The Umansky Law Firm

A 23-year-old US Army private is being held without bail in the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach for allegedly stealing a military Humvee. He is charged with grand theft for the theft from Fort Stewart in Georgia.

Authorities claim the private ran out of gas and was pulled over on the side of I-95 early Tuesday morning. An officer approached what he believed to be a stranded motorist. The private was found sitting in the Humvee and had only his military identification card and no driver's license. He claimed he was taking the Humvee to Fort Lauderdale.

The officer alleges he became suspicious because the private did not have orders, a government fuel card, and was dressed in civilian clothing. The private was taken to a hotel and the Humvee towed until the story could be verified.

When authorities received word that the vehicle was stolen from the military base, the private was arrested. He is also going to be charged with absent without leave (AWOL) by the army.

It seems a bit harsh to hold this young man without bail over a stolen vehicle. Perhaps the local authorities are waiting for the military to come get him, but it is not as if he murdered someone. Rather than treating all those who allegedly break the law the same, there are degrees and everyone has the right to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

If you or a family member has been charged with grand theft, please contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers at the Umansky Law Firm. We serve clients in the Orange County and Orlando, Florida area, as well as the state of Florida.

A 26-year-old man in training to become a state correctional officer was arrested and charged with burglary and criminal mischief in Celebration last Saturday morning.

Authorities were called to a home burglary and found the alleged burglar nearby. He told deputies a confusing story, in which he was having problems with his girlfriend, was insecure and was looking for another "lady friend." Allegedly, he was lost in Celebration, so he knocked on three different doors.

He said his hormones were confusing him, and was hoping a woman answered the door so he could "seduce her." The alleged burglar also told deputies he returned to one house to watch the woman inside and allegedly thought about sexually assaulting her. He said he had broken into homes in the past and stolen items from them.

After explaining and confessing all of this to the deputies, the alleged burglar recanted everything, claiming he was nervous about losing his job.

Residents inside one of the homes allegedly heard someone knocking on their front door early in the morning. When they answered the door, they said a man claimed he was lost in Celebration. They gave him directions out, but later heard loud noises, described as someone attempting to open the door. The residents then set off the home alarm and called 911. When deputies found the alleged burglar nearby, he was apparently very cooperative with their investigation.

He is being held at the Osceola County Jail on $100,000 bail for burglary and $250 for the criminal mischief charge.

If you have been charged with burglary or theft in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm.

Authorities say the father and former stepmother of Haleigh Cummings have been arrested and charged with trafficking prescription drugs in Putnam County. Haleigh Cummings' disappearance from her father's doublewide trailer last year when she was five made national headlines. There has been no sign of her since she was reported missing.

Twenty-six-year-old Ronald Cummings, who made several television appeals for his daughter's return, and 18-year-old Misty Croslin were among five people arrested in a drug sting. They face a minimum-mandatory sentence of 25 years in state prison for multiple counts of trafficking medical prescription drugs. The month long investigation involved the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, as well as other federal officials.

According to deputy sheriffs, an undercover detective allegedly purchased almost $4000 worth of drugs from Cummings and Croslin, as well as three other people. Croslin faces six counts of trafficking in prescription medication and is being held on $950,000 bail. Cummings faces three counts of the same charge and is being held on $500,000 bail. The other three each face one count and are also being held on bail.

Last October, Croslin was allegedly robbed while attempting to buy drugs in Palatka. After Haleigh Cummings disappearance, she and Ronald Cummings got married, but soon divorced.

If you have been arrested on a drug charge in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial consultation.

A 19-year-old man is under arrest, charged with multiple counts of burglary and grand-theft. He has been linked to at least nine car burglaries in the Clermont and Minneola area.

In one burglary, an unmarked Ocoee Police vehicle door was opened by the suspect who took a Taser from a police belt. The suspect then allegedly discharged the Taser into his foot and shocked himself. However, this apparently didn't dissuade the man from then removing two sets of handcuffs, a nightstick, two magazines and a digital camera.

Later, the hapless suspect locked himself up with the stolen handcuffs and had to call authorities to get him out of them.

Police learned the suspect of the police vehicle break in was staying with friends. At an apartment they found some of the stolen objects, but not the suspect. However, he was apparently taken into custody shortly after that. On the way to the police station, the suspect allegedly asked police if his arrest was about the Taser incident.

The suspect allegedly told authorities that he was supposed to meet someone in Clermont and saw a light on in a car. He looked inside and saw the police belt and took the Taser and the other objects. He then allegedly entered several other cars and took cameras and an iPod. He alleges that others were also involved in "car hopping," or going around and pulling on door handles.

If you have been charged with theft in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential consultation.

A 78-year-old Florida grandmother spent 15 days in jail after she was arrested for driving with a suspended license in November. She was initially pulled over in September for driving too slowly and given a ticket then for driving with a suspended or revoked license. A judge then issued an arrest warrant for her when she did not show up for a court appearance. The criminal charge carried a penalty of $1000 fine and up to a year in jail.

However, ten days after the woman was given her ticket, she received a letter from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that stated her driving privileges were being restored upon further review. The problem is that this letter was referring to another incident the woman was involved in. Why should she have gone to court when she received a letter saying everything was okay?

In November, police came to her house and arrested her. She told the Miami Herald that they treated her as if she had killed someone. At her initial court appearance, public defenders failed to show and there was not assistant public defender to meet with her at the Broward County Jail. The pretrial services division found she was eligible for pretrial release on her own recognizance on the morning of her initial court appearance; she never let the judge know this, though.

Fifteen days after she was arrested at her December 2 arraignment, charges were dropped against her by the prosecutors. The judge saw a 78-year-old woman handcuffed and chained and released her and reportedly said, "I think she's suffered enough at our system's mistakes."

If you have been pulled over and given a citation, but you are unclear about what it means, or if you have been arrested on a warrant, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial free consultation.

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath's 19-year-old daughter, Olivia, was pulled over for speeding in Jupiter, Florida on Sunday, January 10. The law enforcement officer allegedly smelled marijuana when checking her ID and, when another officer arrived, Namath and two men with her were pulled from the vehicle.

When the officers searched the Mercedes, they allegedly found a bag on the driver's side floor board that tested positive for marijuana. A search of the trunk revealed over 200 more grams of marijuana in baggies. Also found was an open bottle of rum and several cans of beer.

Namath has denied any knowledge of the marijuana, but claims no one else had access to the trunk of her car. She has been charged with two counts of possession of marijuana, with one count of intent to sell, and one count of possession of alcohol by a minor.

Namath was released on a $3000 bond.

If you or a loved one is facing a drug charge or a minor in possession charge in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial confidential and free consultation.

Two men who were charged with mortgage fraud pleaded guilty in Orlando court on Tuesday, January 5. The two were swept up as part of a federal crackdown that began two months ago in Central Florida. Prosecutors claim this was in response to a large number of complaints of mortgage fraud in the area.

One of the men owned a company and the other was a loss-mitigation negotiator. The loss-mitigation negotiator was part of a short-sale scheme with a fellow employee. The two worked with legitimate lenders, title agents, real estate agents, and home buyers on short sales. The homes were negotiated with mortgages for nearly 90 percent of the mortgaged value of the property. The sales were then reported as being approved at 80 percent of the value. The payoff checks were endorsed by the defendant's coworker, and then his girlfriend would retain any amount over the 80 percent of the closing value.

The second defendant was charged for recruiting people, including his relatives, to allegedly buy homes in Florida with fraudulent loan applications. The loans allowed the group to buy nine properties and obtain nearly $4 million. All loans were defaulted on.

Each of these men faces five years in prison and $250,000 fines.

Authorities say that over 100 people have been charged for mortgage fraud in the area stretching from Fort Meyers to Jacksonville, including 20 in the Orlando area alone.

If you have been charged with fraud in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for free and confidential case consultation.

A Polk County sheriff's deputy was found passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle and charged with allegedly driving under the influence. The deputy was off-duty at the time and was found in his Jeep with the engine running.

The 37-year-old deputy was given field sobriety tests and then arrested when he failed them. He was taken to the Polk County Jail where he refused to submit to a breath test. As a result of these actions, he has been suspended pending what the internal investigation concludes.

It can be argued that people tend to hold police officers to a higher standard than others and, in many ways, people hold them up as models for decency and justice. However, it can also be argued that police officers are simply human. More media reports might bear this out, as well.

What this only means is that they are as likely to make mistakes as anyone else. Sure, they might be seen as role models for kids to follow, but they also have incredibly stressful jobs and studies have shown they carry those jobs off duty as much as they do while they're on. All this leads to classic self-destructive behavior. Bear in mind that this obviously does not affect all police officers.

Rather than judge the fact that a sheriff's deputy, who may know the laws about drinking and driving better than his neighbors do, got caught in a situation that smacks of irony, it might be best to understand this is simply a man who made a mistake. If the DUI charge sticks, this man may lose his job, as well as his standing among his family, friends and neighbors. This is something quite a few people from all walks of life can understand.

If you have been charged with driving under the influence in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial case consultation.