Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

LOS ANGELES - According to a breaking story published by the Associated Press, Grammy-winning rapper T.I., who has a history of Drug Offenses and is on Federal Probation after spending time behind bars on Gun Charges, was arrested along with his wife after police smelled marijuana coming from their car, authorities said.

The rapper was arrested Wednesday night in West Hollywood during a traffic stop, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Mark Pope told The Associated Press. Authorities said they smelled a strong marijuana odor but would not say if any other drugs were found in the car.

The 29-year-old rapper and his wife, Tameka Cottle, were released from jail at about 4 a.m. Thursday after posting $10,000 bail each, sheriff's Deputy Luis Castro said.

T.I.'s publicist declined to comment.

The arrests follow last week's detention of socialite Paris Hilton, who is being investigated for Felony Cocaine Possession after a motorcycle officer smelled pot wafting from her car.

The Atlanta-based rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., is a multiplatinum hitmaker. Known as the "King of the South," he has emerged one of music's most profitable stars.

He also has a key role in the current top box office movie "Takers." The shoot-'em-up about an armored truck Robbery that goes bad was released last week and topped the box-office chart.

T.I. served seven (7) months in an Arkansas Federal prison and three (3) months in a Georgia halfway house on Federal Weapons Charges and was released in March. He was sentenced to serve three (3) years of supervised release after his prison sentence ended.

He was ordered not to commit another Federal, State or local crime while on supervised release, and also ordered not to illegally possess a controlled substance. He was also told to take at least three (3) drug tests after his release and to participate in a drug and alcohol treatment program.

Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, had no immediate comment Thursday on whether Harris violated the terms of the judge's order.

Since his release, the rapper, who previously spent time behind bars for Drug Offenses, has vowed to live a better life. He spoke to children about the dangers of drugs and guns, and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young was one of his supporters. As he prepared for his most recent sentence, he starred in the MTV reality show "T.I.'s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go."

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, T.I. talked about living a more positive life.

"Right now, it's all about moving forward and just acknowledging the blessing that are here today. ... Just moving past the regrets of yesterday -- the things that could've been done better," T.I. said in a July interview.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, it looks like the only forward moving for T.I. is that he is one step closer to going back to Federal prison.

Continue reading "LOS ANGELES: Rapper T.I. Arrested Again - Federal VOP Coming Soon" »

LAS VEGAS - According to a breaking story released by the Associated Press, Paris Hilton was arrested on the Las Vegas Strip late Friday night after police saw a cloud of Marijuana smoke wafting from the windows of a black Cadillac Escalade driven by her boyfriend, then found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession.

A crowd quickly gathered near the stop on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Wynn Las Vegas resort at about 11:30 p.m. PDT Friday, and Hilton was taken into the hotel "to keep her safe" during the initial investigation, police said.

The 29-year-old socialite and her boyfriend Cy Waits were booked into the Clark County jail, police said. Watch commander Lt. Wayne Holman said Hilton was released early Saturday morning.

Officer Marcus Martin said police found that Hilton had a substance that tests later showed to be Cocaine, but did not say how much of the drug was found. She was arrested on a Possession of Cocaine charge.

Jail records showed that Waits, 34, remained held pending a court appearance on a charge of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Hilton's court date was not immediately available.

The arrest came during a week in which a Burglary attempt was made on Hilton's Los Angeles home.

Officials said 31-year-old Nathan Lee Parada faces a Felony Burglary charge in the Tuesday incident.

Authorities have said that someone carrying two big knives banged on Hilton's window. She posted a photo of the arrest on Twitter and described it as "scary."

Hilton was arrested this summer after the Brazil-Netherlands World Cup match in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana. The case was then dropped at a midnight court hearing.

Hilton pleaded "no contest" in 2007 to alcohol-related Reckless Driving and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. After spending about 23 days in jail, Hilton told CNN host Larry King that the experience caused her to re-evaluate the role partying played in her life. She said she wanted "to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis."

Which, I'm sure, is what she was doing last night on the Vegas strip....

Continue reading "LAS VEGAS: Paris Hilton Arrested for Possession of Cocaine " »

According to a story just released by the Associated Press, tormer U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek has been sentenced to five (5) years Felony Probation for her role in a Crystal Methamphetamine ring in New Jersey.

The 32-year-old Bobek choked up in court in Jersey City on Monday as she said she was sorry. She pleaded guilty in June to Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine.

"Nothing but positive things can come out of this," Bobek said outside the Jersey City courtroom where she was sentenced Monday. "It's been a long 1½ years. I'm looking to get back onto that ice."

She was among twenty eight (28) people accused last year of running a network that allegedly distributed $10,000 worth of methamphetamine per week.

The alleged leader of the group, Edward Cruz Jr., was sentenced last week to sixteen (16) years in prison.

Bobek won the U.S. figure skating title in 1995. But her disappointing 17th-place finish at the 1998 Winter Olympics took a psychological toll on her, according to her lawyer, Sam DeLuca. Bobek had been skating since age 3, forgoing high school and even home schooling for the rigorous, cloistered world of professional training, DeLuca said.

"Here is a girl whose star was shining ... and when the star went out, when the star started fading, she was not prepared," DeLuca said. She then fell into "a sleazy world" of drug addiction and bad influences, he said.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Ledoux argued for a sentence of a year in the county jail, saying Bobek was no innocent victim and was not a minor player in the drug ring.

Superior Court Judge Kevin Callahan noted he had received letters on Bobek's behalf from former Olympic athletes, including JoJo Starbuck, and even rock 'n' roll musicians he didn't name.

Callahan warned Bobek that she was at a dangerous crossroads and that a single Violation of Probation or failed drug test could land her in prison for at least five (5) years.

Bobek, accompanied by her mother, applied to serve her probation near the family's Jupiter, Florida home. She was also ordered to serve 250 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine, plus additional court expenses.

Continue reading "JERSEY CITY, NJ: Nicole Bobek, Former U.S. Figure Skating Champ, Sentenced for Her Role in Crystal Meth Ring" »

According to an online story on BayNews9.com, members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), along with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), busted a major drug operation that was using produce shipments to smuggle Cocaine into the Tampa Bay area.

The men arrested are accused of bringing $2.5 million worth of drugs from Mexico to Tampa Bay communities like Palm River and Progress Village.

Deputies say a 23-year-old college student from Texas was at the top of the operation. At the bottom were local "gang members" who distributed the drugs.

"Thirty-three gang members and drug dealers have been federally indicted to date and a dozen more are still pending Federal and State charges," said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Chief Jose Docobo.

The drugs were hidden in boxes of limes. Deputies say the drug dealers hid the cocaine in packages of limes because the strong odor of a lime can hide other smells, but they say it didn't work because K-9's were still able to sniff out the drugs.

"The limes were in boxes and inside those boxes the Cocaine was concealed inside other boxes within that pallet or shipment," Mark Trouville, with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Deputies say it was then turned into Crack Cocaine and distributed on the streets of Progress Village and Palm River.

According to the BayNews9.com story, concerns from neighborhood groups prompted the "crack down."

Continue reading "HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY: Drug Trafficking Ring Busted By DEA After Shipping Cocaine in Boxes of Limes" »

A high-profile DUI Manslaughter case from St. Petersburg has put the malt beverage, Four Loko, under the radar and created a national "buzz" about the new drink's popularity.

Demetrius Jordan, 20, has told officers that he drank Four Loko (in addition to consuming other liquor and smoking marijuana) prior to getting behind the wheel and causing a fatal crash that killed four (4) people. Four Loko is popular with young people because it combines 12 percent alcohol with caffeine.

According to a recent story in the Tampa Tribune, the beverage comes in a variety of flavors and has been the subject of controversy because some believe its makers are targeting teens. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants the Federal Trade Commission to investigate. He said Four Loko looks like Monster energy drinks, which do not contain alcohol.

When shown a can of Four Loko in its grape flavor, St. Petersburg registered dietitian and nutritionist Lea Russell called it "scary stuff." She said the can looks like it appeals to kids.

"It's definitely going to put you on a total high. I mean, we already know what caffeine does to people," Russell said. "And so it's going to keep you awake and allow you to keep drinking alcohol because alcohol is a depressant and now it's giving you the caffeine so you can drink more alcohol."

The crash at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street and 22nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg killed Elroy McConnell II and his three (3) adult sons, Elroy McConnell III, Kelly McConnell and Nathan McConnell. All four (4) victims were from Orlando.

Four Loko is manufactured in Milwaukee by the Drink Four Brewing Company. Company executives have heard about the St. Petersburg wreck and the statements by the suspect about their product.

"We are deeply saddened by this horrific tragedy," said Chris Hunter, managing partner with Phusion Projects, the company that makes and distributes Four Loko. "Our thoughts are with the McConnell family during this difficult time."

According to a story in yesterday's St. Pete Times, "[a] year-long drug investigation led to the seizure of more than $1.5 million in cash and Monday's arrest of a 28-year-old man on Federal Drug Charges."

Details from a Federal arrest warrant showed how Cocaine was shipped from Mexico and distributed through St. Petersburg's neighborhoods by top members of "8-Hype," a local criminal street gang based in the Harbordale section of St. Petersburg.

The suspect named in the Federal arrest warrant, Justin Levine Richardson, was arrested on a Federal charge of Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine. What makes this story interesting is that Narcotics detectives said they found $1,008,720 inside Richardson's mom's car.

According to the St. Pete Times, "Richardson has been well known to narcotics detectives for years. In 2004, the St. Petersburg man was arrested in Texas for shipping drugs through the mail. He was sentenced to five (5) years in a Federal prison and was still on Felony Probation for that crime when he was arrested Monday."

Richardson's arrest was part of a joint operation between the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to authorities, they tracked down witnesses who said Richardson supplied them with Cocaine; tracked him as he allegedly transported a large black duffel bag containing $277,585 to a drug "stash house"; and discovered a courier who crossed the U.S.-Mexican border 176 times since 2008 (you'd think, if anything, the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and/or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would find 176 border crossings, between the United States and Mexico, in less than two (2) years at least suspicious?).

Yesterday, Richardson, of 500 Trinity Lane in St. Pete, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals. He is currently being held, without bond, in the Pinellas County Jail on a "courtesy hold" for the U.S. Marshals.

Continue reading "ST. PETE: Drug Suspect Busted with $1.5 Million in Mom's Car" »

Sara Lou Kenny, 20, of New Port Richey, needed some clean urine to pass a drug test so, authorities say, she tried to smuggle the urine from her friend's 4-year-old son past a probation officer and pass it off as her own.

It didn't work!!!

Kenney was arrested Friday at a substance abuse program office on Little Road in New Port Richey, according to the St. Pete Times.

Her friend and roommate, 26-year-old Amber Tobeck, was also arrested at the same office for giving her son's urine to Kenny, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Both women are on Felony Probation - Kenny for Drug Offenses and Tobeck for Fraud and Theft convictions - according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Kenny's two-year drug court probation sentence began Feb. 1st. An arrest report said Kenny had methadone that was not prescribed to her.

Kenny and Tobeck are being held without Bond at the Pasco County jail on charges of Violating their Probations. Kenny is unemployed. Tobeck told authorities she is a waitress at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in New Port Richey. Gotta love their chicken-n-dumplings!

Continue reading "NEW PORT RICHEY: Pasco Woman Tries to Beat Drug Test With Toddler's Urine" »

The culmination of a 10-month drug investigation called "Operation Pill Poppers" was impressive: 74 suspects were identified, 150 counts of Doctor Shopping, otherwise known as "Withholding Information from a Practitioner," were filed and 55,006 pills, with a street value of approximately $750,000, were seized. For the complete story, check out the article in today's St. Petersburg Times.

However, by the end of Monday's six-hour roundup, staged at a closed Egg Platter restaurant on U.S. Highway 19 in Pinellas Park, dozens of suspects remained at large. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) and the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) arrested eleven (11) suspects that day, plus nine (9) from the week before.

"Operation Pill Poppers," announced to the public as it was happening, was designed partly to raise awareness of the growing prescription drug problem in the Tampa Bay area (which this author has written extensively about over the last year). But it also highlights how tricky it is to curb such crimes when the addiction is so powerful, the drugs aren't illegal and the law hasn't caught up with the problem.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Florida have been gradually shifting their focus from the "more traditional" drugs like marijuana and cocaine to a completely different animal that bears little resemblance to yesterday's Drug Offenses. During "Operation Pill Poppers" 10-month Pinellas County investigation, narcotics detectives relied heavily on intelligence gathered from pharmacists and doctors.

Putting aside the thousands of lives that have been shattered by this recent wave of prescription drug abuse, the most sobering statistic lies in the number of recent deaths in Pinellas County.

Just last month (January 2010), three (3) women and one (1) man who had cases in Pinellas County's Drug Court died from prescription drug overdoses, said Shannon Loveday, who manages the Drug Court.

A 2008 St. Petersburg Times investigation found that prescription painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs kill about 500 people a year in the Tampa Bay area, triple the number killed by illegal drugs such as Cocaine and Heroin.

Moreover, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) narcotics division has doubled from four (4) detectives to eight (8), with two (2) added supervisors. The hope, according to authorities, is to prevent Pinellas County from turning into Broward County, which is known as a magnet for out-of-state prescription drug buyers.

Because a statewide prescription computer system does not yet exist in Florida, as it does in several other states, Doctor Shopping and prescription fraud is rampant. Doctors still use handwritten paper prescriptions, which are easy to forge, and law enforcement agencies must primarily rely on pharmacists to report suspicious customers.

Last year, Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives wrapped up a 10-month investigation called "Operation Bad Medicine" with more than 100 arrests. A doctor, two (2) nurses and three (3) medical assistants were among them.

After years of debate, the Legislature approved a bill last year creating a database to track prescription drug sales in an effort to curb Doctor Shopping and illegal Drug Trafficking. But the details of the monitoring program still need to be worked out before it is implemented.

Right now, Florida is the largest of sixteen (16) states without such a program.

And, in the eyes of this author, law enforcement will not make major strides in curbing our County's prescription drug abuse problem until such an electronic database is created to notify doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement officers that someone is obtaining and/or filling multiple prescriptions, for the same or a similar drug, in the same month. Until then, we will see more crime, more overdoses and unfortunately - more needless deaths.

Continue reading "PINELLAS COUNTY: "Operation Pill Poppers" Cracks Down on Prescription Drug Abuse" »

Sometimes, good police work requires that you get down and dirty.

Earlier this week, in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Rene Valencia, a 24-year-old entrepreneur (i.e., "drug dealer") charged with Attempting to Sell Heroin and Cocaine near Weston Park allegedly swallowed his drugs rather than face the consequences of getting caught red-handed. However, the police in this small northeastern town (known for being the home of the world's busiest Dunkin' Donuts) one-up'd the hungry suspect when they obtained a Search Warrant for his bowel movements!! How's that taste, Mr. Valencia?

"He did not think that the detectives would go through the difficulty of getting a search warrant to retrieve the drugs from his bowel movement," Lt. Rick Fuller said on Feb. 3. "He was wrong."

Fuller said that detectives recovered seven (7) bags of heroin, eleven (11) bags of cocaine, and two (2) bags of crack cocaine from Rene Valencia, following a surveillance operation on Washington Street in Weymouth.

Valencia was arraigned in Quincy District Court on Feb. 3rd for Possession of Heroin with Intent to Sell, Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Sell, Conspiracy to Violate Massachusett's drug laws, and committing drug violations near a park.

According to Lt. Fuller, Valencia arrived near Weston Park to sell the drugs at 11:50 a.m., when undercover detectives approached him. "Upon approaching his vehicle, the suspected drug dealer began swallowing several small bags of drugs," Fuller said.

Detectives arrested Valencia and took him to South Shore Hospital where the drug contents were recovered.

Valencia later told the detectives that he has swallowed drugs on many occasions when pulled over by the police. According to police, this case shows the extent that drug dealers will go to not get caught. It also shows the extent that creative police officers will go to in order to make a case against them.

Continue reading "WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS: Search Warrant Obtained for Drug Dealer's Bowel Movements" »

A 20-year-old St. Petersburg man was sentenced to three-and-a-half (3 1/2) years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge stemming from a fatal wreck that killed two (2) people - his 23-year-old cousin, who was a passenger in his car, and a 59-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the other car. For the complete story, check out the TBO.com story.

Joshua Malone's prison term will be followed by twenty-four (24) months of community control (aka: "house arrest").

Last December, Joshua Malone pleaded guilty to Driving a Motor Vehicle Without a License - Involving Death. Earlier this week, he was sentenced at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center.

An unrelated case involving the Sale and Possession of Cocaine was also resolved and included in Malone's 42-month prison sentence.

Malone, who was only eighteen (18) years-old at the time of the Feb. 9, 2008 wreck, was sentenced as a "Youthful Offender," which limited/reduced his maximum exposure to six (6) years in prison.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), Malone was driving a Ford Focus east on the Treasure Island Causeway when a Lexus turned in front of him to go south on Paradise Boulevard. Malone's Ford Focus T-boned the Lexus.

Because Malone was under 21-years of age at the time of his Sentencing Hearing, along with the fact that he had never been previously sentenced as a "Youthful Offender," it was within the Court's discretion to "depart" from the sentencing guidelines.

Continue reading "PINELLAS COUNTY: "Youthful Offender" Sentence for 20-Year Old Involved in Fatal Car Wreck" »

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office uncovered a marijuana grow house in the Plantation subdivision of Tampa on Sunday.

More than fifty-five (55) marijuana plants averaging four (4) to five (5) feet tall were found in the home at 11313 Hollyglen Drive, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies also found lighting and growing equipment which will probably lead to a Felony charge of Cultivation of Marijuana.

On Sunday evening, deputies were in the process of dismantling the equipment and seizing the marijuana plants and growing paraphernalia.

A 60-year-old man was taken into custody at the home, the Sheriff's Office said.

He was not immediately identified.

For those of you that are not familiar with the signs of a "Grow House," check out the diagram above to see if you recognize any in your community.

Continue reading "TAMPA: Marijuana Grow House Busted by Hillsborough Deputies" »

As we enter another Holiday Season, the SLAVIN LAW FIRM would like to wish you and yours a Happy and Safe Holiday weekend.

With the support of all of our friends, family and clients, 2009 was another excellent year for the SLAVIN LAW FIRM. And for that, we have much to be thankful for this Holiday Season.

To our family and friends, thank you for your patience and understanding when it was necessary to work late nights and/or weekends.

To our business colleagues and our outstanding network of fellow attorneys, thank you for not only your referrals but for the trust that you have placed in the SLAVIN LAW FIRM to provide an experienced and aggressive representation to those that you've sent our way.

And to both our former and present clients, thank you for the trust that you have placed in the SLAVIN LAW FIRM to protect your rights and to handle your important criminal and/or traffic-related matters.

On behalf of the entire SLAVIN LAW FIRM team, have a Happy, Healthy and Safe Holiday Season.

Continue reading "CLEARWATER: Happy Holidays from the Slavin Law Firm" »

In another addition of: "Only in Florida." More specifically, "Only in the Tampa Bay area." This story was featured in this mornings St. Pete Times.

This was probably not the best Thanksgiving for Ronald R. Conkright.

His troubles first started when he called 911 at 11:47 p.m. Thursday (Thanksgiving evening). He told the 911 operator: "I'm looking for a friend. It was one last joke."

Pinellas County sheriff's deputies showed up at his home at 2504 55th Avenue North, but Conkright, 62, didn't answer the door.

At 2:26 a.m. Friday, he called 911 again. This time he reported a Domestic Violence dispute with his wife. According to his arrest affidavit, he told the 911 operator: "I hurt my wife and she is in heaven."

Deputies returned to his home (for a second time now). This time Conkright answered the door. After talking with him, deputies discovered Conkright was not married. They then discovered more.

"When asked what his emergency was, and why he called 911, Conkright brought deputies into his home to look for his wife, and to show us an amount of marijuana, over 20 grams, which was on his kitchen table," the arrest affidavit states.

Conkright then told the deputies: "You can arrest me now."

He was charged with Making a False 911 Call, Felony Possession of Marijuana (over 20 grams) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Not surprisingly, Conkright's arrest affidavit states that he showed an indication of "drug influence."

Continue reading "ST. PETERSBURG: Man Calls 911 to Show Deputies the Marijuana on His Kitchen Table???" »

A scheme to rob a man of his prescription painkillers "backfired" Tuesday, police said, leading to the arrests of three (3) men -- one accused of shooting the victim in the leg.

The trio planned to rob Gordon Kendrick, 28, right after he went into a pharmacy to have an Oxycodone prescription filled, police said. Tampa Bay criminal defense attorney Aaron J. Slavin, Esq. of the Clearwater-based SLAVIN LAW FIRM, has seen a sharp increase in the number of Oxycodone cases that his office has retained. These cases range from simple Possession of Oxycodone and/or Trafficking in Oxycodone to Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud and/or Doctor Shopping cases (as Oxycodone as certainly become "the clear drug of choice" among residents in the Tampa Bay area.

Ryan L. Holmberg (below/center), 23, of 1320 14th St. in Palm Harbor is accused of shooting Kendrick. He was charged with Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Battery, Throwing a Deadly Missile into a building and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Also arrested, police said, were Sean M. Perry (below/left), 25, of Clearwater, who drove the getaway car, and Daniel C. Kane (below/right), 31, of Tampa, who helped coordinate the robbery.

At least one of the men knew Kendrick, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Beth Watts.

Arrest reports show Kane communicated with Holmberg by telephone to let him know when to go to the pharmacy.

Perry then drove Holmberg to Trinity Pharmacy at 1474 S Belcher Road. Holmberg approached Kendrick and demanded the pills when Kendrick left the store.

When Kendrick said he didn't have anything, Holmberg shot him in the right thigh with a semi-automatic handgun, according to a St. Pete Times article. The bullet passed through Kendrick's thigh and went into the occupied pharmacy. No one else was injured.

The incident happened around 4:45 p.m.

Kendrick was treated at Morton Plant Hospital and released later Tuesday, a hospital spokesman said. Kendrick was able to identify at least one of the men, arrest reports show.

All three men were taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

Continue reading "CLEARWATER: Botched Oxycodone Robbery Lands 3 Men in Jail" »

A self-proclaimed minister who claimed he smokes marijuana for "religious" and health reasons has been found Guilty of a Felony charge of Manufacturing/Cultivating Marijuana for growing 100 plants.

It took a Brevard County jury only 14 minutes Friday to find 53-year-old Steven Swallick Guilty of the above-mentioned offense. He faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced next month.

Swallick told the Judge outside the jury's presence that he is affiliated with the "Hawaiian Cannabis Ministries" and that he smokes marijuana and uses it as an ingredient in anointing oil, health drinks and incense to drive away evil spirits. Swallick gets points for originality for his novel, yet unsuccessful defense.

However, Circuit Court Judge Jim Earp ruled that Swallick could not give such testimony to the jury. And, as we've now learned, without his "defense" being submitted to the Jury, it took less than fifteen (15) minutes to convict him.

Continue reading "VIERA, FL: Pot-smoking minister Guilty of Growing it" »