Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Clinical Trials For Medical LSD Are In Progress
If you smoked weed before or during the George W. Bush administration, then you remember a time when certain talkative stoners had a lot to say about the medicinal benefits of weed, and sometimes they could find people who agreed with them. The logic back then, which became a major impetus for the medical… Read More »
The Lack Of Criminal Intent Defense
Long before you were old enough to be tried as an adult in the criminal justice system, an authority figure such as a parent or teacher probably told you that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it. There are no crimes where you can be acquitted simply by proving that… Read More »
Undercover Police Buy Hallucinogens From Uber Driver
Many arrests for felony drug offenses, such as drug trafficking, occur as the result of undercover police operations. Confidential informants or undercover officers buy drugs from defendants on several occasions, usually after communicating with them by text message or secretly recording their phone conversations with the defendants. Once the police have enough evidence to… Read More »
What’s In Store For Florida Cannabis Laws In 2024?
It has been a long time since anyone has gotten arrested in Palm Beach County simply for having a small bag of weed in their pocket, but Florida continues to operate under a set of sometimes ambiguous and sometimes contradictory laws about cannabis. Those laws are always changing, as some legislators want to place… Read More »
Is It A Good Idea To Testify At Your Own Criminal Trial?
Defendants in criminal cases have the right to remain silent. They also have the right to tell their side of the story. Deciding whether to testify at your own criminal trial is a big decision, as big as the decision regarding whether to plead not guilty and go to trial or to plead guilty… Read More »
Eyewitness Testimony Is Overrated
If you have gotten far enough in your criminal case that you have met with a defense attorney, then you probably know that most defendants plead guilty, and only a small percentage of cases go to trial. Some defendants plead guilty because they readily admit fault and believe that, since a guilty plea usually… Read More »
Can Defendants Win Their Case At The Preliminary Hearing?
When you first meet with a criminal defense lawyer after an arrest, you might be hoping that your lawyer will help you by persuading the jury to acquit you at your trial. The chances are that your lawyer will not do this, because trials are only the outcome in a small fraction of criminal… Read More »
What Should You Do If Someone Close To You Gets Charged With A Crime?
A brother and sister from southeastern Florida are currently facing criminal charges for Medicare fraud. Ted Albin of Stuart and Erin Foley of Loxahatchee own a durable medical equipment (DME) company that provides supplies such as wheelchairs and supplemental oxygen equipment. Their company allegedly filed more than $9 million of fraudulent claims to Medicare. … Read More »
When To Speak And When To Stay Silent In Your Criminal Case
Even though you probably already know that you have the right to remain silent while being questioned by police, the officer who arrests you must inform you of this upon your arrest, as part of the Miranda warnings. The police might try to charm you into talking. They might make friendly conversation or start… Read More »
Using An Alibi In Your Criminal Defense Case
The alibi defense, in which you claim that you could not have committed the crime because you were somewhere else when it occurred, is one of the simplest defenses that defendants can use at a criminal trial. You do not have to graduate from law school to understand the concept of alibi. It is… Read More »
