A disturbance occurred at the 500 Block of SW 10th St. in Fort Lauderdale, when a young French immigrant engaged in a heated argument with her fiancé. A mutual friend of theirs intervened and tried to keep them apart. When the woman did not respond to his attempt, he called the Broward County Sheriff's Department.
Officers responding to the domestic dispute arrived to find the woman yelling at her friend in the middle of the street. She became angry with her friend because he had called the police. Her temper drove her to the point of making physical contact with him. Police witnessed her punching him with a closed fist. The woman continued to yell at her friend while neighbors had gathered outside because of the disruption. The police felt the woman was intoxicated and arrested her for Disorderly Conduct.
Breach of the Peach; Disorderly Conduct, under Florida Statute 877.03(1), is defined as: "Whoever commits such acts as are of a nature to corrupt the public morals, or outrage the sense of public decency, or affect the peace and quiet of persons who may witness them, or engages in brawling or fighting, or engages in such conduct as to constitute a breach of the peace or disorderly conduct, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree."
Although the offense of Disorderly Conduct might seem relatively insignificant, it is still a criminal offense that carries penalties of up to $500 in fines and up to 60 days in jail. A conviction of this offense carries the same stigma as a conviction for any other criminal offense and can affect an applicant for employment, or occupational licensure.
Musca Law criminal defense attorneys have experience in successfully arguing against charges of Disorderly Conduct in Broward County. In this circumstance, through careful, skilled negotiation with the State Prosecutor we effectively advocated on behalf of our client. Our attorneys convinced the State that our client's actions did not meet the standard of a "threat to the safety of other people", as required by Florida law. Our efforts resulted in the Court determining that a Withhold of Adjudication, meaning no conviction, would satisfy the best interest of justice. Having an experienced criminal defense attorney matters!
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