The Umansky Law Firm

Luis Vizcaino, relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, was pulled over on Monday, October 27, in Tampa for allegedly driving under the influence. He was caught going 71 mph in a 45 mph zone in a red 2009 Cadillac CTS. Vizcaino is a native of St. Petersburg.

After being flagged by police, he allegedly failed a field sobriety test, blowing a 0.084 and a 0.087 and there was the smell of alcohol on his breath. He was then arrested and charged with DUI.

Many Floridians may believe they can drive just fine after drinking, but drinking and driving can have serious consequences if you are pulled over by the police. If you have been charged with a DUI in Orlando, Orange County, or anywhere else in Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for an initial and confidential case evaluation.

Attorney William Umansky recently represented a client who was charged with causing a traffic accident. It was alleged the client blew through an intersection, hitting another vehicle. Mr. Umansky asked only one question of the police officer and one of the victim. The judge issued a ruling of not guilty after only 30 seconds of deliberation.

Although traffic accidents happen every day, even a minor one can take points off your license. You may also be accused of causing an accident, even though it may be clear you weren't the offending party.

If you have been charged with a traffic violation in Orange County, Orlando, or any other part of Florida, please contact the experienced traffic violation attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial consultation.

Attorney Zahra Umansky recently represented a client charged with driving under the influence and refusal to take a breath test. Our client, a college student, stopped in the middle of the street to ask a police officer a question. The client was found to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and had open beers in his vehicle. He was arrested after failing the field sobriety test. At a motion to suppress hearing, the state had trouble bringing forth evidence to establish probable cause for arresting our client and dropped the charges.

If you are in the Orlando or Orange County, Florida area, and have been charged with a DUI, please contact the experienced DUI defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation.

A student caused an explosion in his dorm room by allegedly trying to cook methamphetamine at UCF. The explosion occurred just before midnight on Sunday, October 19. When the student's dorm-mates heard the explosion they called police. By the time the police arrived, smoke was pouring from beneath the door. A smoke alarm alerted the Orange County Fire Rescue.

When the authorities were finally able to get into the student's room, they found broken glass and matches scattered across the floor, and prescription medicine and razorblades on the student's desk. A humidifier was found hooked up to a heating plate. Police allege the equipment was being used as a "methamphetamine lab/cooker."

The student arrived a short time later and was arrested. He allegedly told police that he had an addiction and when he couldn't find a supplier, he decided to cook up the meth for personal use. He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson, manufacturing a controlled substance within a 1,000 feet of a college and sale or delivery of a controlled substance.

College is a time where many people just begin to figure out who they are. However, most students don't expect to wind up facing the serious charges this student is. If you have been charged for any type of drug offense in Orlando, Orange County, or anywhere else in Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for an initial and confidential consultation.

A young woman who was a restaurant manager allegedly hit a bouncer with her purse during a group fight outside a club. She was charged with Battery and Resisting an Officer without Violence. This was due to the client allegedly becoming belligerent and refusing to back away from a police officer sent to investigate the fight.

The group fight involved our client's friend, who was a victim in the altercation, and then the target of the police. Because the client wouldn't back down, she was charged with Battery and Resisting, both first degree misdemeanors.

The day of the trial, attorney Gary Schwartz convinced the Orlando prosecutor to drop the charge after supplying the prosecutor with civilian witnesses who testified the client was never in possession of the purse, and was merely trying to tell the police officer that her friend had been jumped by a large group. They also testified that the police officer overreacted by pointing his Taser at her.

Ultimately, the state saw that the Defendant was an innocent witness to a huge fracas and dropped both charges. 

If you are in the Orlando or Orange County, Florida and have been charged with a misdemeanor, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for a free, initial and confidential case evaluation.

Cannabis or marijuana is illegal in the state of Florida and is heavily prosecuted in the central Florida areas of Orlando, Avalon park, Stoneybrook, Heathrow, Celebration, Gotha, Winter Park, Windermere, Kissimmee, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Tuscawilla, St. Cloud, Clermont, Bartow and in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard and Lake County. Hiring a lawyer is a smart option if you are caught or arrested and charged with possession of marijuana as it can be a felony if you are caught possessing more than 20 grams of the plant.

Most people know what marijuana looks like: The mix of buds, crushed or shredded leaves, stems, and seeds that is usually greenish in color. It comes from the hemp plant called cannabis sativa. The main active ingredient in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Marijuana is a popular drug in the U.S., and is abused far more than any other illegal drug. It is prevalent throughout the Orlando area.

Abusing Marijuana

Marijuana can be smoked as a joint, in a pipe or bowl, or bong. Blunts are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and filled with marijuana. Cigars retain their tobacco leaves, and the nicotine mixes with marijuana and other chemicals when it is smoked as a blunt. Marijuana can also be brewed as a tea or mixed into brownies and other food.

Impact on the Brain

When an individual smokes marijuana, the THC is absorbed from the lungs into the blood. This carries it to the brain and other organs. Cannabinoid receptors in the brain create the "high" that people experience when smoking marijuana. The parts of the brain that have the most cannabinoid receptors include those that have something to do with concentration, memory, thought, sensation, and give us the perception of time.

THC's effect on these parts of the brain may cause distortions in perception, crate problems with learning and memory, and impair coordination. The effects of the drug may harm learning and memory for weeks after its use and they finally wear off. Long-term effects of marijuana abuse have some of the same changes on the brain as other major drugs do.

Abusing marijuana can lead to addiction, which will affect social interaction, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-time abusers have noted anxiety, decreases in appetite, insomnia, and irritability. Their craving for the drug also makes quitting very difficult.

Adverse Effects on the Body

Contrary to popular belief, marijuana contains carcinogens and is a lung irritant. Studies have shown marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Individuals who abuse marijuana may have some of the same respiratory problems tobacco smokers do, such as a regular cough and phlegm production, bronchial infections, and a greater chance of suffering from bronchial obstructions. Chronic bronchitis can be a dangerous health condition.

Treatment After Arrests for Smoking Marijuana

Behavioral therapy, including cognitive techniques and motivational incentives (such as providing vouchers for goods or services to patients who remain drug free) have shown to be effective in treating marijuana addiction. Though there are no medications currently available in treating marijuana addiction, recent discoveries about the workings of the cannabinoid system offer promise for future drug development to help ease withdrawal, block the intoxicating effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse.

If You are Arrested in Florida

If you are arrested in Orlando, Clermont, Winter Park or any other Central Florida area, call an attorney who is experienced in marijuana, cannabis or hash cases. Hiring an experienced attorney may be critical to the outcome of the case as you or your loved one may face driver's license suspension, probation or in some cases jail time. If you have been charged or arrested for possession of marijuana or cannabis in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Avalon Park, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Celebration, Kissimmee, or in Orange, Lake, Seminole, Brevard or Osceola County, call us at 407-228-3838 or contact us via email today. Let our former prosecutors help you today!

Imagine looking for items at a store while you are with your kids. You are busy shopping for your favorite item, watching three of your children, talking on the cell phone and looking for school supplies as well. While talking on your cell phone with your mother, you pick up an item and place it in your shopping cart and do not give a second thought to it. You continue shopping and go to pay for the items in your cart. You pay the cashier and proceed to go through the check out line to your car.

Immediately you are surrounded by security officers who confront you, and take you back to their loss prevention office. They accuse you of theft, call you horrible names and do not let you move from their custody for over an hour until the police arrive. You adamantly deny having taken anything and that if there was an unpaid for item you were unaware of it and the clerk did not mention anything. After making you wait over an hour in an isolated room that is in the back part of the store you become anxious and afraid so you tell them you did it accidentally so you can get out of their office. The loss prevention officer who is not a police officer tells you that the police will be on their way to arrest you unless you admit to stealing the items. Scared of the arrest, you tell them what they want you to say. The cops arrive and question the loss prevention officer and they never bother to ask you what happened. At this point they arrest you or issue you a notice to appear in court. Either way you have just entered the criminal justice system.

Now you are facing a crime that has implications for your integrity, your career and your life. If this ever happens it can be a horrible experience especially based on an honest mistake or a forgetful or a distracted moment. The judge can impose penalties such as a driver license suspension, court fines, probation, theft courses and in some cases jail time. Many stores such as Kohl's, Winn Dixie, Target, Office Max, Dilliard's, Bebe, The Gap, Publix, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Sak's, Disney World, Universal Studios, J.C. Penny's, Albertson's, Sears, Belz outlet, Millennium Mall, and Florida Mall hire aggressive loss prevention officers who are not going to listen to your side of the story and are protected by a Florida law from being sued in many circumstances.

Fortunately, if this is your first offense you may be eligible for a first offender program such as pretrial diversion or intervention that can result in your charges being dropped by the state of Florida. If you get in and complete the conditions, your charges may get dropped and then you can hire an attorney to expunge your records.

The attorneys and lawyers at the Umansky Law Firm are experienced with these types of theft and shoplifting cases and will work hard to protect your rights and seek the best resolution for your case. If you desire, our attorneys and lawyers will go to a jury trial and explain to the jury that you did not willfully steal any items but rather made a mistake or were distracted if those are indeed the circumstances.

If you are arrested in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard or Volusia county or in communities such as Orlando, Windermere, Winter Park, Longwood, Kissimmee, Clermont, Altamonte Springs, Avalon Park, Stoneybrook, or any other Central Florida community, call us at 407-228-3838 today. The consultation is free and we will try hard to help you in a bad situation. Call or email us today!

A body found in a park in White Plains, New York contained 50 packets of heroin. It is believed the person died when one of the packets broke open inside him due to the fact that there were no visible signs of trauma on his body. The heroin was found during the unidentified man's autopsy and is worth an estimated $100,000.

Police believe the man may have been a drug mule who traveled from the Dominican Republic. They do not believe it was the expectant drug dealers who put the man in the suitcase since they would most likely have removed the heroin before getting rid of the body.

The body was discovered by a parks worker who found the black canvas suitcase at the entrance to the park. The employee thought it abandoned and when he went to remove it, the victim's leg popped out. Police have not been able to identify who the man is.

This case shows one of the ugliest downsides of trafficking drugs in the country. Florida is a major hub for trafficking not only in the southeastern part of the country, but in the country as a whole.

If you have been arrested for drug possession or trafficking in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, please contact the criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation.

A guest in town for a world peace conference was robbed while sitting at a Lake Mary Hampton Inn on Monday morning. Police say the suspect took a tour of the hotel then walked out to the pool area. He ordered the victim to the ground and then stole his wallet, keys, computer and iPhone. The suspect then jumped the pool wall and took off in a dark blue Ford Expedition.

Police claim that crime is up overall in Seminole County. While those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law may be let off easier if they are first time offenders, those who have been charged more than once may see their freedom vanish for years to come. Even if you are not sent to prison, engaging in criminal activity can affect your freedom in other ways including:

• Fines and court costs
  
• Loss of scholarships or professional and occupational licenses
  
• Loss of drivers license
  
• Probation
  
• Counseling
  
• Permanent misdemeanor or felony on your record
  
• Loss of right to vote
  

If you have been accused of a crime in Orange County or the Orlando, Florida area, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm. We offer a free and confidential initial evaluation of your case.

Former Denver Bronco Travis Henry was arrested on Tuesday, September 30, as he left his house with a duffel bag full of cocaine. Federal authorities had been watching him for two weeks after arresting a Montana man who led them to Henry after agreeing to become an informant. As Henry left his Centennial, Colorado home, he was approached by authorities and tried to run.

Henry was charged yesterday on a charge of conspiring to distribute and possess cocaine. If convicted, Henry and an associate may be fined $4 million and face a minimum of ten years and up to life in federal prison.

Henry played one season with the Broncos, but was plagued by injuries. He also failed a marijuana test and faced a year suspension. He beat the suspension, but was let go by the Broncos in June.

Florida is a hub for cocaine distribution, and many people have found themselves caught up in trafficking and then sent to prison after being charged. Don't let a drug charge ruin your life.

If you have been arrested in Orange County or the Orlando, Florida area for drug distribution or possession, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for an initial confidential case evaluation.