What Happens Now?
If you were arrested on a charge with a scheduled bond, you may already be out; if not, you will see a judge within 24 hours. Either way, the State Attorney will spend the next few weeks deciding what to charge. If agents or detectives want to talk to you, nothing has been filed yet. Either way, the window in which a lawyer can do the most is open right now, and in our experience it closes faster than people expect.
I was arrested
When you can post bond and go home, what first appearance is, and what not to say on a recorded jail phone.
Police or federal agents want to talk to me
You can decline. Here is how to do it, and why the people who “just explain” end up with the hardest cases.
Someone I love is in jail
How to find out the charge and the bond, and what we can do before the first hearing.
About Goldman Wetzel
Two Attorneys, One Case
Most firms assign your case to one lawyer. At Goldman Wetzel, both partners work on every case, from the first phone call through the last hearing. Summer Goldman spent the first years of her career prosecuting cases in Pinellas County and knows how the State decides what to file and what to offer. Maribeth Wetzel began as an assistant public defender and has tried cases in state and federal court for more than two decades. Between them, nearly 50 years in criminal law, all of it in Tampa Bay.
We opened the firm in 2009 in downtown St. Petersburg and added offices in Tampa and Bradenton as our federal and Manatee County work grew. Both of us are admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Areas of Defense
Criminal Cases We Handle
We defend serious state and federal charges throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Much of our work is in the cases below.
Federal Crimes
Target letters, grand jury subpoenas, indictments and detention hearings in the Tampa Division of the Middle District of Florida.
Sex Crimes
Sexual battery, lewd or lascivious charges, and the online sting operations run across Tampa Bay. Handled discreetly, in state and federal court.
Child Pornography (CSAM)
Possession, receipt and distribution charges, most of which begin with a tip and end with a search warrant. Federal and state.
Drug Trafficking
State trafficking charges defined by weight, with their mandatory minimums, and federal conspiracy and distribution cases.
Domestic Violence
Domestic battery and the no-contact orders that follow an arrest, which can keep you out of your own home.
Also DUI, gun charges, theft, and sealing and expungement.
How We Work
What You Can Expect From Us
Both of us, every time
You will know both of your lawyers by name, and both of us will know your file. We prepare cases together, and when a case goes to trial, we try it together.
We start before the charge is filed
In our experience, the weeks between an arrest and the filing decision are when a case most often gets smaller, or goes away. We use them.
We know how the other side thinks
Summer prosecuted cases in Pinellas County before she defended them. That shapes how we read a police report, and how we talk to the prosecutor.
Every case is prepared for trial
Most cases do not go to trial. The ones that resolve well are the ones the State knows we are ready to try.
Case Results
Recent Results
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but they show the kind of work we do.
Client faced several counts and life in prison. Not guilty verdict after jury trial.
Five-year mandatory minimum on a wiretap case. Sentenced to time served, ten months, and supervised release.
We intervened before charges were filed. No arrest, no formal charges.
★★★★★
“There was never a point where I felt out of the loop or uninformed with the status of my cases. The staff was very knowledgeable, polite and treated me with respect during a difficult time.”
This review reflects one client’s experience. A prospective client may not obtain the same or similar results.
Questions Clients Ask
Common Questions After an Arrest
The police never read me my rights. Is my arrest invalid?
No. Miranda warnings are required only before a custodial interrogation, not as part of an arrest. If you were questioned in custody without them, your statements may be kept out of the case, which can matter a great deal, but the arrest itself stands. More on your rights after an arrest.
Should I talk to the police or to federal agents without a lawyer?
No. Say that you are not answering questions and that you want a lawyer, then stop talking. In our experience, the statements people make trying to clear things up are the ones we spend the most time fighting later. What to do when police want to talk.
What happens after an arrest in Florida?
For many charges, Florida has a standard bond schedule, so a person arrested for something like disorderly conduct can post the scheduled bond at the jail and go home without waiting for a hearing. If the charge has no scheduled bond, or you cannot post it, you see a judge at first appearance within 24 hours and bond is set there. The State Attorney then takes a few weeks to decide what to charge, or whether to charge at all. That filing decision, not the arrest, sets the course of the case, and it can be influenced.
How soon should I call a lawyer?
Before you talk to anyone else about the facts, and ideally before first appearance. The earlier we are involved, the more we can do: argue bond, get your side in front of the prosecutor before charges are filed, and keep you from making the case harder.
Do you offer a free consultation?
Yes. Consultations are confidential, and you will speak with one of the attorneys, not an intake service.
Free Case Evaluation
Talk to Us Before You Talk to Anyone Else
If you or someone in your family has been arrested or contacted by law enforcement anywhere in Tampa Bay, call or send us a message. Consultations are free and confidential.
Call now:
(727) 828-3900