Firm Overview

It can be terrifying to be investigated and charged with a crime. You may be concerned that your life as you know it is over. However, a criminal conviction is not assured, especially if you have a skillful, aggressive Sarasota criminal lawyer on your side. Hanlon Law provides vigorous representation to people accused of crimes in Sarasota. We handle the defense of cases involving drug crimes, sex crimes, theft crimes, violent crimes, white collar crimes, and DUI, among other crimes.

All crimes, whether they are pursued as felonies or misdemeanors, must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. You should be aware that prosecutors do not owe you a duty to provide a plea deal. It is crucial to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney who can evaluate the case and pursue a strong defense. This defense may be procedural, which may mean that it involves challenging the way that evidence was obtained and bringing a motion to suppress this evidence. Or it may involve a substantive defense that attacks the prosecution’s ability to prove certain elements of the crime.

Numerous controlled substances are prohibited in Florida. These include marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, Fentanyl, and GHB. Criminal activities involving these controlled substances include possession, selling, and manufacturing. If you are caught with a threshold amount of a drug, you can be charged with drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is a very serious charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

Sex crimes include sexual battery, lewd and lascivious crimes, sexual misconduct, child pornography, traveling to meet a minor, and prostitution. A conviction can result in a requirement that you register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. The specific sex crime with which you are charged will establish the elements that a prosecutor must prove and what an appropriate defense might be. Since the stakes are so high, you should promptly contact a criminal attorney in the Sarasota area if you are facing a sex charge.

Violent crimes include rape, murder, robbery, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault. These are crimes that prosecutors take very seriously. Defendants may face decades in prison or life imprisonment if they are convicted. Probably the most serious violent crime is murder. A prosecutor trying to obtain a conviction for murder must show that the defendant killed someone else with a premeditated design or while they were perpetrating another felony.

When a perpetrator and a victim have a household or family relationship, domestic violence can be charged in some situations. A family or household relationship exists when the victim and the perpetrator are spouses, exes, blood or marriage relatives, people who live together like family or who previously lived like that together, and people who co-parent a child. For example, if a spouse assaults, batters, sexually assaults, kidnaps, stalks, or falsely imprisons the other spouse, domestic violence would likely be charged.

Under Florida Statute section 812.014, theft can be charged in two forms: petit theft or grand theft. The prosecutor will need to prove that you knowingly tried to take, used, or took someone else's property, and you were intending to permanently or temporarily prevent the victim from using or benefiting from the property, or intending to use it for your own ends. Since a prosecutor must establish the value of the property beyond a reasonable doubt, your Sarasota criminal attorney may be able to challenge the claimed value of the stolen property as a defense when grand theft is charged.

White collar crimes are often financial crimes involving deceit. They usually do not involve violence and can include bribery, counterfeiting, pyramid schemes, or embezzling. Enhanced penalties can be attached to certain white collar crimes under the White Collar Crime Victim Protection Act, set forth as Florida Statute section 775.0844.

A DUI charge may be based on the defendant's blood alcohol level being .08% or more. It can also be based on impairment due to drinking alcohol or doing drugs. Penalties for subsequent offenses are harsher than they are for first offenses. They may feature a combination of incarceration, fines, a license suspension, and a requirement that you install an ignition interlock device at your own expense.

Most people find it frightening to be charged with a crime, whether it is a sex crime, a drug crime, or a violent crime. You should not assume that you will be convicted of the crime with which you are charged. However, it is crucial to retain a skillful criminal defense attorney. If you are charged with a crime in Sarasota, you should talk to Will Hanlon at Hanlon Law. Contact us at 941.462.1789 or via our online form.