Police Warrantless Stops – Utah v. Strieff
Police officers can now stop any person for no reason, then conduct a search for no reason, and then use anything they find to charge you with a crime. What was once a legal fiction is now a reality...
View ArticleWhat to Do When You Get Stopped by Police
It’s been a huge issue in the news these days; someone gets pulled over, the interaction escalates into something more than it should be, and it ends in an altercation. What are your rights when you’re...
View ArticleCalifornia Law on Bail
If you follow crime news, you may be aware of the criminal case against Dalia Dippolito, who was arrested in 2009 after arranging a plot to kill her husband. She hired a hit man to handle the task, not...
View ArticlePlea Bargains in California Criminal Courts: The Case of Ex-Sheriff Lee Baca
If you’ve been following the legal troubles of former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, some recent developments in the case have made headlines. The L.A. Times reported in February that the jail...
View ArticleJerry Sandusky Back in Criminal Court
The child molestation case against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was in the headlines almost every day during his trial in 2012, which eventually ended up as a conviction. There...
View ArticleMilwaukee Protests in Criminal Cases
Another police shooting was in the news recently, this time in Milwaukee where law enforcement officers shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith. Reports on how the incident spurred protests and...
View ArticleBrendan Dassey’s Criminal Conviction Overturned
If you caught any of Making a Murderer, a 10-part miniseries airing on Netflix that gained in popularity in December 2015, you might know the story of Brendan Dassey. As reported by news agencies, he...
View ArticleAuto Theft in California: A “Monster” Crime
Monster Energy drinks are known for boosting physical drive and vitality, but they won’t provide enough pep to help crooks avoid charges for auto theft in California. As CBS Los Angeles reported, more...
View ArticleCalifornia Law on Lewd Acts and Other Sex Crimes Involving Children
While the facts on a recent sex crime in California are still under investigation, police have pressed charges for lewd acts on a child in a case recently reported by Highland Community News. The...
View ArticleFugitive in Bank Fraud Case Back in Court
In a decades-old case that’s been around the world and back to California, a local businessman and former car dealership owner was charged with the federal crime of bank fraud. The man had been hiding...
View ArticleCosby Case and Changes in California’s Sex Crimes Law
Bill Cosby has been in the headlines frequently over the last few months, but his talents as an actor and comedian have not been the subject of news report. You are probably aware that he is facing...
View ArticleRape Case Outrage Leads to Mandatory Prison Sentences
News outlets throughout the world carried extensive coverage of the notorious rape case involving a Stanford student and unconscious victim. Outrage erupted during the sentencing phase of the criminal...
View ArticleCalifornia Three Strikes Law
A simple shoplifting case turned into a 47-to-life prison sentence for a man convicted of stealing various items from a home improvement store. According to the Santa Monica Observer, the reason for...
View ArticleThe Difference Between Marijuana Posession and Trafficking
Marijuana Possession and Trafficking in California A California man is facing charges for drug distribution after he was pulled over for following another vehicle too closely in traffic. As an iHeart...
View ArticleWhat is Ransomware?
Extortion has been a crime in California for many years, but certain online conduct involving “ransomware” may soon lead to these types of charges under proposed legislation. Ransomware is software...
View ArticleVandalism as a Wobbler
Vandalism and Other “Wobbler” Criminal Cases in California A series of tire slashing incidents has Lexington Park police searching for the culprits, but there is hope that the offenders will be brought...
View ArticleRevenge Porn Law In California
A first date turned into a nightmare for a Los Angeles woman who found herself the victim in a revenge porn case. As reported by KTLA News 5, she reluctantly agreed to be videotaped during an intimate...
View ArticleCriminal Pre-Trial Motions
Crime rates are up in California, according to the FBI’s Crime Statistics Report for 2015. According to Sacramento’s KFBK News Channel, the increase in violent crime was 7.6 percent, more than double...
View ArticleStatute of Limitations for Murder Cases in California
After 43 years, two families finally have some closure on the deaths of their daughters, as two men were arrested for the murders of the girls in mid-September 2016. As CBS Sacramento reported, DNA...
View ArticleParole in Criminal Cases in California
The presidential election is getting lots of media coverage nationwide, but in California, another measure on the ballot is attracting attention: Proposition 57. Voters will get the chance to weigh in...
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