A criminal conviction for child abuse can mean possible fines and prison time. Orlando defendants slapped with unfair charges feel as if penalties start the moment an accusation is made.
Orlando metro math teach accused, arrested twice on sex charges
An algebra teacher at an Orlando metropolitan high school was arrested twice after two teens accused him of sex crimes. The sexual assault and battery charges followed complaints at Lyman High School in Longwood.
Florida theft suspects fit "felony lane gang" pattern
South Florida has gained a poor reputation for being the home of “felony lane gangs,” a term coined to describe rings of thieves who travel sizeable distances to commit crimes. “Felony lane” refers to a practice some people employ to avoid detection. They use the outside drive-thru lanes at banks to distance themselves from tellers and camera surveillance while cashing stolen checks.
4 Florida suspects among dozens hauled in for sports gambling
States investigate and prosecute gambling offenses more often than the federal government does. That's because each state decides a level of gambling comfort and regulates it, from a low tolerance policy to full-blown acceptability.
Orlando youth coach faces sex crime allegations from seven players
Accusations by one boy recently set off a chain reaction of sex-related charges against an Orlando sports coach. The targeted 54-year-old man coached basketball and football teams over three decades. The volunteer lent his skills to the city for at least eight years.
Boys' after-school fight leads to Orlando parent's arrest
Incidents of child-on-child violence are not new in Florida. The intensity of fights among children can escalate from verbal assaults to physical contact and the use of weapons. Minors can be charged with a crime that can damage the long futures ahead of them.
Mass arrests in Orlando area during sex sting operation
A Central Florida sting operation recently ended with the arrests of 50 men. Criminal charges were brought for soliciting and traveling to meet a child for sex. Some of the men arrested were as young as 19 and as old as 60.
Felony charges await Florida police officers who cut work
The time a police officer spends on the job can become a legal matter in Florida. State law enforcers can be charged with a felony for skipping out of work before the end of a shift or arriving late for duty. Serious charges of theft can result when an officer, whose salary is taxpayer-paid, fails to complete a shift.
Attorney says harmless explosion at Florida Tech was a prank
A 19-year-old aerospace engineering student at Orlando's Florida Institute of Technology is in serious trouble with school officials and Brevard County police. The teenage commercial pilot faces felony charges for creating an on-campus explosion using household chemicals.
Officials round up 21 alleged poachers in hunting conspiracy
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spent almost two years tracking the activities of suspected wildlife and fish traffickers in a five county area, including Orange County. State officials, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced recently that they brought criminal charges against 21 people.
