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St. Petersburg lawyer accused of smuggling pain pills into Pinellas jail

By Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer
Friday, October 22, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG — Pinellas sheriff's deputies have arrested a local lawyer on charges he tried to bring oxycodone pills to the Pinellas County Jail.

Byron T. Christopher, 31, of St. Petersburg, was arrested Friday and charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail Friday night in lieu of $105,000 bail.

Deputies said they received a tip Thursday that Christopher was bringing illegal substances into the jail. Detectives set up a deal where the lawyer agreed to accept 20 oxycodone pills in exchange for taking 50 of the same pills into the jail, deputies said.

Christopher was arrested at a gas station in Clearwater where the exchange took place, authorities said.

Court records show this isn't Christopher's first arrest. He was arrested on a spousal battery charge in August that was dropped. Christopher has been a lawyer in Florida for five years. He began his career as a Hillsborough assistant state attorney.

In December 2008 the St. Petersburg Times reported that Hillsborough Circuit Judge William Fuente took the rare step of initiating a motion for a new trial after determining that Christopher did not provide an adequate defense to David Rolon, who was on trial for fatally shooting his Sulphur Springs neighbor.

In an interview, Christopher said he "gave 110 percent" to Rolon's case. He told the Times he had tried to withdraw from the case because his client wasn't paying, but a judge wouldn't allow it.

His online records with the Florida Bar show no history of discipline.


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