The Umansky Law Firm

While it isn't necessarily news that will help the late singer of the Doors, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist may offer an official pardon for Jim Morrison for indecent exposure. Morrison was convicted of exposing himself on stage at a notorious Miami Key Auditorium concert on March 1, 1969.

During the show, Morrison allegedly was drunk and swearing at the audience. While this was par for the course at a Doors concert, Morrison then took the show a step further by allegedly unzipping his pants and simulating a sex act.

Morrison was acquitted of lascivious behavior and drunkenness, but was convicted of indecent exposure and open profanity. He was sentenced to six months in jail. However, he was appealing the verdict when he died in Paris, France at age 27 from a drug overdose in 1971.

Gov. Crist, who has said is a fan of the Doors, is now looking to pardon Morrison. While fans of the Doors have long sought a pardon, no Florida governor has been willing to grant Morrison one. Gov. Crist said he felt compelled to get involved in the case after reviewing the file. He states, "What I do know is that if someone hasn't committed a crime that should be recognized."

Gov. Crist must get at least two members of the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to agree to a pardon.

Morrison was born in Florida and spent some of his childhood here. Yes, he's become another legendary rock musician who lived fast and died young, but he was also someone who may have been falsely accused
of a crime. No matter who you are, you deserve the right to a vigorous defense in a court of law.

If you have been charged with a crime 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 case consultation.

Five students at Columbia University in New York are facing serious drug charges after police there broke up what they are calling a drug ring. The students allegedly sold LSD-spiked candy and other drugs to three fraternity houses and other residences around the campus.

New York law enforcement has said this is one of the largest drug busts on a New York City college campus in recent memory. The students were all arrested at dawn on Tuesday, December 7.

The arrests came after a five-month investigation, which the police dubbed "Operation Ivy League." They allegedly used an undercover agent posing as a middleman for another college outside of the city. The officer then allegedly made over 30 purchases of LSD, marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy, and prescription drugs. The investigation led authorities to drug traffickers in Brooklyn and the East Village. One of the traffickers was charged with plotting to kidnap his rival dealers and hold them for ransom.

Most of the students' drug customers seem to have been other students and friends who bought small amounts for recreational use. The suspects are all between the ages of 20 and 22, and were majoring in a variety of areas, including engineering and biology. One of them had applied to graduate school. One of the students allegedly told police he was selling drugs to pay for his tuition.

There are dozens of colleges and universities in the state of Florida, and it would be naïve to believe that this kind of thing isn't going on around these campuses. Florida is, after all, a major drug hub. It's likely that a few of the students at these institutions of higher learning may be trying to pay for their education by dealing drugs. It will be extremely unfortunate if these students are arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

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

At least ten residential burglaries that allegedly took place last summer in the Kissimmee area have been solved according to Osceola police. Seven teenagers and one 20-year-old have been charged with the burglaries. Two of the teens were charged as adults, as was the 20-year-old.

According to police, the investigation began last August. Burglaries were reported in the neighborhoods of Audobon Reserve, Orange Branch Bay, Verandahs, and Wilderness. These neighborhoods are on the west shore of Lake Tohopekaliga.

As recently as the middle of October, burglaries were still being reported in the area. In one case, an ATV was stolen from a home. Private security officers saw a similar model ATV parked on the back porch of one home. Two brothers living next door to the home where the ATV was found were arrested.

All seven of the suspects have been charged with armed burglary of a dwelling, burglary, grand theft, and criminal mischief.

Hopefully this was a one-time action on the part of these teens. One of the suspects is reportedly only 15-years-old. Someone this young with their whole life ahead of them should not have their future destroyed. All the suspects are very young, and all deserve a second chance, no matter what they are charged with.

If your child has been charged with a juvenile crime 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 case consultation.