Criminal Law Attorneys
Aggressive Defense – Reasonable Fees
Plant City Criminal Law
Criminal Law Areas
From the time you become a party of interest, through arrest, first appearance, bond hearing, arraignment, disposition, motions to suppress evidence hearings, to jury trial, you need the services of the criminal law attorneys to stand beside you and aggressively defend you.
The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner you will have the benefit of the insight of a knowledgeable Criminal Defense Attorney to assist you in navigating through the complicated legal process. Your attorney can advise as to what to do, and what not to do, to help your case proceed in a positive direction.
Early on in your case our attorneys will work with the State Attorney’s Office to potentially stop a criminal charge or arrest before it happens. Do not hesitate to call for a consultation, even if you only fear that criminal charges may be brought against you.
1. Criminal Charges
A criminal charge can be a felony or a misdeameanor. A misdemeanor is punishable by a sentence of not in more than one year. A felony is punishable by imprisonment for over one year. Felonies include capital felonies which involve life sentences or the death penalty.
2. Traffic
If you have been ticketed or arrested for a criminal or civil traffic infraction, contact us immediately. You only have a limited time to protect your right to an administrative hearing and to request a trial on your citation. Unpaid traffic tickets will cause you driver’s license to be suspended.
3. Expungement
Anyone who goes online can type in your name to read embarrassing details of your arrest, see your mug shot, and the results of your case. Just imagine how great it would be to regain the privacy you had, prior to the arrest. In many cases your records can be sealed or expunged.
4. Domestic Violence
Commiting an act of domestic violence can lead to a domestic violence injunction in civil court. But, domestic violence is also a crime, as is violating a civil domestic violence injunction is a crime as well. Having the help of an experienced lawyer is critical.
5. Arrest & Bond
Always ask for an attorney BEFORE talking to the police about a crime whether you are a witness or suspect in a criminal investigation. Remember your Miranda rights to remain silent and consult a lawyer. If arrested, your bail is set at an amount to insure that you show up at the next hearing.
6. Probation
Violation of the terms of probation is a serious matter that may result in going back to jail to serve out your sentence. Immediate contact with an experienced Plant City probation lawyer will increase your odds of avoiding the Judge returning you to prison or jail.
1. Criminal Charges
From the time you become a party of interest, through arrest, first appearance, bond hearing, arraignment, disposition, motions to suppress evidence hearings, to jury trial, you need the services of the criminal law attorneys to stand beside you and aggressively defend you.
Felony Charges
Plant City Felony Criminal Lawyer Johnnie Byrd and David Barnhill are experienced Plant City criminal lawyers providing aggressive criminal defense to defendants charged with felony and serious criminal charges.
Misdemeanor Charges
A misdemeanor is any criminal offense that is punishable by a term of imprisonment in a county correctional facility, except an extended term, not in excess of one year. Minor theft, assault and drug possession charges are treated as misdemeanors.
DUI/BUI Charges
If you have been arrested for DUI our law firm can help you defend the charges at the courthouse in Bartow, Tampa and Plant City in an effort to guide you through the system with the legal advice on DUI charges that you need.
Traffic Tickets
If you have been cited or arrested for a criminal or civil traffic infraction, contact us immediately. You only have a limited time to protect your right to an administrative hearing and to request a trial on your citation.
Criminal Investigations
The State has many tools available to investigate criminal conduct. These include search and seizure of evidence, wire taps, lineups, interrogation of suspects and pretrial discovery motions. The law is complex and those accused of crimes need to retain legal counsel as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to call for a consultation, even if you only fear that criminal charges may be brought against you.
Arrest
Criminal charges begin with the apprehension or taking into custody of an alleged offender so that he may be brought to court to answer for a crime. An unlawful arrest may lead to the suppression of evidence and the dismissal of the criminal charges.
Bail & Recognizance
The object of bail in a criminal case is to allow the accused to be released until trial and to secure the appearance of the accused in court to answer the charges. Criminal defendants are entitled to reasonable bail and in some cases to be release on their own recognizance.
Sentence & Probation
If convicted, the defendant can be sentenced to incarceration or placed on probation or community control consisting of community supervision requiring specified contacts with parole and probation officers and other terms and conditions as provided.
Probation Revocation
The lawyers at Byrd & Barnhill have experience assisting persons who have been incarcerated for probation violations. Let us represent you at your probation revocation hearing.
2. Traffic Tickets
Overview of Traffic Citations
3. Expungement & Sealing
Expunge Criminal Records
Protect Your Good Name
Benefits of Expungement
Job applications typically ask if you have been arrested or entered a plea to a criminal offense. Florida law generally allows you to LEGALLY DENY an arrest (and any other related criminal history) that was sealed or expunged ! Just imagine how much easier it would be to look for a new job if you knew that you could legally deny your prior arrest (and any other related criminal history). Finding a new job is tougher now than it has even been, especially for young people just starting out in life.
Expungement is NOT Automatic
Even if you participated and successfully completed an MIP or PTI program, or some other pre-trial diversion program, your criminal history is still freely available for anyone with a computer or even a smart phone to look at. The sealing/expunging process is completely separate from the MIP or PTI program.
4. Domestic Violence
Criminal Domestic Violence
Criminal Domestice violence chargess
5. Arrest & Bond
Plant City Bond Lawyers
The purpose of the Court setting bail is to make sure that the Defendant shows up for trial, and any other Court appearances that may be required. The first court date for a criminal defendant after arrest is called “First Appearance” or sometimes “Preliminary Appearance.” At the first appearance court date, the Court determines the amount of the bond based upon various statutory factors.
A skilled and experienced bond hearing attorney should appear on behalf of the Defendant, and make legal arguments on behalf of the Defendant regarding why the bond should lower than as requested by the Office of the State Attorney (the prosecutor) or why the Defendant should be released on his own recognizance (commonly called “ROR”).
Often a skilled and experienced attorney can actually save money for a criminal defendant by reducing the amount of the bond set by the Court.
Plant City Emergency Bond Hearing Lawyer
It is a common occurrence that a Defendant cannot hire an attorney in time to represent him at the First Appearance hearing, and then the Court sets a bond amount the Defendant believes is unreasonably high, in other words, a bond that is beyond the financial means of the Defendant. A skilled and experienced emergency bond hearing attorney can file a Motion To Reduce Bond, and have that Motion heard on an emergency basis. Then the newly hired emergency bond hearing attorney can make legal arguments and bring facts to the attention of the Court that the Court may not have considered at “First Appearance.” Often the emergency bond hearing attorney can convince the Court that the bond amount should be reduced, or in some circumstances that the Defendant should be released on his own recognizance (commonly called “ROR”). In short, the emergency bond hearing is a “second chance” at the issue of bond.
Posting or “Making” Bond
Once the Court has set the bond amount, there are different ways for a Defendant (or his loved ones) to post the bond. Each method of posting bond has its “pros” and “cons.” Often it becomes a financial and economic decision of what method is a better fit for the person posting the bond.
Cash bond.
A friend or family member of the Defendant can go to the county jail and post the entire bond amount on behalf of the Defendant. As long as the Defendant appears at all required court appearances, the cash bond will be refunded at the end of the case. However, if the conclusion of the case results in a plea agreement, then fines and court costs may be deducted from the cash bond.
Surety bond
A friend or family member of the Defendant can go to a person commonly called a bail bondsman. The friend or family member of the Defendant pays 10% of the bond amount, this is commonly called the premium. Then the bail bondsman posts the remaining amount of the bond. At the end of the case, the bail bondsman keeps the premium amount.
6. Probation
Probation Violation
Plant City Criminal Lawyers Johnnie Byrd and David Barnhill are experienced Plant City criminal lawyers providing aggressive criminal defense to criminal defendants charged with probation violation.
If you have been charged or arrested for an alleged violation of the terms of your probation, contact us immediately. Remember, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Violation of probation is a serious charge and may result in your incarceration for the offense for which you are on probation.
A Plant City Criminal Defense Attorney We can help you (or a loved one) to present your case at a probation violation hearing.
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