Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Alford Pleas: When Does Pleading Guilty Not Require You To Admit Wrongdoing?
Why do so many defendants plead guilty? When you are not facing criminal charges, and therefore not facing a years-long or decades-long prison sentence, it is easy to say that you would never confess to a crime you did not commit, or even a crime you did commit. Things look very different when you… Read More »
The Rights Of Foreign Nationals In Drug Trafficking Cases
By now, the rights of defendants in criminal cases sound familiar to you. You have the right to be presumed innocent until you plead guilty or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. You have a right to a trial before unbiased jurors. You have the right not to incriminate yourself; this… Read More »
Polk County Officials Seize $53 Million Of Drugs And Contraband From International Drug Trafficking Operation
Whether you are charged with carrying a few MDMA pills in your backpack or receiving a shipment of fentanyl you bought on the dark web from another country for resale in Florida, your rights as a defendant in a criminal case are the same. You have the right to consult an attorney and not… Read More »
Venice Couple Arrested After Toddler Suffers Drug Overdose At Their Home
Young children like to put non-edible things in their mouths, and this is a constant source of worry for parents, at least until they find out that the child did not actually swallow the item or that it is not harmful. Look at the Google search history of people who are new to parenthood,… Read More »
Pinellas County Woman Arrested After Police Find Drugs On Nightstand
The drug education classes were certainly misguided, but generations of Floridians can confidently say that school gave them a love for reading. The catchy rhymes and zany illustrations in the books our teachers read to us created lasting memories, and, for those of us who grew up in the 80s, that week in the… Read More »
Orlando Man Pleads Guilty To Participating In Drug-Trafficking Operation
When schools and most businesses closed in the spring of 2020 in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, the incidences of some types of crime decreased. No one got arrested for assault after a bar fight, because there were no bars open where people could come to blows. Likewise, there were fewer home… Read More »
Former Emergency Room Physician Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Selling Methamphetamine
A traumatic injury can turn your life upside down in an instant. Even after the doctors tell you that you are healed, you might live with unbearable pain for years. What happens if your doctors then take away the prescription medication that has made the pain bearable? This scenario is common enough that you… Read More »
Famous Florida Cases Involving Nitrous Oxide
One of the products that has enjoyed a surge in popularity during the pandemic is canisters of whipped cream, and not just because so many people have been cultivating their baking skills all year and now plan to show off their dessert masterpieces at outdoor social gatherings and top said masterpieces with whipped cream. … Read More »
Police K9s Find Drugs Where Police Want Them To Find Them
There is a reason that dogs are called man’s best friend. For every cat person who cherishes that cat that merely tolerates them, there are at least two dog people who appreciate the unconditional loyalty that only dogs can give. One of the reasons that domestic dogs have been successfully trained to assist humans… Read More »
Making Up Implausible Excuses During A Drug Bust Will Always Backfire
When you get arrested on suspicion of drug possession or drug trafficking, you have the right to remain silent. You are not obligated to respond to officers’ questions about the substances they found in your clothing pockets or in your car. This means that, before you tell the police anything, or before you enter… Read More »
