Destin attorney Scott Whitehead to serve jail time

Original Story at: http://www.thedestinlog.com/articles/violating-14232-jail-driving.html
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Tom McLaughlin - 2010-06-18 15:06:00

A local attorney whose alcohol abuse has gotten him into trouble several times in the last couple of years will serve an 11-month jail sentence for his second probation violation.

R. Scott Whitehead of Destin was sentenced to a total of approximately a year in jail for violating probation on charges of DUI, driving with a suspended license and reckless driving.

County Judge T. Patterson Maney ordered Whitehead to serve six months for violating on the DUI conviction, 60 days on the driving with suspended license conviction and 90 days for violating on the reckless driving conviction.

Maney said that all of the jail sentences should be served consecutively, according to Adrienne Emerson, who prosecuted the case.

The judge reserved sentencing for violating on a fourth charge until Sept. 30.

“He wants to review the case at that time,” Emerson said. “To see if Mr. Whitehead is eligible to go into a long term in-patient rehabilitation program.”

Rehab will not be an option while Whitehead is incarcerated, Emerson said.

She said the state had sought 23 months in prison for Whitehead. The judge’s 11 month sentence will allow Whitehead to serve all of his time in the Okaloosa County Jail and not be transferred to a state facility.

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Whitehead was arrested twice in an eight-day period in May of 2009. The first arrest came after he left the scene of an accident, authorities said. The second arrest was for DUI, speeding and driving with a suspended license.

He violated his probation on those charges when he was arrested for criminal mischief that August.

He was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail and undergo outpatient rehabilitation in February

Whitehead was arrested again last month on a violation of probation charge after he entered the home of man who didn’t know him and inquired about a woman named “Becky” or “Barbara.”

A deputy who contacted him after the trespassing violation reported that Whitehead appeared intoxicated. He was later arrested.

On June 9 the Florida Bar ordered that Whitehead be suspended from practicing law. The suspension stems not only from the repeated arrests and probation violations but also from more than a dozen complaints of negligence against him, Bar officials said.

Bar counsel Olivia Klein said she intends to file a formal complaint against Whitehead that could lead to his permanent disbarment in the state of Florida.

Whitehead, who defended clients in criminal and DUI cases, appeared in court between his final two arrests as the lawyer for Kyle Walling, who is facing murder charges for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of 17-year-old Christopher Pitcock.

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