Florida lawyer whose pants caught fire charged with cocaine

<p>MIAMI &mdash; A former South Florida lawyer whose pants caught on fire during a 2017 arson trial has been charged with cocaine possession, authorities said. </p>
<p>Stephen Gutierrez, 32, was pulled over on Monday night for a broken headlight, according to a Miami-Dade police report.</p>
<p>An officer noted a bulge in Gutierrez’s pocket, which he thought was a knife, officials said. The bulge turned out to be a cylinder container with a bag of white powder inside, officials said. As the officer inspected the substance, Gutierrez blurted out, “That’s cocaine,” according to the arrest report.</p>
<p>Gutierrez was arrested and taken to jail. He posted bond on Tuesday morning. Jail records didn’t list whether he had an attorney who could comment.</p>
<p>Gutierrez’s arrest comes after his license to practice was <a href="https://www.floridabar.org/public/acap/disc-docs/?icn=201870160&amp;member=117515">suspended last February</a> before being revoked <a href="https://www.floridabar.org/public/acap/disc-docs/?icn=202190004&amp;member=117515">in October</a>, according to Florida Bar records. </p>
<p>Gutierrez <a href="https://apnews.com/article/633fbff921ed4866a9353aa5f3bf625c">made headlines</a> four years ago while he was defending a client who was accused of setting his car on fire for insurance money. During the March 2017 trial, Gutierrez was explaining that the incident was a result of spontaneous combustion when his pants caught fire. </p>
<p>Prosecutors could not prove Gutierrez had acted with criminal intent. Gutierrez claimed the fire had coincidentally been ignited during his defense by the battery from his e-cigarette. </p>
<p>According to Florida Bar records, Gutierrez’s initial suspension was connected to the arson case. The <a href="https://lsg.floridabar.org/dasset/DIVADM/ME/MPDisAct.nsf/DISACTVIEW/575CA008E4DDB9748525851C0010F11D/$FILE/_14.PDF">bar’s complaint</a> said Gutierrez’s case lacked merit, his actions during court proceedings caused prejudice and they were “contrary to honesty and justice.” </p>
<p>The bar did not provide online records for the revocation of Gutierrez’s license in October. </p>