Author Archives: Jay Butchko
“Greyson’s Law” Takes Effect In Florida
In the middle of 2023, Florida’s governor signed “Greyson’s Law” into law, planning for it to take effect in July of that year. The law was named for a young child killed by his father in a 2021 murder-suicide, and its intent is to strengthen the law’s ability to protect children at risk of… Read More »
Federal Agency Officially Recommends Rescheduling Cannabis
Both U.S. federal law and the law of the states categorize drugs into schedules, with Schedule I substances having high potential for addiction or abuse and no accepted medical usage. As of this writing, cannabis is a Schedule I drug, treated as highly addictive and dangerous. However, attitudes on its medical uses are changing,… Read More »
When Women Commit Domestic Violence
Statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) estimate that roughly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced “some form of physical violence” perpetrated by an intimate partner (currently, there is not enough data to report on trends involving people of other genders). While women are the more frequently… Read More »
Polk County Traffic Stop Turns Into Drug Arrest
A routine traffic stop in Polk County in January 2024 resulted in a sudden arrest on drug charges for one Haines City man. The man was pulled over because his tailgate was allegedly obscuring his license plate, and after law enforcement asked for his license and registration, the man handed them over. However, he… Read More »
Can You Face Federal Charges For Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is generally an intimate offense, involving family or household members (at least in Florida) and perpetrated by someone sharing some kind of relationship with their victim. However, there are rare instances in which a domestic violence-related offense can be charged under federal law. More often than not, a federal conviction means a… Read More »
Florida Legislature Proposes New Bill Based On Misinformation
In late January 2024, lawmakers in Florida’s state Senate and House of Representatives proposed bills creating a criminal penalty for any adult who would expose a first responder to the drug fentanyl or any chemically similar analogues, causing serious bodily injury. The word “expose” is specifically defined as causing a person to ingest, inhale,… Read More »
Florida May Consider “Hope Card” Program
When a victim of domestic violence obtains an injunction (a DVI) against their abuser, it is with the intent that the injunction be read and honored – however, there are situations in which a physical copy of an injunction can be too long and cumbersome to keep on hand, and the DVI must be… Read More »
Mailing Controlled Substances Is A Federal Crime
As of February 1, 2024, 25 U.S. states have legalized cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes, while 14 more have either medical cannabis programs, or have decriminalized certain small amounts used recreationally. Florida is one of the former, though its nearest neighbors either bar the use of cannabis completely, or restrict its legal… Read More »
25-Year Sentence For Head Of Drug Trafficking Ring
In late November 2023, a Leon County jury handed down a 25-year sentence to a man convicted of drug and firearms charges, most notably conspiracy to traffick cocaine weighing over 400 grams. Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement had been building a case against the man for several months, eventually learning that he made routine… Read More »
“Gabby Petito Act” Proposed In Florida Senate
It is a sad truism that many victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) pay the ultimate price, often because the system simply fails them. The 2021 murder of Gabby Petito caused awareness of this issue to rise, but very little changed in the legal system. In early December 2023, two Florida legislators used the… Read More »