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Tampa drug lawyer John Musca has learned that a local man has been arrested again, this time on drug charges. Salvador Sanchez, who is 24 years old, resides in Tampa and is all too familiar with the local law enforcement agencies. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office picked up Sanchez earlier this week on charges that he had two pounds of marijuana and 23.6 grams of cocaine. Sheriff's deputies located Sanchez near Holloway Road and Gunn Highway.

Sanchez was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell the drug, possession of cocaine, and three counts of probation violation. Sanchez allegedly violated the terms of his previously-imposed probation by carrying a concealed weapon (a firearm) and two counts of burglarizing an occupied dwelling. The Sheriff's Office did not indicate whether Sanchez was subject to a prior warrant for the violation of probation.

Despite his young age, Sanchez is no stranger to the criminal justice system. This latest drug arrest marked his 32nd arrest in total. Florida state law prohibits the release of juvenile records, so it is unknown if Sanchez was arrested for or convicted of any juvenile criminal charges. The 31 prior arrests have all been for adult offenses, although it is possible to charge juveniles as adults in some particularly serious cases. There is no indication that Sanchez was ever charged as an adult while a juvenile.

States like California instituted the "Three Strikes" law in order to keep repeat offenders behind bars. Those types of laws, however, are typically triggered by multiple felony convictions. Some small-time criminal defendants rack up a multitude of very minor charges, such as loitering. In this case, it is not known for which offenses Sanchez was previously arrested, nor if any resulted in criminal convictions.

In the last two decades harassment of teenagers in school, an offense which used to be called bullying or hazing, is now being prosecuted in state criminal courts, according to a report from USA Today and anecdotal evidence accumulated by Tampa criminal defense attorney Musca. One incident in Tampa has garnered widespread national attention and has lead to the prosecution of several football players. The incident involved four flag football players who reportedly held down a younger teammate and sexually assaulted him with a broom handle and a hockey stick. The teen was allegedly assaulted because of a botched play during a flag football game. School administrators learned of the attack after the students were called into the principal's office and asked to write an explanation of the problem on the football field. The teens reportedly confessed.

After the assault the teens then threatened to do it again, according to a witness. The case was widely reported in the Tampa area because of the stunning nature of the act as well as the characteristics of the accused. Most of the students involved in the assault were in honors classes and promising athletes. The widespread reporting of the prevalence of school bullying and the emotional impact it has had on the victims of bullying has led the local State Attorney's Office to become involved in bringing cases like the one in Tampa into criminal court. By some estimates, approximately a third of students between the ages of 12 and 18 have been the victims of bullying within the last year.

Some authorities on bullying in secondary schools have also speculated that middle and high school authorities and local law enforcement agencies have become more serious about bullying because the degree of bullying that occurs in this day and age is simply more serious than it was two decades ago. Bullying has taken on physical and sexual components, where it used to be primarily emotional, like taunting victims.

Marquist Polite, a Tampa resident who was wanted on federal drug charges in addition to assaulting a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, was arrested on these charges last week by the United States Marshal's Office. Tampa criminal defense lawyer John Musca has learned that the Marshals received a tip that Polite was residing on Sixth Avenue in Tampa and subsequently conducted surveillance around the area with assistance from local police. The Marshals and local Tampa police officers then formed a perimeter around the house and arrested Polite without any significant difficulties. In addition to his federal charges, Polite was booked on several state felony charges including: battery on a law enforcement officer, obstructing or opposing an officer with violence, depriving an officer of means of protection, criminal mischief causing $1000 of damage or more, obstructing or opposing an officer without violence and violation of probation for felony fleeing to elude.

Polite, a known gang member, was accused of violently attacking a Florida State trooper on July 3rd of this year after the trooper stopped Polite for not wearing a seat belt on Brandon Town Center Boulevard. After the traffic stop, the trooper conducted a pat down of Polite to look for weapons based on what he described as Polite's suspicious behavior. During the patdown Polite allegedly struck the trooper in his arm. Polite then hit the trooper several other times before fleeing. The arresting officer reported that he attempted to grab Polite's shirt to stop him from fleeing, but was unsuccessful. At the time of the stop Polite had open warrants for felony violation of probation as well as the federal drug charges. Crimestoppers had offered a reward for any information regarding Polite's whereabouts after the incident which may have led to the tip that the United States Marshals received that helped them discover his location.

Local teenager Jordan Valdez from Davis lslands has turned herself in to Tampa law enforcement officials in connection with the hit and run death of Melissa Sjostrom. Systrom was a 33-year-old homeless woman who lives in the Tampa area, according to Tampa criminal attorney John Musca. Valdez had previously confessed to the State Attorney's Office that she was behind the wheel of her vehicle when the crash with Sjostrom occurred. Her attorney has also stated that he anticipates Valdez's case will be resolved without a trial. Valdez was released on her own recognizance less than 20 minutes after she was booked by the police, in part because she is a juvenile without a criminal record. A spokesman for the Tampa police department stated that the office is not seeking to place 17-year-old Valdez behind bars, but wants to teach her a lesson about the consequences of her actions.

Valdez was only 16 years of age when she struck Sjostrom while the victim was walking across the street on February 8, 2009. Sjostrom died shortly after the crash. Valdez has sought to have her case handled and tried in juvenile court, partially due to the fact that Valdez does not have a criminal record outside of this case and has been a successful student at her high school. She is working with the State Attorney's Office to come up with a plea agreement. Valdez has reportedly already proposed a plea agreement for this unfortunate case. The decision of the Tampa police department to charge Valdez in connection with Sjostrom's death has aroused controversy in the Tampa Bay area. Originally, Valdez, who is from the upscale area of Davis Islands, was only charged with careless driving. Now, prosecutors seek to try Valdez as an adult based upon the particular nature of the crime.

Local law enforcement officials have arrested 11 gang members out of a suspected 22 in total who have been involved in a string of smash and grab robberies (Florida Statute 812.13) in the Tampa area. Police had previously arrested nine of the suspected 22, leaving only two members at large. Nine of the total 22 gang members face potential life sentences for their involvement in the robberies.

The arrests come after a six month coordinated investigation by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's department and the Tampa Police Department. The target of the investigation was the local Drak gang, which police officials suspect has been responsible for many robberies in the Tampa area. Police officials said that one of the objectives of the raid was to discourage young people from entering the gang and to dismantle the gang's leadership. Police officials suspect that 14 businesses and homes have been targets of the gang in the last few months. One victim was Larry Butler, who owns a local pawn shop. Butler stated that his business is still recovering from the aftermath of the break in. "Still going to take awhile. Still cleaning up the glass. Everyday I come in and I find new pieces of glass laying around," Butler said. Police stated that most of the robberies occurred early in the morning with a crew of around four to seven people. They described this pattern as typically of so called "smash and grab" robberies. Police said that in 10 of the 14 robberies the gang would use a stolen car or SUV, drive it through the front of the targeted store and then collect the desired merchandise. Under Florida law breaking into a house or commercial property with a motorized vehicle is a life felony. The gang members would often be finished within in minutes, sometimes leaving the stolen vehicle in a mess of glass in front of the store.

Local police officials have offered a $1,000 reward through Crime Stoppers for information leading to the capture of two men who allegedly robbed a local Circle K store on east Fowler Avenue. Both men were identified as black and between the ages of 18 and 20. Eyewitnesses reported that both men had similar builds, about six feet tall and one hundred and eighty pounds. One of the men was described as wearing a black shirt and denim shorts. The other was described as wearing a long sleeve green button-up shirt and black pants. Witnesses were unable to identify his facial characteristics because he was wearing a black mask at the time of the robbery, says Tampa criminal defense attorney John Musca. Witnesses also reported that the second man was carrying a small chrome handgun during the robbery. Law enforcement officers say that anyone with information about the crime or the whereabouts of the perpetrators is eligible for the reward, although those with information are permitted to report anonymously if necessary or if they so choose.

The robbery at the Circle K on Fowler Avenue is the second at a Circle K in the Tampa area in less than a month. On June 5, a shirtless man attempted to rob a Circle K on Morris Bridge Road. The suspect threatened the clerk with a crowbar and demanded money. He was then disarmed by the clerk and fled the area without getting any money from the store. He is still at large at this time. Law enforcement authorities report that the man was 40 to 45 years of age, 6'2", 250 lbs., with a pot belly, blonde hair and blue eyes and last seen wearing a white t-shirt around his head. The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the robberies.