VACATION ARRESTS- Arrested on Vacation?

Here is a quick guide from bonding out to dealing with the charges

Come on vacation, leave on probation! Unfortunately here in Orlando, Kissimmee, Daytona Beach and Cocoa Beach, there are a LOT of ways to get in trouble. If you’ve been arrested while on vacation, please call 407.504.1384 now to speak with attorney Heiko Moenckmeier today. Let us help YOU.

A guide to navigating a vacation arrest in Florida.

• 1) the person is sitting in jail- now what? Depends on the charge, but most people are entitled to a bond (a monetary amount determined by the arresting officer and/or judge).
• 2) the loved ones should consult with a local criminal defense attorney. Fees vary, but consultations are usually free, and can provide valuable insight into the next steps, depending on the severity of the charges.
• 3) If it’s a DUI, Florida law requires the person sit in jail for a minimum of 8 hours to sober up. If it’s a Domestic Violence Battery (DV), Florida law requires that the Judge see the person at initial appearance before releasing them under certain conditions. If it’s drugs, depending on the amount, a Nebia Hold may be placed on the inmate, where the family has to show that the bond money isn’t drug money.
• 4) Get a bail bondsman, unless you have cash that you can convert to a money order (most jails no longer accept cash). Bail bondsmen can be googled on your phone by putting in the county or city, or you can just walk into their office (head to the jail and look around when you’re almost there). Most are located across or right near the particular jail.
• 5) The bondsman will ‘bond out’ the defendant. This process will take a while (it takes between 4-12 hours to book someone in, and an equally long and miserable time to process them out for release).
• 6) Once the defendant is released, he should consult with a local criminal defense attorney, that hopefully his friends or family have vetted.
• 7) A criminal case can take anywhere from three to eighteen months in Florida, sometimes much longer. Since you’re on vacation and need to go home, it would behoove you to have HIRED one of the local criminal defense lawyers, as this will allow the Defendant to waive his appearance at one of the many court hearings that occur to move the case along.

Call local Orlando Kissimmee Lake Mary Daytona Cocoa Brevard attorney Heiko Moenckmeier. He has been doing criminal defense since his days as an assistant public defender in Orlando, Florida and is a born and raised Orlandoan. Call 407.504.1384 to speak with local defense attorney Heiko Moenckmeier- call day or night. Your reputation, your job, and your freedom is at risk.

Being arrested in Orlando or Kissimmee or Daytona or Cocoa as a vacationer or tourist is a common occurrence. Our theme parks are staffed with off-duty police officers, as are our bars and night clubs. Drugs are not exactly hard to come by, although getting caught doing them is a bit easier. Marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy are popular for partiers and the police love a good drug arrest. Other common arrests for tourists include ‘battery on law enforcement officer, especially in Orlando, Driving under the influence (everywhere), domestic violence battery- (family or spouse wearing out the nerves), trespass- (not leaving the bar or club when you’re told) and the all time police favorite- resisting without violence.