Gainesville Criminal Defense Law Blog

A High Springs, Florida, man was arrested Friday for allegedly hitting his son-in-law while responding to a confrontation between the man's daughter and his son-in-law. He now faces domestic violence charges.

According to a news report, a woman and her husband were having an argument about Facebook conversations they each were having with old girlfriends and boyfriends. The wife felt that she needed to call her father, and after she called him, he came right over to the house.

You have been charged with a crime in Gainesville or elsewhere in Alachua County. You've attended your First Appearance hearing where a judge has set a bond or other pre-trial restrictions that you must follow. Many people are left with the question of their case goes from here.

Cases fall under the Circuit Court if the charge is a Felony. Felonies are crimes that may result in a sentence of more than one year of imprisonment or, in certain cases, by capital punishment. Cases fall under the County Court if the charge is a Misdemeanor, a crime that may result in a sentence of up to one year in the county jail. Both of these types of cases are heard in the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center, located at 220 South Main Street in Gainesville.

In both the Circuit and County Courts of Alachua County, cases are assigned to judges based on the first letter of your, the defendant's, last name. This assignment is done AFTER your First Appearance. The assigned judge will preside on all pre-trial hearings and conferences through the disposition, also known as the result, of your case, including trial. While assignment may vary on a case-by-case basis due to a judge's absence or the circumstances of your case, assignment is ordered as followed:

Circuit (Felony) Court

Division I (Last Names A-E) Honorable Mark W. Moseley
Division II (Last Names F-K) Honorable James P. Nilon
Division III (Last Names L-R) Honorable Ysleta McDonald
Division IV (Last Names S-Z) Honorable David A. Glant

County (Misdemeanor) Court

Criminal Division I (Last Names A-G) Honorable Thomas M. Jaworski
Criminal Division II (Last Names H-N) Honorable Denise R. Ferrero
Criminal Division III (Last Names O-Z) Honorable Walter M. Green

These assignments change from time to time so it is important to check back for regular updates. While anyone can tell you which judge will be assigned to your case, the attorneys at Silverman, Vorhis & Doan have the experience and expertise to tell you what to expect from which judge, including which one is nick named "Father Time" and which one almost always sentences people charged with burglary to prison (a sentence in excess of one year) time. That is information that is vital to your case and can't be looked up. That is why it is vital to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney with local experience. To speak to an experienced criminal attorney, call the Law Office of Silverman, Vorhis & Doan at 352-337-8373 today or click here to contact us.

As technology advances and the lines between public and private information are blurred, the privacy rights that are guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the Constitution are becoming increasingly difficult to discern. Most Floridians are aware that the government needs a warrant to search your home, but is the government allowed to track you 24 hours a day with GPS technology in Florida?

This week, the Supreme Court addressed this question for the country. The court was examining the case of a suspected drug kingpin, who had been sentenced to life in prison for felony drug charges after prosecutors monitored him with a GPS device that was attached to his Jeep.

Felony charges are very serious. For a student, a conviction of felony charges has a significant impact on future opportunities for education and work. This is why it is important that those charged with crimes have dedicated criminal law attorneys on their side.

The futures of many University of Georgia and Gainesville State College students are in jeopardy as they are being investigated for their involvement in a large-scale fake ID ring.