DUI & Criminal Division

RECENT COURT VICTORIES

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

Case Summary

Date: 04/10/2013
Case #: 2XXXXT0XXX89AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was seen by a security guard driving into a parking lot and it came to a stop in a lane where the signals were going on and off. The driver briefly opened the door and the lights turned off. When the officer got there, the vehicle was off and the defendant was sleeping in the driver’s seat of the car. The keys were on the street next to the driver’s side door. The door was partially open. The defendant smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his speech was slurred. He could not get up on almost 3 occasions when the Defendant was told to get out of the car. He was unsteady on his feet and could not maintain his balance. He was asked to perform roadsides and he stated no. He was arrested and taken to jail where he blew a .317 and a .309. The Firm took case law to the office of the State Attorney establishing the fact that the defendant was arrested without probable cause for DUI. The State of Florida agreed and dismissed the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 04/09/2013
Case #: 2XXXXXT0XX297AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant ran a stop sign and swerved into the left lane. Then the vehicle began to straddle the right divider line and accelerate while swerving back and forth violently 3 times and traveled 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. After being stopped the defendant had an odor of alcohol on his breath and admitted to drinking 4 drinks in the last 7 hours. He was unsteady on his feet stumbling and swaying the entire time. He consented to roadsides where he performed poorly. After being arrested, he was brought to the jail where he refused to provide a sample of his breath. The Firm pointed out inconsistencies with the video evidence and the reports and convinced the State of Florida to drop the charges for Driving Under the Influence on the day before the trial.

Case Summary

Date: 04/09/2013
Case #: 2XXXXT02XX50AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant ran a red light in front of oncoming traffic and was driving 80 mph in a 35 mph zone. The Defendant had glassy red eyes and denied drinking any alcohol even though he smelled like it. He then admitted to drinking 2 vodkas. A DUI unit responded and noticed that the defendant had mumbled and “very slurred” speech. He was asked if he wanted to perform roadside tasks to which he refused. He was told that the refusal would be held against him in court and he still refused them. He was arrested and in the back of the car continually cursed over and over again. He was transported to the breath facility where he refused to submit a sample of his breath. The Firm spoke with the intake department at the State Attorney’s office after retrieving the roadside and jail videos very quickly. After speaking with them about the inconsistencies in the videos and the reports, the State of Florida agreed to drop the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 04/08/2013
Case #: 2XXXXXM0XX96AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: Possession of Cannabis / Drug Paraphernalia
Uncategorized
The police were dispatched out to an animal complaint regarding pit bulls attacking other dogs in the neighborhood. When the officers arrived, there was a Mercury parked in the driveway with the windows down and the engine running. The officer observed, in plain view, a small white cigarette butt in the cup holder that appeared to be a marijuana joint. Contact was then made with the owner of the dogs and the owner of the Mercury. When asked about the cigarette in the cup holder, the defendant admitted that it was marijuana and that it was his. He said he got stressed out and forgot he left the joint there. The State of Florida attempted to require that the Defendant plead guilty to the criminal charges for possession of the marijuana. However, because of the legal issues surrounding the Defendant’s admissions, the State of Florida could not use the defendant’s admissions against him. Therefore, they could not prove that he, in fact, possessed the drugs. At the first court date, the State dismissed all criminal charges against the Defendant.

Case Summary

Date: 04/06/2013
Case #: 20XXX020XX47AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant made an abrupt right turn from Federal to Dixie Highway where there was a no right turn signal. The driver then made an abrupt lane change and almost struck the edge of the sidewalk. The vehicle then continuously began to swerve to the right and on several occasions the tires traveled across the solid white lines almost striking the sidewalk. The trooper initiated a traffic stop at about 1:45 a.m. and asked the defendant where he was going. He said he was going to checkers to eat and that he was coming from his house. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy and he had an odor of alcohol coming from his breath. When asked if he had drank, he said no. The Defendant performed poorly on the first two roadsides and then refused to perform the Finger to Nose and Rhomberg Alphabet by stating “just take me to jail.” The Defendant was arrested and asked to submit to a breath test which he refused. The Firm pointed out to the State that there were many weaknesses in the case regarding the roadside video and Breath Alcohol Testing Video. After months of negotiations, the State of Florida agreed to dismiss the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 04/05/2013
Case #: 2XXXXXT02XXX57AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was clocked going 70 in a 35 mph zone. The officer witnessed him swerving in the road and slowing down rapidly and then failing to stop at a stop sign. The officer then activated his siren to conduct a welfare check on the car and the Defendant backed over a concrete block in a parking lot. After getting out of the vehicle, the officer observed that he was unsteady on his feet and stumbling around. His eyes were red and glassy and he smelled like alcohol. His face also appeared flushed. He admitted to drinking 2 beers. The Defendant performed poorly on roadside exercises and was arrested. After being arrested, the officers found a Gatorade bottle which had liquid in it that smelled like alcohol. When taken to the breath facility, he was asked to submit to a sample of his breath and he refused. The firm negotiated with the State Attorney’s office pointing out the video from the jail that depicted a person who did not look or sound like the person described in the reports. After these talks, the State of Florida agreed to dismiss the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 04/04/2013
Case #: 2XXXT01XX25AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was passed out in his car at a light when an officer made contact with him. His foot was on the break and the car was on. His head was tilted down and would not respond initially to police contact. The officers had to rub his sternum to wake him up. The defendant said he just dropped his mom off and was on his way to a night club. However, he was actually traveling away from the night club he said he was going to. He had slow speech and was dazed and disoriented. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy and he smelled like alcohol. He was swaying back and forth out of the car and did not want to do the tasks initially. When asked how much he had to drink, he said “not much”. The officer who administered the HGN was a certified drug recognition expert and noticed numerous signs of impairment with the Defendant’s eyes. Additionally, he performed poorly on the remainder of the roadsides and could not finish the alphabet. When he was arrested and taken to jail, he refused to submit to a sample of his breath. The Firm filed supplemental discovery proving the Defendant had driven all around the State on during the day he was arrested for work. Additionally, the video evidence contradicted much of the police reports. After extensive negotiating over a 3 month period, the State of Florida finally agreed to dismiss the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 03/26/2013
Case #: 20XXX004XX3AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was toped going 63 in a 45 mph zone. The vehicle was driting within its lane and crossed the dotted white line to its right while negotiating a turn. The officer activated his lights and sirens and the vehicle continued several hundred feet before stopping. The Defendant appeared dazed and confused and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. An obvious odor of alcohol was coming from him. His speech was slow and he did not believe that he was speeding. He slowly looked for his paperwork and then tried to open the door for no reason. When outside of the car, he was swaying noticeably forward and back. Initially, he denied drinking anything and then he said he had one. He performed poorly on roadsides and was arrested. When taken back to the jail, he submitted to a sample of his breath which yielded results under a .08. He then consented to a urine. The Defendant hired The Ticket Clinic and after a full review of the case, the State agreed to no file the charges for Driving Under the Influence.

Case Summary

Date: 03/25/2013
Case #: 20XXXCTXXX0248AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was stopped in a crosswalk five feet past the stop bar. The light turned green and the vehicle did not move. After the light cycled through again, the officer activated his emergency lights and walked up to the car. The Defendant took a while to lower the window after the officer knocked on it. He was dazed and confused and said he was going to a city north of where he was, but he was facing south. The officer noticed his eyes were glassy and red and he had an odor of alcohol coming from him. He was asked to perform roadside exercises and performed poorly. He was even given 3 chances to say the alphabet but could not get through it. He was taken to the breath alcohol facility where he refused to submit to a sample of his breath. The firm spoke to the State Attorney’s Office before a filing decision was made and convinced them to drop the charges for Driving Under the Influence. This was based upon a closer review of the video of the roadsides and the video at the breath center.

Case Summary

Date: 03/25/2013
Case #: 20XXXCTXXX0248AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was stopped in a crosswalk five feet past the stop bar. The light turned green and the vehicle did not move. After the light cycled through again, the officer activated his emergency lights and walked up to the car. The Defendant took a while to lower the window after the officer knocked on it. He was dazed and confused and said he was going to a city north of where he was, but he was facing south. The officer noticed his eyes were glassy and red and he had an odor of alcohol coming from him. He was asked to perform roadside exercises and performed poorly. He was even given 3 chances to say the alphabet but could not get through it. He was taken to the breath alcohol facility where he refused to submit to a sample of his breath. The firm spoke to the State Attorney’s Office before a filing decision was made and convinced them to drop the charges for Driving Under the Influence. This was based upon a closer review of the video of the roadsides and the video at the breath center.

Case Summary

Date: 03/24/2013
Case #: 00-14XX17MM10A NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
Defendant was stopped for speeding. After performing poorly on roadside exercises the defendant was arrested. The defendant blew .173 then refused to give a 2nd breath sample. DUI charge dropped.

Case Summary

Date: 03/22/2013
Case #: 20XXXT00XXX71AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Charge: DUI
Uncategorized
The Defendant was driving 30 mph over the speed limit and was stopped. The defendant fumbled in his vehicle and through his paperwork. He had an odor of alcohol coming from him and his speech was slurred and mumbled. His eyes were bloodshot, red and glassy. As the Defendant got out of the car, he was unsteady on his feet and swayed back and forth. He said he came from a Steakhouse and drank 2 glasses of wine. He agreed to roadsides and performed poorly. When he was brought back to the jail, he refused to submit to a breath test. The firm spoke to the case filing lawyer and pointed out discrepancies to the State Attorney’s office. The State of Florida agreed to dismiss the charges for DUI.
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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.