Tampa Criminal Lawyer Blog
Chinese food takeout driver Stan Worby, 39, can be said to be West Yorkshire, England’s very own version of Bruce Wayne for his actions last Monday morning. Worby, after attending a soccer game dressed in full Batman attire, brought a man wanted for handling stolen goods and fraud to the police station and told the officers in his presence that he had “caught this one for you.” At the time Batman left ,he failed to give his information and vanished into the night, much like the superhero for whom he was dressed.
It is reported that the man delivered by the Caped Crusader was on the lamb for a while with British authorities making diligent inquiry locally in an effort to apprehend him. The equivalent Tampa criminal charges for which he was wanted in merry ole England would likely be dealing in stolen property and perhaps scheme to defraud though it’s impossible to speculate without the specific facts. For argument’s sake, a Tampa criminal lawyer would have to defend on accusations that one trafficked in or endeavored to traffic in property that he or she knew to be stolen. Florida Statute 812.019 governs dealing in stolen property and a conviction for a charge of the like can be a second-degree felony, or a first-degree felony if the individual is found to be an organizer in the scheme. A Tampa criminal attorney must overcome proof that one actually engaged in a scheme to defraud someone out of property or anything of value. Depending on the monetary value of the property at issue will be the level of felony charged. As with any other theft related crime, the higher the value of the subject of the crime the more serious the charge will be. Scheme to Defraud is governed by Florida Statute 817.034. Lastly, depending on whether the wanted man was previously issued a bond after initial arrest, he could be subject to similar repercussions as Florida’s Failure to Appear Statute provides. In Florida, under 843.15, if one is arrested and posts a bond and then fails to appear they can be guilty of a third degree felony if their initial crime was a felony, or a first degree misdemeanor if their original charge was a misdemeanor.
As a practical matter it is always a bit more difficult for Tampa criminal lawyers to negotiate pretrial release and plea deals when their client has been on the run. Not every jurisdiction has Batman and often it is possible for those accused of a crime to abscond for many years before being hailed back into court. Not only will a lengthy failure to appear likely result in additional charges, it could result in an individual’s arrest at the least opportune time. Our Tampa criminal attorneys are experienced in dealing with failures to appear, the charges that attach to them, and how to expedite the resolution of all matters associated with them. Contact our office today for a free consultation at 813-444-7435.