Last Monday's ruling by Palm Beach County Judge Leonard Hanser was a huge victory for Patriots' owner Robert Kraft who was one of dozens of spa patrons allegedly caught on camera receiving illicit massages at the spa in January. He and other defendants pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from the footage and other surveillance methods. The judge ruled that the secretly obtained video violated Kraft's 4th Amendment rights as well as Florida law. n his order, Palm Beach County … [Read more...]
Florida Legislature Approves Stricter Texting While Driving Bill
After years of wrangling, the Florida Legislature sent a stricter bill to Gov. DeSantis for signature. If Governor DeSantis signs the bill, it will take effect on July 1, 2019. The bill affects Florida drivers in two significant ways: 1)texting while driving becomes a primary offense which means a police officer can stop a vehicle once the officer spots a driver using a mobile device to text, email or chat. Hands free use of a cell phone remains legal. 2)It more broadly bans any use of a … [Read more...]
Pasco Woman Arrested and Charged in Sextortion Case
A 24-year-old Port Richey woman was booked into the Pasco County Jail after posting graphic pictures of a man's genitals on various social media platforms. Breyanna Helen Dean, 24, of Port Richey, was detained by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office on April 27 after allegedly circulating the illicit pictures via direct messages to an unknown number of recipients. One page of the arrest report was published yesterday by The Smoking Gun. According to the arrest report, Dean had used an old … [Read more...]
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
While the justice system is not perfect in this country, it is one of the most fair systems in the world. It affords the accused every opportunity to maintain their innocence. Besides "innocent until proven guilty", the law recognizes the doctrine of "fruit of the poisonous tree", a doctrine that extends the exclusionary rule to make evidence inadmissible in court if it was derived from evidence that was illegally obtained. As the metaphor suggests, if the evidential "tree" is tainted, so is … [Read more...]
Sneek and Peak Surveillance Has Been Used Before in Florida Massage Parlors
The law clearly states that so-called "sneek and peak" warrants are not to be used for prostitution investigations solely. Yet, South Florida law enforcement has been doing just that for years, according to the Sun Sentinel. New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft was caught on one of these stings and is now facing misdemeanor charges. Perhaps more importantly to him, the video footage may be allowed to go public. His lawyers argue that the sting violated his 4th Amendment rights against … [Read more...]
