Hotel, Motel
The Broward Sheriff’s Office was called by hotel staff at a Dania Beach hotel in reference to an allegation of domestic violence witnessed by the hotel clerk on video surveillance. Based on the video, supposedly corroborated by the responding officers, Michael R.F., was arrested and charged with domestic violence battery.
Funny thing happened at trial. That videotape, which was the critical piece of evidence for the state, was not presented at trial because the prosecutor claimed that the clerk stated that no evidence was actually recorded. Add to that, the hotel clerk was conspicuously absent from the trial, and the alleged victim claimed that the incident never occurred. The state knew all this prior to trial, but never bothered to inform me, and pressed ahead as if their case was airtight.
Michael was fortunate to have an attorney who was not afraid to go to trial and had the confidence to believe that we could be successful in front of a jury. Michael was found Not Guilty.
