Miami-Dade County criminal defense lawyer Evan Hoffman helped a former Miami Beach police officer receive a sentence of 18 months in prison after the man was facing up to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a July 4, 2011, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crash that critically injured two people on South Beach. The man and a fellow officer stopped by the Clevelander hotel, where he invited a bride-to-be at a bachelorette party on a joyride on the South Beach sand before striking two friends on the beach.
The former officer was originally charged with two counts of driving under the influence (DUI) and causing serious bodily harm, and two counts of reckless driving. A jury acquitted the man of the DUI charges but convicted him of reckless driving with serious bodily injury.
The Miami Herald reported that the former officer turned down a plea offer of three years in prison, prosecutors had asked for up to four years in prison, and the court-ordered pre-sentence investigation recommended 90 days in jail. Miami-Dade County criminal defense attorney Evan Hoffman told the Herald that the 18-month prison term was “a fair sentence.”
“He’ll do his time,” Hoffman told the Herald. “He’ll get out and his life will go on.”
Evan Hoffman is an experienced criminal defense lawyer in North Miami who has offices in Miami-Dade County and Broward County, Florida.