DUI Defense Lawyer in Tampa, Florida

Fleeing and Eluding – Understanding the Charges

As defined by §316.1935 of the Florida Statutes, fleeing and eluding refers to the criminal act in which a defendant that is knowingly aware of being order to stop his vehicle willfully refuses to abide. Per this statute, it is considered to be a third degree felony. This includes the following difference scenarios:

• Speeding away with disregard for public safety; and
• Speeding away and causing serious injury or death

Put into layman's terms, the criminal charge of fleeing and eluding simply means that it is considered to be a criminal offense under Florida law to speed away from a police officer that is attempting to pull you over. In past years, this was typically considered to be a misdemeanor unless it was found that the defendant was part of a high speed chase or there were other aggravated factors in their case. Now, however, legislature is cracking down on ensuring that defendants receive severe penalties this type of a crime and typically, a conviction for this crime is considered to be a felony offense.

Have you been arrested for fleeing and eluding in Tampa, FL?

In many cases, the worst part of a criminal charge involving fleeing and eluding is that it is normally tacked onto other criminal charges. For example, if you are accused of fleeing and eluding when a police officer was attempting to pull you over on suspicion of drunk driving you could find that you are criminally charged with not only a DUI, but also the felony charge of fleeing and eluding. This could be aggravated if it is suspected that while fleeing you got into a DUI accident.

Criminal penalties relating simply to fleeing and eluding include imprisonment for a minimum of three years, as well as a one to five year period of driver's license suspension. When you are facing this, as well as any other criminal charges, it is highly encouraged that you do not hesitate to get legal representation from a Tampa DUI attorney that you can rely upon. These cases are complex and you need an experienced advocate on your side to help you protect yourself to the full extent of the law.

Should you choose to work with the legal team at Thomas & Paulk, you will be able to be confident knowing that we will go the distance in our efforts to provide you with high-quality and aggressive defense when it is needed most. We have shown over the years that we can handle these types of cases and have proven that we have a full-bodied understanding of the law. Contact us to learn more!

If you are facing criminal charges of fleeing and eluding, we encourage you to contact a Tampa DUI attorney from our firm as soon as possible.