Fort Myers Criminal Defense Law Blog

There are very few among us who can look back on their teens and say they didn't make any poor decisions. As the saying goes, to err is human; it's also part of growing into a more responsible adult. But some mistakes come with a higher price than others, particularly when they involve breaking the law.

A Fort Myers, Florida, native who currently attends college in another state was arrested earlier this month on drug charges. The arrest could tarnish any university student's reputation, but as an All-American wide receiver with a promising future in football, the 18-year-old is dealing with a more public fallout than many other students his age.

Although the investigation of many crimes has gone digital, police still use fairly traditional means of cracking down on drug crimes. They continue to rely on criminal informants, audio recorders and good old-fashioned interviews to catch those suspected of selling or possessing drugs. It may pay to remember this if you're at risk of being arrested and convicted of such a crime.

Recently two men were arrested after an undercover drug sting at a home in Fort Meyers, Florida. Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office sent a criminal informant to the home early last month, equipping him with an audio transmitting device, a hidden camera and $100. He was invited into the home, where the CI was able to buy five pieces of crack cocaine from a man, the Sheriff's Office said. About two weeks later, the same CI went back to the house with the same equipment and $60 in cash. This time he purchased three pieces of crack cocaine from the same man.

If you've ever been pulled over or involved in an accident while driving drunk, you may have vowed never to get behind the wheel after drinking again. It doesn't take a fatal crash to experience this remorse, but when someone loses a life, the pain and regret a driver feels for causing the accident can be overwhelming. It may even affect the defendant's sentence.

The driver in a fatal accident two years ago was sentenced recently for driving drunk and killing a Titusville, Florida, woman. He'll spend one year in jail and 15 more years on probation for his guilty plea to DUI manslaughter. If he violates the terms of that probation, he could spend more time behind bars. But the assistant state attorney prosecuting the case said the sentence was too lenient, and that the sentencing guidelines should have given him more than 10 years in prison.

In a recent post we discussed the growing epidemic of prescription pill addiction. In the Fort Myers, Florida, area, alternatives are being developed, both to help users curb their addiction and avoid the risk of being arrested on drug charges. The results so far have been difficult to measure.

One alternative is treatment-based. Although people addicted to pain pills often undergo lengthy methadone replacement therapy or a long-term stay at a drug treatment center, a Southwest Florida treatment center is offering a new two-month outpatient detox plan that administers the drug Suboxone to ease withdrawal symptoms.