Fort Lauderdale Juvenile Lawyer

Broward County Under A New Juvenile Court System Due To Coronavirus Broward judges who oversee juvenile court cases have discharged justice to their young defendants under exceptional circumstances: No one makes their first appearance before a judge in person anymore. Not adult defendants. Not children. The halls of justice are no longer open to the public. Coronavirus closed them. Loved ones no longer crowd the wooden pews of the courtrooms, offering support to defendants and waiting to hear their friends’ and relatives’ fate. But the justice system has kept on churning. Juvenile justice hearings still happen these days, only via Zoom. Defendants make their case for home detention through muffling, loud cracks and breaks in the conversation. Sometimes public defenders roll their eyes or change their backgrounds. On Friday, after weeks of heated email exchanges between the state Department of Juvenile Justice and the Broward Public Defender’s Office, DJJ administrators acknowledged an employee at the Fort Lauderdale detention center had been carrying the lethal virus. “This is only a trespass case,” Assistant Public Defender Kelsey Moldof said, while lobbying for her client’s release. “Based on the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that the child can’t even be held in the Broward Detention Center as a result of someone testing positive there,” she added, the girl deserved another chance to await her fate in the safety of her parents’ home. Usan arranged for the girl — the Miami Herald is not naming her because she is a minor — to be fitted with a GPS ankle-monitor while awaiting trial or a guilty plea. She had turned herself in on the...

When Does A Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Become A Criminal Act?

A Car Accident Can Become A Criminal Offense In Fort Lauderdale Were You Arrested For A Hit and Run In Fort Lauderdale If you accidentally hit another car  or a pedestrian, you must  stop at the scene of the accident and   follow proper post-accident procedure.  This means you should exchange information with other driver(s) like name, contact information, and insurance information. If you hit  another car  or pedestrian and then leave the scene of the accident you  may face criminal charges. The specific charges  you may  face  will depend on the outcome of the accident. Penalties for a hit and run may include loss of driving privileges, increased insurance premiums, a felony arrest and a prison sentence. DUI / DWI/ DWAI Charges It is illegal for you  to drive while intoxicated or impaired and have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher in Fort Lauderdale and all of Broward County.  If you  cause serious physical harm  or death and are charged with a  DUI, DWI or DWAI, you could be facing a very serious felony charge including:  aggravated vehicular assault, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular manslaughter murder in the second degree. Reckless Driving This is driving in a  manner that may endanger another person. If you have been accused of or believe you will be facing any of these  charges contact our Fort Lauderdale Criminal defense law office...

Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Lawyer

What Can A Fort Lauderdale  Criminal Defense Lawyer  Do For You? An experienced and  competent criminal defense lawyer, like Guy Seligman, can negotiate to avoid charges being filed,  negotiate a plea bargain, prepare your criminal  case for trial, and come up with the best strategy for your defense based on the charges and any prior arrests.  If you’re facing a criminal charge, you must  hire a Fort Lauderdale  criminal defense lawyer  who has experience in the exact charges filed against you or the crime that you are arrested for. This lawyer musrt know  the right defenses, plea bargain deals, and what  a criminal conviction could mean for you. Why Hire a Local  Criminal Defense Lawyer? If you are suspected of a crime or charged with a crime  you require the services of a local criminal defense attorney  who knows the local judges and state attorney.  Different rules and penalty’s exist for different charges.  You need a criminal defense attorney who has defended your particular criminal charge to give you  the best defense. An experienced Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney will know the information the state attorney  will need to prove your guilt. Yiur  defense attorney should also know what information you need to prove your innocence. With over 20 years experience defending people arrested in Broward County, I know   whether there are any legal rules justifying your actions. Call me today. Let’s get started defending your...

Juvenile Sex Offender Criminal Lawyer

Fort Lauderdale  Juvenile  Sex Offender and Sex Offense Lawyer  For Your Child 985.475 Juvenile sexual offenders.— (1) CRITERIA.—A “juvenile sexual offender” means: (a) A juvenile who has been found by the court under s. 985.35 to have committed a violation of chapter 794, chapter 796, chapter 800, s. 827.071, or s. 847.0133; (b) A juvenile found to have committed any felony violation of law or delinquent act involving juvenile sexual abuse. “Juvenile sexual abuse” means any sexual behavior that occurs without consent, without equality, or as a result of coercion. For purposes of this subsection, the following definitions apply: 1. “Coercion” means the exploitation of authority, use of bribes, threats of force, or intimidation to gain cooperation or compliance. 2. “Equality” means two participants operating with the same level of power in a relationship, neither being controlled nor coerced by the other. 3. “Consent” means an agreement including all of the following: a. Understanding what is proposed based on age, maturity, developmental level, functioning, and experience. b. Knowledge of societal standards for what is being proposed. c. Awareness of potential consequences and alternatives. d. Assumption that agreement or disagreement will be accepted equally. e. Voluntary decision. f. Mental competence. Juvenile sexual offender behavior ranges from noncontact sexual behavior such as making obscene phone calls, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and the showing or taking of lewd photographs to varying degrees of direct sexual contact, such as frottage, fondling, digital penetration, rape, fellatio, sodomy, and various other sexually aggressive acts. (2) Following a delinquency adjudicatory hearing under s. 985.35, the court may on its own or upon request by the state or the department and subject to specific appropriation, determine whether a juvenile sexual offender placement is...