Navarre Criminal Defense Lawyers

Protect Your Future with a Respected Florida Defense Firm

Trusted and respected counsel is of the utmost importance when fighting criminal charges. Listed among the Top Criminal & DUI Defense Lawyers by Newsweek and a ranking member in Florida’s Super Lawyers® list, the team at Musca Law is one you can rely on. Our Navarre criminal defense lawyers aggressively defend our clients and aim to dismiss as many charges as possible. To discuss your defense options, call our office (850) 303-7199 for a free consult. Available 24/7.

Criminal Attorneys in Santa Rosa County

Criminal charges can threaten a person’s job, family stability, liberty, reputation, and financial well-being, but our Navarre criminal defense attorneys with over 150 years of combined experience provide aggressive opposition to the full range of criminal offenses, such as:

• Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
• Boating Under the Influence (BUI)
• DUI Manslaughter 
• Sexual Crimes
• Domestic Violence
• Child Pornography
• Theft Offenses
• Serious Traffic Offenses
• Drug Offenses
• Violent Crimes
• White Collar Crimes
• Concealed Weapons
• Public Corruption
• Federal Crimes
• Possession of Stolen Property
• Juvenile Crimes
• Probation Violation
• Disorderly Conduct
• Obstruction of Justice
• Expungement

We Know Florida Law

After an arrest and hearing, a list of all charges you may have a number of questions. A primary charge is often packed on with numerous, vague, accompanying charges. Do not assume anything. The sooner you seek legal counsel, the better prepared you are to defend yourself. We know the various techniques used by the courts and law enforcement to entrap defendants into appearing guilty. Our representation can give clients a chance to clearly state their side of things without having their words twisted.

Musca Law’s attorneys have helped clients with the following cases:

• DUI – Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a serious offense. There are several defenses for a DUI, including an examination of how the defendant’s impairment was determined. Work with a team certified in Breathalyzer operation.
• Obstructing justice – This charge alleges that a defendant resisted the arresting officer(s) in some manner. These charges are not always cut and dry. There are several innocent actions an officer can misinterpret as resistance. An attorney can help you explain your side of things to the court.
• Dealing in stolen property – This is defined as knowingly dealing, selling, or trafficking stolen property. This charge can warrant serious jail time. The burden of proof is on the prosecution and a good defense attorney has experience debunking these accusations.
• Expungement – Expungement is the process of removing criminal history from your record. This does not remove your guilt after a verdict has been reached, but rather argues to the court that your good name should not be tainted for years to come for a one-time mistake. Expungement is a difficult process and an experienced attorney’s counsel is invaluable.

Our belief is that unless we truly know our clients and care for them as people facing life-changing problems, we will not be able to get the results they need. That’s why we take a personal approach to defense – to fight for the best outcome possible on our clients’ behalf. Our commitment to our clients is what makes us the best criminal defense team in the state. When you have the Musca Law defense team on your side, you can rest assured that you are in safe hands. Our clients hire us because we have spent the last seventeen years developing proven strategies for ensuring that our clients walk away with the best possible results. We believe that every individual is entitled to a fair trial and the best defense available to them, and this belief is the foundation of our practice. Our team approaches each case with an aggressive defense strategy aimed at dismissing or greatly reducing the charges. At Musca Law, we understand the challenges facing our clients as they seek to defend their case. Our Navarre criminal attorneys will work tirelessly on your behalf, making sure that every detail has been thoroughly examined.

Santa Rosa County DUI Lawyers

Florida Statute §316.193 constitutes a DUI (driving under the influence) offense as driving or controlling a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher, or driving while mentally or physically impaired. Penalties for conviction of a DUI offense can include jail or prison time, having your drivers license revoked, mandatory DUI classes, probation, large fines, and other consequences. If you find yourself being pulled over on suspicion of a DUI, we recommend taking the following steps to ensure the best possible outcome:

• Keep your hands clearly visible to the officer at all times.
• If the officer continue to question you, request to speak to an attorney before answering any further questions.
• Politely decline the use of a breathalyzer by asking if the results are 100% accurate. This cannot be confirmed, giving you reason to deny the test.
• Ask if you are free to leave.

While you may not be able to prevent your arrest, it may help limit the evidence used against you in court by the prosecution. If you are arrested, reach out to the Navarre criminal attorneys at Musca Law to defend your case and fight for your charges to be dropped or greatly reduced.

Navarre Domestic Violence Attorneys

Our domestic violence lawyers in Navarre understand the significant impact that a domestic violence accusation can have on your life. Often times, these accusations come up during a divorce or child custody battle as a weapon to be used against the accused. In cases such as these, every detail must be meticulously examined and an aggressive defense employed. If you’ve found yourself accused of domestic violence in Navarre, contact our team immediately to begin gathering evidence for your case. Time is of the essence with cases such as these, so do not wait to begin investing in your best defense. Domestic violence accusations can affect your work life, employment prospects, family relationships, or get you kicked out of your home. If this is already happening to you, it’s time to fight back and get control of your life again.

Navarre Criminal Defense Attorneys

If you have been accused of a federal crime, drug crime, sex crime, DUI, or a criminal charge of any other kind, the criminal defense attorneys at Musca Law are prepared to take on your case. Our office is available 24/7 to evaluate your case and determine how we can help. Let us begin building an aggressive defense for you today.

Learn How We Can Help Your Case

Our Navarre criminal defense attorneys offer free case evaluations so you can get a clear understanding of your potential consequences, the seriousness of your charges, and your legal options. We have a large team with over 150 years of combined experience and knowledge of Florida law.

Accessory After the Fact

According to Florida law, the crime of accessory after the fact has taken place when someone hides, offers help to, or otherwise assist any person who is not related to them who is known to have committed a felony, with the intent of the criminal being able to evade or elude capture, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment.

Related Person Exemption

A person is not able to be charged as an accessory after the fact if they are related to the suspect as a wife, husband, grandparent, parent, grandchild, child, sister, or brother by marriage or by blood, although an aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or cousin is able to be charged as an accessory after the fact, despite the fact that they are also related to the suspect by marriage or blood.

Child Abuse Exception

Outside of the related person exemption anyone, related or not, may be later charged as an accessory if the original felony charge concerns child neglect, child abuse, or the death of a child.

Penalties for Accessory After the Fact

Accessory after the fact is a secondary, or derivative crime. This means that the courts will derive the appropriate penalties for the charge based on the underlying felony that was committed. The penalties for a charge of accessory after the fact will hinge on whether the original felony was a:

• First-degree felony
• Second-degree felony
• Third-degree felony
• Life felony
• Capital felony

Criminal Mischief

In accordance with the law in the state of Florida, the crime of criminal mischief, known more commonly as vandalism, has taken place when someone deliberately and viciously degrades or damages the personal property of another person.

Defenses to Criminal Mischief

Along with the typical pretrial defenses and trial defenses that are able to be mounted in just about all criminal cases, a unique defense to the crime of criminal mischief is that of unintentional damage. A guilty verdict for criminal mischief will not be handed down, provided that the personal property was degraded or damaged inadvertently while an entirely different crime was being committed.

A common example is when someone attempts to throw an object like a baseball at someone else but misses completely and accidentally breaks someone else’s window that was behind the proposed ball-catcher. The clear intention of hitting the other person may not also be deemed an intention to break the person’s window.

Firearms and Weapons Crimes

Certain laws in Florida deem many actions that pertain to the buying, owning or using firearms or weapons.

A few of the most frequently committed firearms and firearm weapons offenses are.

• Carrying a concealed weapon
• Carrying a concealed firearm
• Improper Exhibition of a Dangerous Firearm or Weapon
• Possession or Discharge of Destructive Device
• Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

Weapons Enhancements vs Weapons Offenses

It is crucial to understand that weapon offense laws only encompass technical firearm and weapon specific crimes. These crimes include any actions that characterize specific crimes that have taken place through the simple fact that someone erringly owned, bought, or used a firearm or a weapon. These laws are in an entirely separate category from the laws that deal with firearms and weapons enhancements.

A charge with enhancements will either worsen the punishment for a crime or if the firearm or weapon is utilized during the perpetration of a criminal act, for instance, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, robbery, or other violent offenses, then it will earn a mandatory minimum prison sentence.

The single most well-known firearms or weapons enhancement in the state of Florida is referred to as 10-20-Life. This law gives rise to a mandatory minimum state prison sentence in the event that a firearm is present, fired, or someone gets shot or killed from the use of a firearm during the perpetration of various violent crimes.

10-20-Life Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

The 10-20-Life sentencing for a charge of weapons enhancements means:

• You carried a firearm: A mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in state prison
• You discharged a firearm:  A mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in state prison
• You shot and/or killed someone; A mandatory minimum sentence of anywhere from 25 years to life in state prison

First Time Criminal Offenders

If this is the first time that you have ever been charged with a crime, then you are probably under a great deal of pressure and are overcome with fear by the potential outcome of your situation. Luckily, your absence of a criminal past offers us a fantastic bargaining chip that we can use to your advantage and help us settle your predicament successfully, which ideally means that our Navarre criminal defense attorneys were able to have your first criminal charges abandoned, reduced, or dropped altogether.

Pre-Filing an Intervention With the State

Your arrest is just the first action in the process of formally charging someone. What this means is that there is still a possibility that we will be able to get your case tossed out.

At its core, a police report is just a fancy complaint that is accusing you of criminal conduct. Simply because the police report has been documented; this does not automatically mean that the state is going to proceed with the charges.

Even if the prosecuting attorney feels like the case against you is solid, there are still defensive measures that our Florida criminal defense attorneys can take, such as finding vindicatory evidence and hearing witness testimonies. By taking these steps, we might be capable of convincing the state to throw out your case or ask for substantially reduced charges.

What Do I Do if Formal Charges Against Me are Filed?

In the event that formal charges are actually filed against you, we still have an opportunity to work out an agreement that will result in either your case getting dismissed or an outcome which will enable you to apply for the sealing or expungement of your criminal record down the road.

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