Theft / Burglary / Juveniles / Resisting Arrest / Arguing with Cops / PTI / Diversion / Sentencing / AVVO / Michael A. Haber, Esq. **ARRESTED / **305DUI

If he is out on bod he will have an Arraignment coming up. As I said, it is ideal to have a private lawyer on board before then, but it is not fatal not to. The Arraignment is a perfunctory prcess wherein the State will announce charges, your son will be advised of the same, afforded counsel is he does not then have his own, a plea offer will likely be tendered and he will answer to the charges – AFTER speaking with his lawyer. 

As a 19 y/o first time offender he is in pretty good shape. The resisting charge is troublesome but not fatal to a reasonable resolution. There are many many many sentencing options. I am attaching links to my Avvo Legal Guides on both diversion and sentencing in Florida as they each contain valuable information for you and your son. The diversion guide will inform you of that process and you should note the paragraphs on “Y/O” in the sentencing guide (although I do not think that it will come to that). 

While Avvo (and similar sites) are wonderful sources of generic information it is critical to bear in mind that each case, and each Defendant, is /are different, and as every case is also a fluid experience, there is only so much that any lawyer can tell you about your case on-line; in short there is no substitute for an in person face-to-face consultation. 

Florida has 20 different Judicial Circuits, each of which deals with cases in its own manner. Moreover, each of those Judicial Circuits has a given number of criminal court Judges (each of whom is unique), as well as its own State Attorney’s Office (each of which has its own policies and procedures), and a bunch of Assistant State Attorneys (who, although they operate on guidelines as established by their office, are each sentient and independent persons), and each case has its own set of variables (“free radicals” if you will) all of which combine to make it impossible to predict what will happen in a given case. 

Again, the best advise you are going to get on a given case is to find yourself a local experienced criminal defense attorney (in your case in the St. Pete area), make an appointment, show up on time and bring with you as much relevant paperwork or information as possible. 

I hope that this has been helpful and wish you the best of luck! 

Pre-Trial intervention / Diversion: What is it and is it right for me? 

Sentencing in Florida: The mathematics, procedures and the realities.