Pumphrey Law Blog

March 17, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

Under Florida rules of criminal procedure, a defendant has the right to know of the charges against them with specificity. The document describing the charges generally is referred to as an information or an indictment. An information is a document filed by the State that charges the defendant with a crime and describes the basis for the offense and the …

March 17, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

A downward departure occurs when a judge departs from the lowest permissible prison sentence according to Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code. But how does a defendant dodge a mandatory prison sentence? This blog will explore how the lowest permissible prison sentence is calculated and what circumstances will result in the court straying away from it. Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code Under Section …

March 16, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense, Violent Crimes Social Share

Last May, 27-year-old Corey Pujols was charged with manslaughter. The charge arose after he fatally punched a customer while working as a manager at a Tampa Dunkin’. Pujols initially pled not guilty but agreed to change his plea to guilty of the lesser charge of felony battery under a plea deal that would allow him to avoid jail time. On …

March 12, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

Broward County Man Dies After One Day in Custody Despite Defense Attorney’s Pleas John Longo, a 72-year-old man from Broward County was charged with scamming an 86-year-old boat seller out of a $75,000 boat in the April of 2018. According to the charging document, Longo filed a title transfer with the Coast Guard claiming ownership of the boat before he …

March 12, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

Witnesses are incredibly important in criminal cases. Witness testimony provides essential evidence, expert knowledge on dispositive issues, character assessments, and personal knowledge. There are three types of witnesses that generally are called to testify for the state or the defense. These include lay witnesses, expert witnesses, and character witnesses. Lay Witnesses According to Florida Evidence Code 90.701, if a witness …

March 12, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

The metaverse is a hot topic right now. With tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Satya Nadella referring to it as the future of the internet, many people are clamoring to get in on the action and predict how it will change life as we know it. Now, what exactly IS the “metaverse”? Well, it’s not a specific, easily definable …

March 12, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

In Florida criminal defense proceedings, defendant can generally take their case to trial before either a judge or a jury of their peers. A trial in front of only a judge is referred to as a “bench trial.” Jury trials are definitely more common and encapsulate the image brought to mind when the public at large hears about a trial. …

March 11, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

Gainesville Initiating ‘Fair Chance Hiring’ to Avoid Rejecting Applicants from Jobs Based on Past Arrests A new law is being proposed in Gainesville that deals with the hiring process. It is meant to ensure that individuals who have been arrested in the past are not prevented from getting hired. In the past, people who have criminal records have had a …

March 10, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense Social Share

Should Lower Bail Amounts from COVID be Permanent? Officials Debate Over New Stats Showing Crime Rates Didn’t Rise One of the many results from the COVID-19 pandemic was the push to lower the jail population. In Palm Beach County, one of the ways they tried to accomplish this was to lower the cost of bail for defendants. While there was …