DUI & Criminal Division

RECENT COURT VICTORIES

To protect our clients privacy, incomplete case numbers are provided.

Case Summary

Date: 10/04/2021
Case #: 20ctxxxxx – DUI Charge Dropped
Charge: DUI
DUI
On October 19, 2020, the Defendant was found sleeping in his car parked at a weigh station off I4. Deputies arrived on scene and awoke the Defendant. Florida Highway Patrol was investigating a single vehicle crash when the Trooper was advised the vehicle had entered the weigh station prior to being located by the Sheriff Deputies. The Trooper took over the investigation and took the Defendant into custody for a DUI investigation. The Defendant advised that he believed he had stopped at a rest area and was trying to return to his home in Davenport. The Defendant performed field sobriety exercises which showed indications of impairment. The Defendant was arrested for DUI. While searching the car post arrest, an open package of edible THC gummies was located. The Defendant advised he had purchased the gummies from an anonymous source and did not have a medical marijuana card. The Defendant was charged with felony possession of controlled substance and DUI. The Defendant provided a breath sample of .113 and .112. Results: The felony charge was dismissed by the State, and the DUI charge was dropped prior to a motion to suppress hearing.

Case Summary

Date: 09/21/2021
Case #: TC05-5438XX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was originally stopped for speeding. The Deputy stated he immediately smelled the odor of alcoholic beverages on the Defendant’s breath. The Defendant admitted to having 2 Vodka drinks while at a nightclub. The Defendant performed all field sobriety exercises and refused to submit to a breath test. A jury found the Defendant not guilty after deliberating for 10 minutes.

Case Summary

Date: 09/20/2021
Case #: 2021CTXXXX | DUI Charge Reduced
Charge: DUI
DUI
Without counsel, our client entered a plea to driving under the influence while incarcerated at the Duval County Jail.  English is not his first language and he was still under the affects of his night of drinking.  However, the Judge accepted his plea.  He then hired the Ticket Clinic to withdraw his previously entered plea.  The plea was withdrawn by the Judge.  The TTC Attorney argued the weaknesses of the case to the prosecutor.  The State agreed to reduce the charge to Reckless driving, no conviction, terminate probation after a month, since all conditions were completed prior to entering the plea.

Case Summary

Date: 09/20/2021
Case #: 2021CTXXXX21 | Racing Charge Dismissed
Charge: Racing
Traffic
Friday night, around midnight, two juveniles, in adjacent lanes, one driving a Black Mustang, another driving a 2020 Chevy Pickup truck, rapidly accelerated from a traffic signal.  The vehicles reached speeds approaching 75mph.  Police conducted a traffic stop.  The juvenile hired the Ticket Clinic to defend his case.  After several negotiations, the prosecutor agreed to drop the case if the juvenile completed a traffic school.  The school was completed and the case was dismissed.

Case Summary

Date: 09/15/2021
Case #: 2000XXXXXXA – DUI & Reckless Driving
Charge: DUI
DUI
Our client was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which his car allegedly collided with that of an off duty Sheriff's Office 911 dispatcher. During the aftermath of the accident, our client allegedly got into a verbal altercation with witnesses and fled the scene. Officers alleged that when our client returned to the scene, he struck the vehicle of a Police Department service aide, who was on the scene completing the initial crash investigation. Witnesses on the scene alleged that our client appeared to be impaired by an unknown substance and that he was unsteady on his feet and slurred his speech. Officers arrested our client for Driving Under the Influence and transported him to the Breath Alcohol Testing center, where he performed field sobriety exercises on video for courtroom presentation. Despite the fact that our client informed officers that he was permanently disabled, officers did not permit our client to use his cane while performing the exercises and failed to offer him alternative exercises appropriate for someone with a permanent disability. Our client provided a breath sample that showed he had no alcohol in his system. Determined to pin this case on our client, officers ordered him to provide a urine sample, which tested positive for his prescription medication for arthritis and a seizure disorder as well as Benadryl. The Ticket Clinic's attorney was able to convince the prosecutors that because Benadryl is not a controlled substance and the controlled substances that were in his system would stay in his system for 2-3 days after consumption, they would be unable to eliminate Benadryl as the sole cause of impairment to show that our client was impaired by a controlled substance at the time of the crash. Our attorney set the case for trial and dared the State to prove its allegations. The State Attorney's office was forced to drop the three separate DUI charges and our client received a withhold of adjudication on the reduced charge of Reckless Driving, which will allow him to apply to FDLE to have this case sealed and expunged from his record.

Case Summary

Date: 09/14/2021
Case #: 2020ct####### – DUI Charge Dropped
Charge: DUI
DUI
The defendant was charged with DUI after he was stopped at an intersection for getting outside of his vehicle and stumbling around in the officer’s presence.  Law enforcement made contact with the defendant and asked him to perform sobriety exercises, to which the defendant, after an argument, refused to agree to participate in.  Once arrested, he was taken to the breath alcohol testing facility. There he tried to perform a breath sample, but was unable to comply with the officers instructions and was deemed as refusing to provide a breath sample.  The Firm began investigating the case, and argued to the State that there was simply not enough evidence to prove the charge of DUI.  After over a year of negotiating, partly because of the pandemic, the State agreed to dismiss the DUI charge on the morning of trial.

Case Summary

Date: 09/13/2021
Case #: XXXXXXMU10A – DUI Charge Dropped
Charge: DUI
DUI
Our client was found unconscious in a ditch on the side of US 27 in Weston facing southbound near the northbound lanes of travel. Officers testified that it appeared that he had fallen asleep while driving and veered off of the road into the grassy swale between lanes of travel. Officers were eventually able to wake our client up, at which point he appeared disoriented and attempted to leave the scene in his vehicle before officers smashed his driver's side window and physically stopped his vehicle from moving forward. Once removed from the vehicle, officers alleged that our client became combative and argumentative, refusing to cooperate with their investigation. During the incident, officers observed an open bottle of Heineken in the center cup holder and smelled an odor of alcohol on our client's breath. Officers alleged that this disruptive behavior continued at the hospital, where our client allegedly attempted to fight deputies and hospital staff while they attempted to treat him. The attorney for the Ticket Clinic was able to convince prosecutors that various underlying medical conditions caused or contributed to his behavior and that the officers actions in breaking the window to effectuate a second traffic stop violated the 4th amendment protections against unlawful search and seizure. As a result of our attorney's efforts, the State Attorney's Office dropped all DUI charges against our client and he was able to plea to the reduced charge of reckless driving and received a withhold of adjudication, allowing him to potentially seal and expunge this case from his record.

Case Summary

Date: 08/24/2021
Case #: 21-XXXXXX10A: Carrying a concealed firearm w/multiple drug felonies
Charge: Felony Posession of a Concealed Firearm
DUI
Our client was pulled over after Sheriff Deputies identified her vehicle as one reported to have been involved in a shootout on I-95 and for having a fraudulently attached license plate registered to a vehicle of a different make and model. After being stopped by law enforcement, our client spontaneously exited her vehicle, which was riddled with bullet holes, inadvertently allowing deputies to observe a loaded .380 Smith & Wesson revolver partially concealed under the driver's seat. The deputies on scene discovered that she had out of county warrants, detained her, and searched the vehicle for other contraband. During this search, deputies discovered Xanax, Amphetamine, and almost a pound of marijuana. Our client was arrested for 4 separate felony charges: Carrying a Concealed Firearm, Possession of Amphetamine, Possession of Alprazolam (Xanax), and Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams. Each of these counts carried a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, for a grand total of 20 years. The Ticket Clinic attorney immediately began to attack these charges, arguing that the State was unable to adequately connect her to the gun or the marijuana and that they could not prove that the Xanax or Amphetamine were obtained without a valid prescription. As a result of our efforts, within two months of her arraignment, the State was forced to drop all charges against our client.

Case Summary

Date: 08/16/2021
Case #: 2020-CT-**** – Racing on the Highway
Charge: Racing
Traffic
Our client was charged with Racing on the Highway, a crime that carries a penalty of a mandatory $500 fine and 1 year Driver's License Suspension. Based upon the evidence received, our attorney sought to depose the officer who witnessed the alleged crime. The officer's testimony at the deposition offered nothing into the case other than conclusions and guesses, so our attorney filed a Motion to limit the Officer's testimony to what would be legally permissible in court, so as not to taint the jury with inadmissible evidence to consider. Prior to hearing the Motion, the State offered to reduce the charge to a civil citation with no points added to our client's DL.

Case Summary

Date: 08/16/2021
Case #: 2021CFXXXXX4 = Battery & Possession of Cocaine Case Dropped
Charge: Battery
Felony/Other
Our client was arrested for battery and possession of cocaine. Officers were called to bar where a complaint was made against our client. It was also alleged the officer's found cocaine during their investigation and charged our client with possession of the controlled substance. We were hired at the onset of the arrest which allowed us to vigorously defend the case. After investigating, reviewing the legal documents, and some legal positioning, we were able to get the entire case dropped on behalf of our client in less than 4 weeks from the date of the arrest.

Case Summary

Date: 08/03/2021
Case #: 432021CT-****49 – DUI Charge Dropped
Charge: DUI
DUI
Our client was pulled over after multiple calls regarding a reckless driver. After being stopped, the driver admitted to drinking and field sobriety exercises were performed. The Trooper was quick to judgment and seemed to disregard the obvious language barrier. Ticket Clinic lawyers took on the case and discovered that the roadside exercises were not explained to standard and unwarranted exercises were requested. Based upon the unusual DUI investigation and the errors by law enforcement, we were able to get the State to drop the DUI charge.

Case Summary

Date: 08/02/2021
Case #: 16-2021-CT-000XXX – DUI Charge Dropped
Charge: DUI
DUI
Our client was transported to the hospital by his wife to be treated for extreme alcohol consumption and PTSD. Our client refused treatment and attempted to leave by sitting in the drivers seat of the car. He argued with his wife saying he wanted to drive home. While his wife had the key fob to her registered vehicle, he was able to start the car due to her close proximity. Our attorney filed a motion to suppress evidence based upon inoperability of the vehicle since the key fob was not in his possession. He argued in that motion that our client, although behind the wheel of the car, the state could not prove actual physical control. Prior to the start of the hearing, the Judge mentioned that if that key fob was not possessed by the defendant, then there was no actual physical control. The state dropped the dui charge.
1 18 19 20 21 22 171

Rolando A. Sanchez, Esq.

Originally from Miami , grew up in Central Florida.  After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force where he worked on F-15E fighter jets as an Avionics Technician.  He was Honorably Discharged. Afterwards, he attended University of Central Florida and received a BSBA Finance Degree, cum laude.  Next, he attended Barry University for law school and among other things, served as V.P. of the Veterans Legal Society.  Since graduating in 2016, Mr. Sanchez has dedicated his career to helping those charged with criminal matters.  These cases include traffic, misdemeanors and felonies, including trials and post-conviction relief. Mr. Sanchez is the lead attorney in Ticket Clinic’s Kissimmee office, handling cases in Osceola, Polk, Hardee and Desoto Counties.