abuse. She is being held on $10,000 bail. The state attorney has yet to file any charges on the child abuse allegations levied against the 48-year-old.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or visit him in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting a deadly crash on U.S. 301 involving a Brandon woman and a Dade City man. Sue Cypkin, a 55-year-old Brandon resident, died when she hit John Shelton’s SUV. The 41-year-old driver of the Ford Explorer was taken to a Zephyrhills Hospital with minor injuries according to an article on TampaBay.com.

Police are not sure if alcohol was involved in the accident but Cypkin was said to be driving north in the southbound lane when two cars swerved to avoid a collision with her. She apparently jerked her car sideways in front of Shelton’s SUV, which crashed in the right side of her car. Cypkin was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Traffic Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact David via email.

Florida is a destination state for tourists and those who like to live in a sunny climate that has no state income tax. But the state may not be that attractive for cost conscious visitors or residents if a new law that taxes the amount you drive were to pass. There is an article on Tampa’s 10Connects.com today that talks about the possibility of the state charging motorists a tax based on the amount of miles they drive.

The reasons to raise more revenue for the state are numerous but the article states this new tax may be a way to make up for the amount of gas tax money Florida is losing based on drivers being more thrifty at the pump these days with the cost of fuel rising. Seems like it may be a better plan to just reduce fuel costs, which is something nobody seems to do although it gets talked about enough.

The tax would be determined by a GPS-type system being placed in all vehicles. Every time you go to the gas station the device would report the amount of miles you drove between fill-ups. Seems like a plan to not only raise revenues but also increase the number of thefts of gasoline, which is already happening in Tampa Bay. The VMT, vehicle miles travel tax, was a topic that the Department of Transportation did not want to comment on when contacted by the reporter.

If you have a traffic ticket or fine anywhere in the state of Florida and need qualified legal representation please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

There is not a lot of disagreement between police and citizens in Polk County about U.S. 27. They both agree it is deadly. That fact was clearly punctuated earlier this week when a traffic accident on the road called “bloody 27” by residents left three people and an unborn baby dead. A 23-year old, a pregnant 17-year-old and an 11-month-old baby were killed at the intersection approaching I-4. Now according to a story on the ABC Action News website, residents want the county to do more to make the intersection safer.

Residents are calling for lower speed limits for drivers trying to get on Interstate 4 and also a traffic light to better control driving patterns. At the least, they would like some signs alerting drivers to an upcoming intersection. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd may not disagree it is a dangerous stretch of road but he made the point that the latest deaths could have been prevented by seat belts and a proper restraint for the baby. Polk County residents countered that assertion by saying that wouldn’t have done anything to prevent the accident.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Hillsborough County and need qualified legal representation please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A St. Petersburg couple was home Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m. when they got an unexpected truck in their living room! William and Shirley Marshall were in their St. Pete house when police say 49-year old Henderson Jones slammed his pick-up truck through their living room wall. According to police reports and an article on www.tampabay.com Henderson exited through the passenger door of the truck following the accident and took off.

Police found the driver later at a local convenience store where they say he admitted to driving the truck. He was arrested on charges of careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The Marshall’s were in another part of the home at the time of the accident and luckily were uninjured by the truck.

If you have been charged due to a traffic-related crime in St. Pete, please call Pinellas Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. You can also visit our website at www.fightyourpinellasarrest.com or contact David via email. Feel free to stop in our Pinellas law office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

A West Palm Beach attorney has taken up the fight against Red Light Cameras in the State of Florida. He has began an assault in Orlando and laid the groundwork for Manatee County as well. He now tells the Bradenton Herald he has his eye on Sarasota as well. The lawyer has filed 13 class-action lawsuits so far and more are on the way.

Sarasota County is expected to install 10 red light cameras by year’s end and the threat of a lawsuit won’t stop the plan according to Sarasota County commissioner Jon Thaxton. Red light cameras are already up and running in Bradenton and the city has confirmed that a public records request concerning the red light camera ordinance has been filed.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Orlando or anywhere in Florida, we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact David via email.

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who was driving a construction vehicle the wrong way with his lights off on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County caused a fatal accident and has now been sentenced to six-years in prison. Agustin Trejo was driving a track hoe excavator on the wrong side of the road when he swerved to avoid an oncoming pick-up truck. While avoiding the head-on collision, the bucket portion of the truck struck Donald Cochran’s truck causing him to crash. He was dead when police arrived on the scene.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Trejo has been sentenced to six-years in jail following a manslaughter plea in the accident that was caused by his reckless driving. After serving his time, Trejo is expected to be deported to Mexico. Just 18 at the time and working for a company contracted by Verizon, Trejo apologized for the accident and fully cooperated with police following the crash.

If you have been charged with a crime in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. N #203.

The Florida Highway Patrol participated in two major operations that both ended following Labor Day. The FHP participated in the national ‘Over The Limit. Under Arrest.’ campaign and their own ‘Be Smart, Drive Safe Florida’ campaign. With both programs now complete the FHP released figures for citations issued and arrests made. Those stats were reported in the Fort Meyers News Press.

According to the FHP in 18 days more than 57,000 traffic tickets were written and 540 DUI arrests were made. The agency said 20,000 drivers were cited for speeding and more than 2,200 were ticketed under Florida’s Move Over Law. That doesn’t include the more than 20,000 warnings that were issued. Although official numbers have not been released yet, it seems fatalities on Labor Day weekend dropped from 36 in 2008 to less than 10 in 2009.

If you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida or been charged with a DUI, please do not hesitate to contact Florida Defense 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 visiting our website at fightyourticket.com.

A man in Phoenix, Arizona has received 37 speeding tickets issued in photo radar zones that total $6,700. The problem, the guy in all 37 photos is wearing a monkey mask or a gazelle or even a giraffe. David VonTesmar has been accused of being the speedy driver but he issued a Facebook rebuttal to the accusations saying he has seen no proof that the driver of the car is actually him even though he admitted to owning the monkey mask according to a report by ABC News 15.

VonTesmar said the masks are in his car but family, friends and co-workers have access to the car as well and he will never admit to being the monkey-masked driver seen on video speeding through traps. The Arizona Department of Public Safety has said the masked driver is a danger to other drivers but VonTesmar, who admitted he believes in peaceful, civil disobedience, would never endanger the lives of others or himself, whom he admits to being very fond of.

If you have received a speeding ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by visiting our website at fightyourticket.com.

A Pinellas County man, with a criminal record that includes possessing, selling and trafficking cocaine and battery on a law enforcement officer is in hot water again following his latest arrest. According to a story in the St. Petersburg Times Roy James, Jr. was arrested on charges of fleeing and eluding, reckless driving and habitual driving while his license is suspended or revoked.

James was arrested Wednesday after speeding and eluding the police with a two-year old in the car. Police reports indicate officers tried to stop James for driving in a reckless manner but the Clearwater man took off driving 80 M.P.H. in a 40 zone while weaving in and out of traffic. The officer reported he had no idea there was an unrestrained two-year-old child in the front seat of the car during the chase.

If you have been charged due to a traffic-related crime in St. Pete, please call Pinellas Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. You can also visit our website at fightyourpinellasarrest.com or contact David via email. Feel free to stop in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

Earl Johnson is the principal at Turie T. Small Elementary School but you have to wonder how much longer he will hold that distinction. The 45-year-old was involved in an accident and then accused of Driving Under The Influence and resisting arrest without violence by the Daytona Beach Police. The Ormond Beach man is currently still the acting principal at the school according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Police reports say Johnson smelled strongly of alcohol and he had to hold on to vehicles to keep himself upright. They all say that the man kept telling police he was a principal and at one point he dropped to his knees to bow and worship the officers. Johnson refused to take field sobriety tests.

If you have been cited for a DUI in Orlando, Seminole or Orange County please do not hesitate to contact Orlando Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter. Also feel free to stop by our Orlando office located at 189 S. Orange Avenue.

Detectives and the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office are in discussions on how to move forward in the possible case against a Carrollwood mother who critically injured her 7-year-old daughter in a car accident. Amanda Nelson had 11 children in her van headed to Little League and none were wearing a seat belt according to an article in today’s St. Petersburg Times. Nelson struck a retaining wall Monday and her daughter was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital following incapacitating injuries.

Records show Nelson has had her license suspended six times following failures to show up in court for citations and drivng after her insurance lapsed. In 2006 she paid a fine for not having a car seat for a child. In 2007 she was cited for driving on a suspended license and she was cited for the same violation in February by Tampa Police following which she was booked into Orient Road Jail in Tampa.

If you have received a traffic ticket in Hillsborough County please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourtickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, a 21-year old St. Petersburg man has been charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving with property damage or injury and leaving the scene of a crash involving injury. Kevin Chaney is accused of running into a Pinellas Park Police cruiser parked on the side of the road and causing injuries to the officer and two paramedics who were attending to occupants from an earlier crash on U.S. 19.

Chaney was arrested at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. According to police reports he was unable to perform field sobriety tests, had watery eyes and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.219 and 0.217, nearly three times the legal limit in the State of Florida. Witnesses say Chaney was speeding on U.S. 19 when he tried to pass a car and was swerving before running into the police car.

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 Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

Those of us who live in Florida are aware of all the new laws and regulations that are being instituted to crack down on aggressive drivers but apparently the whole country knows about it now thanks to a recent article in USA Today. The article talks about the new Florida law that will go into effect on January 1 that sends a driver found to be at fault in three traffic accidents in a three year period back to school for a strict driver education test that also requires a road test.

That law is joined on the books by another that will go into effect in less than a month. That law makes traffic school mandatory for first-time offenders of certain moving violations. That used to be an option for drivers but not a requirement. The new laws are said to be aimed at people who are aggressive drivers, which in the state’s eyes are those who speed, tailgate, change lanes without indicating, weave in and out of traffic and ignore traffic signals. According to reports, this type of behavior on the road causes more fatalities than drunk driving.

If you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

The Clerks of Court all around the state of Florida are scrambling to try and find ways to make up for $90 million in budget cuts. So far the Florida’s 67 county clerks have cut jobs, closed offices, furloughed employees and cut down on services according to the Bradenton Herald story. So far 1300 jobs have been eliminated

The loss in revenue has led some to believe that there are more tickets being issued on Florida’s roads and that is the reason behind the recent raises in fees for everything from license renewals to renewing tags. There has already been increases in fees for all sorts of citations in counties across the state.

If you have received a traffic ticket anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email.

With revenues falling for counties and cities all over the state of Florida, we have blogged a lot recently about red light cameras popping up all over the state and how they are a cash cow for local governments. Apparently there was someone out there who felt he could use the red light cameras to line his pockets as well.

As reported by Jennifer Leigh of News Channel 8, a scam artist is trying to take advantage of the new cameras in Lakeland for his own gain. The scammer is posing as Chris Johnson from the Lakeland Police Department. He was calling residents to “inform them” they had been caught running a red light and he needed their address so he could come to their house and photograph their car. While the real police think this was about money, they do worry the man may have had a more dangerous agenda than just scamming residents.

If you have received a traffic ticket 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.

Since the calendar flipped to 2009 eight months ago, the number of tickets that have been written by Tampa Police for “ear shattering car stereo volume levels” was nearing 1,400. The tickets are issued to driver’s whose music can be heard from 25 feet away and comes with a $101 fine. That number is up from the 836 citations issued all of last year.

According to the St. Pete Times website, the increased enforcement of the law came after complaints from East Tampa residents. Residents presented a petition signed by 400 people asking the police to allow them to give the license plate number of cars that they felt violated the law. The city declined that offer since officers need to witness the offense to write the citation.

If you have received a traffic ticket for a moving or non-moving violation in Hillsborough County please do not hesitate to contact Tampa 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 in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Hernando County man thought he was being responsible when he got on a bike instead of in a car after drinking too much. Robert Steudl left the Pickled Parrot bar and was pulled over close to 3:00 a.m. with a blood alcohol level reportedly three times the legal limit. His DUI arrest came just three hours after Oswaldo Davila was arrested for riding his bike while under the influence as well. That makes two DUI arrests for guys riding their bicycles while drunk in one evening!

The law does state that riding a bicycle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 is illegal in Florida but the St. Petersburg Times who reported the story could not find a single arrest of this variety dating back to 1999. Steudl was arrested for DUI and held at Hernando County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. Davila faces DUI charges as well as refusal to sign a citation and refusal to submit to a breath test.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Pinellas, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 1400 140th Ave. North #203.

Pinellas County resident Sahron Howell has been cited with careless driving after she hit a 14-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle near Northeast High in St. Petersburg. The 42-year-old mother was leaving the parking lot of the school after dropping off a student when she struck the young girl’s bike according to TampaBay.com.

The girl was taken to All Children’s Hospital with abrasions to her knee, hip and elbow. She is expected to be released this morning. The girl was pedaling her bicycle south on the sidewalk when Howell pulled her 1997 Toyota Corolla out of the lot and struck the bicycle knocking the girl to the ground.

If you have been charged due to a traffic-related incident, please call Pinellas Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. You can allso visit our website at www.fightyourpinellasarrest.com or contact David via email. Feel free to stop in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

A former high school football coach in Tampa was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence in Tallahassee. Yusuf Shakir was booked for DUI by the Florida Highway Patrol at 6:00 a.m. and was released nearly three hours later after an FHP officer saw him speeding as he was driving 87 MPH in a 55 zone. (read more)

Shakir spent two season at Gibbs High School in Tampa leading the squad to an 11-9 record and a 2007 playoff appearance. He left to take over at Lincoln High in Tallahassee, which is his alma mater. The 31-year old has been suspended indefinitely from his coaching position.

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