This week I obtained a NOT GUILTY verdict after a jury trial in my client's Lakeland DUI arrest. Due to my investigation into the Lakeland Police Department's procedures in DUI cases, the news picked up on this story. My preparation for the case and cross-examination of the officer has led the LPD to conduct an...
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Lakeland DUI Attorney Thomas C. Grajek in the news
After my Lakeland DUI trial on Tuesday, the Ledger and Channel 8 news started taking a closer look at the procedures used by Lakeland Police Department. Read the Ledger article here: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130620/NEWS/130629985?tc=cr&tc=ar Documents and police reports play a critical role in a DUI and criminal case. DUI reports are also the evidence used to uphold...
Read MoreAggressive Polk County DUI lawyer argues DUI motions to suppress in court
Yesterday, I was in court all day before arguing various motions to suppress in my client's DUI case. Many people arrested for DUI or a criminal offense do not know what a criminal defense attorney does for them in court. Many people charged with DUI also do not know what it means to mount an...
Read MoreGeorge Zimmerman trial starts tomorrow with jury selection the most important part of a criminal trial
George Zimmerman is charged with 2nd degree murder for allegedly killing Trayvon Martin last year. Get ready for a deluge of media coverage for another Florida “crime of the century” after the Casey Anthony trial. What exactly is jury selection or “voir dire”? “Voir dire” is the legal term for jury selection and is Latin...
Read MorePolk Criminal Lawyer Thomas C. Grajek attends NACDL Forensics Evidence seminar on DNA evidence
In April, I attended the NACDL legal seminar "Making sense of Science." This continuing legal education seminar focused on how science plays a role in criminal cases. A main topic was DNA evidence in criminal cases. This evidence is found in rape or capital sexual battery and there is DNA evidence on the body. Or,...
Read MoreUndercover police officers fired for drinking and hanging out in strip club while on duty
Two undercover Tampa Police Department officers were fired today for hanging out and drinking in a strip club while on duty. Officer Ortega and Officer Madsen were in a strip club drinking. When it was time to go to work, the officers logged into work remotely from a computer. The were on the Rapid Offender Control...
Read MoreIntoxilyzer 8000 seminar Provided by Forensic Alcohol Consulting & Training completed by Polk County DUI Lawyer
On Friday, I attended a seminar specifically dealing with the Intoxilyzer 8000, the official Breath Test machine used in Florida. Prosecutors like to call the machine a breath test instrument, but we all know it's a machine with many problems and short comings. By attending these seminars, it allows me to keep up to date...
Read MoreNTSB porposes lowering the legal limit in DUI cases to 0.05 from 0.08
Last week, the NTSB proposed lowering the legal limit for Driving Under the Influence cases from 0.08 to 0.05. In Florida, the legal limit is 0.08. Also in Florida, a driver with a breath alcohol under 0.05 is presumed to not be impaired. The NTSB feels that lowering the limit would help cut down on...
Read MoreRefusing to submit to a breath test can be a separate criminal offense in Florida
Many Floridians do not realize that refusing to take a breathalyzer test is considered a separate criminal offense. It is not a DUI defense. It may come as a shock to Florida drivers who are stopped for suspicion of driving while under the influence (DUI), but if they refuse to give a breath sample, the...
Read MorePolk county DUI arrested by Florida Highway Patrol
Friday, I had a "Formal Review" for a Polk County sheriff DUI case. The hearing was held at the Florida Highway Patrol station in Lakeland in one of the FHP strategy meeting rooms. On the bulletin board of the room was written the following: The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is arresting a lot more drivers...
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