A woman in Miami, Florida recently reported that her baby was missing. After investigating, the Florida police discovered that there never was a baby and the woman just wanted attention from a man in her life. The woman was arrested for Filing a False Police Report. Under, Florida law, this is a first degree misdemeanor, punishable for up to one year in jail.

If you have been arrested for a misdemeanor in Jacksonville, Florida, contact our Jacksonville Criminal Attorneys immediately at (904) 634-0900 to protect your rights.

America's poor economy is linked to a rise in novice thefts. People who are normally law-abiding citizens are turning to amateur thefts to supplement their incomes. According to the article, The Retail Industry Leaders Association reports an 84% increase in amateur crimes, such as petty thefts, among stores.

In Jacksonville and all of Florida, the crime of petty theft is a misdemeanor. That means it is punishable for up to one year in jail. If the item or items stolen are worth over $300.00, the charges can be upgraded to Grand Theft. This is a third degree felony punishable for up to 5 years in prison.

If you have any questions about theft arrests and charges in Jacksonville, Florida, contact our Jacksonville Theft Attorneys at (904) 634-0900. We offer free consultations with experienced Jacksonville Criminal Attorneys 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It has been reported that incidents of hate crimes in Florida have decreased to the lowest number in 10 years. The article quotes Florida's Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Hate Crimes Report for 2007.

The annual average number of hate crimes in Florida is 272, which is well below the 2007 number of 193.

If you have been arrested in Jacksonville, Clay County, Nassau County, St. Johns County, call our Northeast Florida Criminal Lawyers at (904) 634-0900. We are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There was a gun drop-off in Jacksonville, Florida yesterday. Jacksonville-based Project CRIME conducted this voluntary program at Gateway Mall, according to the Florida Times Union. Although the group conducted buybacks in the past, there was no money given for the weapons this time because their budget was cut. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will take the guns for a period of time and will ultimately destroy the dropped off weapons.

If you have any questions about gun crimes in Jacksonville, contact our Jacksonville Gun Lawyers at (904) 634-0900 to discuss your rights.

Many Jacksonville criminal attorneys advertise that they are available 24 hours a day, but many times, if you call them after-hours, you will get an answering machine or answering service.

At Mussallem & Forbess, if you call our experienced criminal lawyers in Jacksonville at (904) 634-0900 after-hours or on the weekend, you will speak to a criminal lawyer. No machines, no answering service.

It is of the utmost importance to our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Firm that we provide you with the best, most prompt service in Northeast Florida.

This past year, Public Defender Offices all over Florida are in crisis. With the major budget cuts, individual assistant public defender's case loads are growing larger every day. In Miami, the public defenders caseloads are around 500!

The budget crisis has also effected the Jacksonville, Clay County, and Nassau County Public Defender's Office. While many public defenders are good lawyers, due to extremely large caseloads, it is difficult to give each criminal client and their families individual attention.

When you hire Mussallem & Forbess, our Jacksonville Criminal Law Firm, our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers are available to you and your family 24 hours a day.

If you have been arrested in Jacksonville, Clay County, Nassau County, or St. Johns County, contact our Northeast Florida Criminal Lawyers at (904) 634-0900.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), federal drug arrests this year through June are as follows:

2,544 involved cocaine

1,203 involved heroine

5,584 involved cocaine

2,104 involved meth

9 involved acid

33 involved steroids

284 involved oxycodone

135 involved hydrocodone

If you have questions about criminal charges in Jacksonville, contact our Jacksonville Criminal Attorneys immediately to protect your rights.

Gangs are in every state in our country and are instrumental in the distribution of drugs on a wholesale and retail level. The National Youth Gang Center estimates there are around 785,000 gang members in the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jacksonville, Florida has the presence of Mexican gangs, Asian gangs, Colombian, Cuban, Dominican, and Italian drug trafficking organizations.

If you have any questions about drug charges in Jacksonville, Florida, call our Jacksonville Criminal Lawyers at (904) 634-0900.

Mexican drug trafficking organizations are the biggest threat to the United States according the the Department of Justice. They control most of America's drug market and have many routes across the country. It is believed that they have strong ties to gangs.

Latin gangs include the Latin Kings, Mexican Mafia, Mongols, Tango Blast, and Texas Syndicate. The Florida cities that have reported the presence of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations are Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami.

If you have been arrested for drug crimes in Jacksonville, call our Jacksonville Drug Lawyers at (904) 634-0900. We answer the phones 24 hours a day 7 day a week. Speak to an experienced Jacksonville Lawyer now!

More and more, we hear about prescription drug abuse and arrests in Florida. People can get non-prescribed drugs in a variety of ways:

1. Sharing of drugs with friends and family.

2. Theft from pharmacies and doctor offices.

3. Theft of prescription pads

4. Doctor-shopping, which is when a person goes from doctor to doctor with the same "ailment" in order to get a prescription for their drug of choice.

5. Internet distribution

If you have been accused of possessing prescription drugs, prescription drug fraud, or doctor-shopping in Northeast Florida, contact our Jacksonville Drug Attorneys at (904) 634-0900 to discuss your rights.

Anheuser-Busch's website, AlcoholStats.com, is devoted to providing general alcohol information as well as Driving Under the Influence information.

Some DUI statistics from 2007 in Florida are:

- Of all the traffic crashes causing death in Florida, 66% were not alcohol related.

- 6% involved a driver with a blood alcohol level between .01 and .07, below the legal limit.

- 28% involved a driver who had a blood alcohol .08 or over, which would make them legally impaired.

- There has been a 16% decline in total deaths in drunk driving crashes in Florida since 1982.

- 73% of 12-20 year-olds do not drink.

- There has been a 47% decline in total deaths in Teen drunk driving crashes in Florida since 1982.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Jacksonville, call our experienced DUI Lawyers in Jacksonville now at (904) 634-0900. You will speak to an attorney NOW!

Heroine is produced in Southwest Asia, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and South America. According to the Department of Justice's National Drug Threat Assessment, demand for heroine in the United States is at most stable, but probably decreasing. The study found that heroine trafficking occurs mostly in eastern states. Heroine's availability in America is relatively low compared to the est of the world.

If you have been arrested on drug charges in Jacksonville, call our Jacksonville Drug Lawyers at (904) 634-0900.

The Florida Times Union's website, www.jacksonville.com, keeps a criminal database with information on people who were arrested in Jacksonville within the last 31 days.

As of today, information about people arrested in Jacksonville is:

- 2,701men were arrested in Jacksonville

- 464 women were arrested in Jacksonville

- 2130 people in Jacksonville were charged with felonies

- 774 people in Jacksonville were charged with misdemeanors

- 90 arrests were murder-related

- 478 arrests were Burglary / Robbery related

- 79 were arrested for DUI in Jacksonville

- 50 were arrested for sexual battery / rape in Jacksonville

If you have any questions about criminal charges of if you were arrested in Jacksonville, call our experienced Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers at (904) 634-0900.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that marijuana (pot) is the most used drug in America. There are large-scale marijuana cultivation operations across the country, as well as smaller grow houses in every city. Despite all of the domestic cultivation, marijuana imported from Mexico remained high in 2008.

It is estimated that 25,085,000 people 12 and up used pot in 2007, more than prescription drug use (16,280,000) and cocaine st 5,738,000.

If you have been arrested on marijuana charges in Jacksonville, call our Marijuana Defense Attorneys at (904) 634-0900.

Methamphetamine, also known as speed, meth, ice, and crystal, is a drug that is gaining popularity in the United States. This drug can be made from over-the-counter decongestants. The Justice Department, in its National Drug Threat Assessment, reports that domestic meth production will increase in the next year because of "smurfing"

"Smurfing" is a method used by meth dealers to get large amounts of the chemicals by buying small quantities of the medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine at several retail locations. The traffickers also use many friends or associates to make the purchases. If they buy quantities under the legal threshold, they have a better chance at remaining undetected.

If you have any questions about criminal drug charges in Jacksonville, contact our Jacksonville Drug Lawyers at (904) 634-0900.