Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
A Florida woman just released from state prison earlier this month was arrested by the Gainesville Police Department Sunday night for robbery by sudden snatching.
The Gainesville Sun reported the woman was charged with two counts of robbery by sudden snatching. The nearly identical crimes took place at motels on Southwest 13th St. where the male victims say they were speaking with the woman when she allegedly grabbed hundreds of dollars from their wallets and drove away in a black Chevy Impala.
The woman told police she took less than $100 from each man. As of Monday, she was being held at the Alachua County jail.
The robberies were reported on March 11 and 18. This was within two weeks from the woman’s release from prison on March 4, after serving 10 months for convictions of grand theft, credit card fraud and providing false information to a pawn broker.
Robbery by sudden snatching means taking money or some other property from a person with the intent to momentarily or everlastingly rob the victim or owner of the money or property and in the process the victim became aware of the theft. The woman is most likely facing a felony of the third degree since there was no reported weapon or firearm used to carry out the robbery.
Robbery is a crime of dishonesty and can be used in court for impeachment purposes. As a general rule, if you have a conviction for any crime of dishonesty a judge or jury is permitted to hear so even in the most remote of matters, if you plan on testifying. It has been the rule that this goes to your credibility of a witness. Critics often argue that it is a form of double jeopardy, but at least in Florida, it’s quite common.
If you have been charged with a crime of dishonesty, robbery with or without the use of a deadly weapon in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Criminal Attorneys at the Law Offices of Whittel & Melton, LLC online or call 1-866-608-5LAW (5529).