Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Casey Anthony's defense team has announced that they will be appealing her four (4) Misdemeanor convictions from her recent First Degree Murder trial.

Friday morning, Casey's defense attorneys filed their Notice of Appeal for the four (4) counts of misleading law enforcement, for which she was convicted by the same jury that acquitted her of First Degree Murder.

It was almost three (3) years ago that Casey told Orange County deputies the following:

(1) That she worked at Universal Orlando Resort in 2008,
(2) That she left Caylee with a babysitter named Zenaida Gonzalez,
(3) That she told Jeffrey Hopkins and Juliette Lewis that Caylee was missing,
(4) That she spoke to Caylee on the phone on July 15, 2008.

Casey was charged and convicted of a separate count for each of the above false statements. She was fined the maximum $1,000 for each count, totaling $4,618 after court costs.

Judge Belvin Perry also sentenced Casey to a total of four (4) years in jail, which has already been shortened based on the time she has spent behind bars (awaiting trial), and her good behavior in jail. Casey is due to be released Sunday.

From a strategic standpoint, an appeal could have a huge effect on Casey's civil case involving Zenaida Gonzalez, which took a bizarre turn Friday morning after a quick end to an emergency hearing.

Once the appeal is formally filed, she can legitimately assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in any deposition or interrogation until the appeal is exhausted!

As far as Casey is concerned, there is no downside to this legal maneuver. If she loses the appeal, she will still be released from jail on Sunday. She cannot be punished for appealing.

Another bright move by her defense team to, once again, protect her from having to tell the truth about what happened to her daughter Caylee.

Continue reading "ORLANDO: Casey Anthony to Appeal Her 4 Misdemeanor Convictions" »

As reported by BayNews9, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is at it again.

In another "cost-cutting" measure, the Polk County Jail will no longer provide free underwear to its inmates.

Normally, when an inmate is booked in the jail, they are given an orange shirt, orange pants and underwear.

In order to save money, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has proposed making males inmates pay if they want their "tighty whities."

The cost-saving measure was part of the sheriff's 2011-2012 budget he presented to county commissioners Thursday afternoon. Judd said it will save the county $45,000.

Although women behind bars will still be provided underwear, the men will have to pay.

"For those who don't want to pay, they can let the breeze blow up one leg and out the other," Judd said (in classic Grady Judd fashion).

The idea drew smiles from several county commissioners and laughter from the crowd.

"You and I buy it at the store. So, if they want it, they can buy it," he said. Judd said they are also cutting eleven (11) positions, including six (6) supervisors.

Judd says while his department is doing more with less, his highest priority remains keeping the people of Polk County safe.

Judd said the new policy will not cause the quality of service from the department to go down.

"None of these cuts will keep us from answering the call," Judd said.

FYI -- As for the underwear, it's about $2.50 for briefs and $4.50 for boxers. The choice is up to the inmates.

"We give our inmates choices at our jail," he said.

The new underwear rule will breeze into effect Aug. 1st.

Continue reading "POLK COUNTY: No More Free Underwear for Male Inmates" »