Visiting the Pinellas County Jail on 49th street is not like on TV. There is no face to face time.

To visit an inmate, you have to go on the County’s website and make an appointment. You can’t just go whenever you want. You have to pick a designated time from the slots available. Your inmate may not be available at the time you pick if they have been given a job, and if they are scheduled to work that the time of your preferred appointment.

You should arrive prior to the designated appointment time and check in with the guard in charge. They require that you present a valid ID like a drivers license. There will be a number of other people scheduled at the same time that you are scheduled.

When your time arrives, you are given a “station number”. When you arrive at your station, you will find a chair and a computer terminal. Your inmate is in the same area, but in a holding area. When the visit starts you will be able to see your inmate on the terminal screen and you can pick up the telephone receiver to talk the inmate. You are usually allowed to visit for up to an hour. Your inmate will be dressed in jailhouse orange, and may not look their best.

To make sure that you don’t have to be visited in the Pinellas County Jail, make sure that you retain Alex Truluck. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Pursuant to the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, the police can take your car if they can prove that you or someone else used your vehicle in the commission of a crime. If the police took your car, you have the right to a hearing to state your case and ask for your car back.

Can They Keep Your Car?

The police may seize certain property because the police believe the property was used or obtained during the commission of a crime. If true, the police may be able to permanently keep, or even sell, your property if they can make a sufficient showing in court.

Can the police take your car if its parked?

Illegally or dangerously parked vehicle

The police have been granted power to seize cars that are parked illegally or dangerously or those that have been abandoned. If you leave your car in a place where it will cause obstruction, the police will remove it and take it to their compound.

If your car has been seized, call our office to discuss the process for attempting to get your car back. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Experts generally agree that the first time DUI offender is not usually a threat to society. They generally agree that second time offenders more likely are a threat to society and are likely to repeat.

Jurisdictions throughout Florida are enacting programs intended to discourage repeat offenders. The benefit to the offender are huge. In some cases the offense can be reduced to reckless driving. In some cases the offense can be sealed. If you have been arrested for a DUI, it is in your best interest to discuss your situation with a criminal defense attorney to determine if you might be eligible for one of these programs.

Generally you are not eligible for these programs if you:

Provided a breath test above a .20 blood alcohol content;
Caused an injury or property damage in connection with your DUI;
Have a prior conviction for reckless driving, DUI, or vehicular homicide;
Were found guilty of a driving while license suspended/cancelled prior;
Have been convicted of a felony from within the past five years; and/or
Other disqualifying circumstances depending on a variety of factors.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Smaller crimes are called “misdemeanors”. These are the less serious crimes. However, all crimes have consequences. Our job as a criminal defense attorney is to reduce or minimize those consequences. Of course, we will always try for a dismissal of the charges. If this is not possible, we will try to get the fines and possible jail terms reduced.

One example of a misdemeanor is a DUI. Have you ever taken a serious look at the consequences of a DUI. They are anything but minor. If you aren’t aware of those consequences, take a look at our previous blogs on that subject. A DUI conviction can be a life altering event from which it may be a long time until you recover.

Examples of misdemeanor crimes are:

Shoplifting.
Trespassing.
DUI.
Solicitation for prostitution.
Disorderly conduct.
Reckless driving.
Criminal mischief.
Simple battery.
Underage possession of alcohol.

Some consequences of Florida misdemeanors include:

A misdemeanor goes on your permanent criminal record. That can impact future opportunities in employment, housing, education and even relationships. Unless it is sealed or expunged (which can only be done under a slim set of circumstances), it will be forever visible for anyone to look up.

Jail time for a misdemeanor is a possibility. You could spend months in county jail for seemingly minor offenses. For example, trespassing when there is someone else present in the car or building is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail. Are you likely to serve that much time? It depends on numerous factors, such as your prior criminal record and the circumstances of the event, but when you’re facing the possibility of up to 12 months in jail, it’s best not to leave that to chance if you can help it.

Fines can be significant. Why would you want to face those huge fines if there is a way to get them reduced. By all means, you should have a consultation to find our what your choices are.

If you have been arrested for a misdemeanor, we can help. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

It is obviously less risky these days to do a little credit card fraud or identity theft than to go out and rob a gas station. White-collar crime is now synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals. These crimes are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and are not dependent on the application or threat of physical force or violence. The motivation behind these crimes is financial—to obtain or avoid losing money, property, or services or to secure a personal or business advantage.

These are not victimless crimes. A single scam can destroy a company, devastate families by wiping out their life savings, or cost investors billions of dollars (or even all three). Today’s fraud schemes are more sophisticated than ever, and the FBI is dedicated to using its skills to track down the culprits and stop scams before they start.

The FBI’s white-collar crime work integrates the analysis of intelligence with its investigations of criminal activities such as public corruption, money laundering, corporate fraud, securities and commodities fraud, mortgage fraud, financial institution fraud, bank fraud and embezzlement, fraud against the government, election law violations, mass marketing fraud, and health care fraud. The FBI generally focuses on complex investigations—often with a nexus to organized crime activities—that are international, national, or regional in scope and where the FBI can bring to bear unique expertise or capabilities that increase the likelihood of successful investigations.

Major areas of white collar crime are mortgage fraud, health care fraud, identity theft, intellectual property theft, election crimes, insider trading and money laundering.

If you have been accused of a white collar crime or any other type of crime, call Alex Truluck. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

As of Sunday morning, 37 people had died in Portland homicides this year, a more-than-sevenfold increase compared with the first five months of last year, and a stark contrast to Seattle, a larger city, where 11 homicides had been recorded as of late May. So far this year, the victims have disproportionately been people of color.

In Portland, shootings that wound people also have soared.

By the end of April, 89 people had been injured by gun violence, which is nearly triple the number for the first four months of last year and nearly quadruple that of the same period in 2019.

Violent crimes, even before the unit was defunded, were on a long-term rise. Assault of all types climbed from less than 7,600 in 2016 to 9,102 in 2019, according to Portland Bureau Statistics.

Wow, that’s pretty scary.

If you live here in Tampa Bay, not Portland, and if you have been charged with a crime, you should consult with Alex Truluck. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Obviously it is a whole new world out there for police officers.

The city of St. Petersburg has announced that for calls involving suspected mental illness, a social worker will be dispatched along with police officers. In some cases, the social worker may be dispatched by themselves. I can see some good in this concept. particularly in situations where police have been repeatedly called to the same residence for what is clearly a mental health issue. Perhaps the social worker will be better equipped to get the proper help for that person.

Whether you think the new culture of police accountability is a good thing or a bad thing, it is here to stay. The goal, of course, is for the police and the public to see each other as neighbors and have the facts well documented in police encounters.

The fact that police officers will have body cameras will change the way evidence is obtained and might, in some cases, make the prosecutors job easier.

The situation where police officers are arrested and prosecuted is not new – it just much more frequent in the new movement in transparency. hopefully this will help the public at large to develop confidence in the police department and being treated fairly.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Getting a DUI conviction can be a devastating thing. The first thing people are concerned about is what are the penalties in Florida.

For 1st offense, BAC above .15, there is a fine of $1518, probation up to 12 months, revoked drivers license 6 months to a year, jail possible, and 6 months ignition interlock.

For second offense, BAC above .15, there is a fine of $2558, up to 12 months probation, revoked drivers license for 5 years, mandatory 10 days in jail, and 2 years of ignition interlock.

We have included a chart with all the different situations below.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

I don’t think I know anybody who hasn’t been affected by credit card fraud. Many people have been affected multiple times. It seems to be extremely wide spread. The credit card companies seem to take it in stride. I kind of wonder how seriously credit card companies pursue the matters.

According to recent data, credit card fraud was the most common kind of identity theft in 2019, and it has more than doubled since 2017. In 2019, data breaches resulted in the exposure of about 165 million personal records. Data from Javelin Strategy and Research states that credit card fraud losses numbered around $16 billion in 2016, with the number of victims topping 15.4 million.

Data breaches can lead to a cascade of problems, including cyber criminals opening fraudulent new credit accounts in your name.

Penalties for Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud can be prosecuted at the state level or the federal level or both. However, there are a few reasons why it’s common for these types of crimes to be prosecuted at the federal level.

First, cyber criminals that use a credit card to make a fraudulent purchase across state lines can be charged in federal court. Also, the federal government typically has a broader reach and more resources compared to the states. Federal cyber crime task forces may be better equipped to track down credit card fraud.

It’s also possible for someone to be charged with an array of crimes arising out of credit card fraud. For example, someone who uses a credit card to assume another person’s identity may be charged with crimes related to the methods they used to obtain the credit card information. This may include certain counterfeit access devices, such as skimmers.

The consequences an individual may face depend on the circumstances of their case, including the amount of money involved, the person’s criminal history, and even the age of the victim.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

If you put up the full amount of the bail with the court, you will get back all or part of that money when the case is over. If you pay a bail agent to post a bond, you will not get that money back.

In Florida, after a person is booked into a jail, there may be a bond set by a judge on the arresting papers (called a capias, or warrant). If so, that person is eligible to be released from jail. If someone is arrested without a bond, he or she will probably have to stay in jail overnight and be taken the next day to a hearing called “first appearance,” where the judge will: (1) release the person on his or her promise to appear at all subsequent court appearances (called signature release, or recognizance release), (2) set a cash or surety bond, or (3) hold a person in jail with no bond, meaning with no opportunity for release.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.