Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Broward County Democrat Seeks To Change Injunction Law
The most recent available data from Florida authorities estimates that around 106,500 crimes of domestic violence were reported to law enforcement, with untold numbers more not being reported at all due to fears of future violence. In an effort to protect victims of such crimes, State Senator Sharief filed a bill in September 2025… Read More »
Actual vs Constructive Drug Possession In Florida
Drug possession is a very common crime in Florida, but not all possession cases are prosecuted the same way. There are certain criteria that a prosecution must meet in order for a defendant to be found guilty, and one of them is whether or not the defendant had possession, whether actual or constructive, of… Read More »
Appeals Court Decision May Have Consequences For Domestic Violence Survivors
The right to carry a firearm is one that many Floridians prize. In early September, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeals struck down the state’s ’decades-old’ ban on open carry, referring to it as the “default mode of bearing arms.” While proponents of open carry argue that it reinforces the… Read More »
New Ruling May Affect Cannabis Cases
In late September 2025, Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeals reversed a long-standing state law, holding that the mere smell of cannabis is not sufficient grounds to stop and search a vehicle. In addition, the court certified the question to the state Supreme Court, essentially providing the grounds on which it could decide the… Read More »
Domestic Violence Charges … Against Roommates?
The average person generally believes that one can only commit domestic violence against a spouse or partner. In reality, many U.S. states (Florida included) have rewritten their domestic violence statutes to include crimes against many different people – including some with whom you may have no romantic relationship at all. If you have been… Read More »
Explaining Chain Of Custody In Florida Drug Cases
In a criminal case, evidence is handled in a way so as to preserve its integrity and ensure it is not tampered with or altered. This is known as the chain of custody, and it is crucial to most criminal prosecutions, particularly drug cases – after all, a defendant should not be convicted based… Read More »
Cyberstalking & Domestic Violence
In Florida, ‘domestic violence’ is a wide umbrella term, with many offenses falling under that purview if they meet certain criteria. Stalking and cyberstalking are two of the crimes that may qualify as domestic violence offenses, but this can be a shock to someone whose intent is not to cause any kind of emotional… Read More »
What Are Drug “Schedules”?
The average person does not tend to think about just how many substances they may use in their lifetime, even if they never choose to use drugs recreationally. Because science is continually inventing and refining drugs, both legal and illegal, the U.S. legal system has adopted what are known as ‘schedules’ to classify and… Read More »
Florida Law Protects Pets From Domestic Violence, Too
Data reported by Forbes estimates that roughly two-thirds of U.S. households have at least one pet as of 2024. Unfortunately, this can sometimes make these beloved animals targets for abusers in domestic violence situations. In recent years, Florida law has changed, giving a measure of protection to pets in domestic violence situations – which… Read More »
Florida ’Grow House’ Law
A grow house is loosely defined as any indoor property used to grow controlled substances (most often, cannabis plants). Florida has historically ranked highly in terms of the number of grow houses in action at any point, with the 2010s seeing significant numbers of raids each year. If you have been accused of operating… Read More »