Criminal Defense Stories

Child sexual abuse , also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child, indecent exposure (of the genitals, female nipples, etc.), child grooming, and child sexual exploitation, including using a child to produce child pornography. Child sexual abuse can occur in a variety of settings, including home, school, or work. The global prevalence of child sexual abuse has been estimated at 19.7% for females and 7.9% for males. Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims, approximately 40% are relatives of the child, most often brothers, fathers, uncles, or cousins, around 60% are other acquaintances, such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbors, strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Most child sexual abuse is committed by men, studies on female child molesters show t...

Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body where such exposure is contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. The term indecent exposure is a legal expression. Social and community attitudes to the exposing of various body parts and laws covering what is referred to as indecent exposure vary significantly in different countries. It ranges from outright prohibition to prohibition of exposure of certain body parts, such as the genital area, buttocks or breasts. Decency is generally judged by the standards of the local community, which are seldom codified in specifics in law. Such standards may be based on religion, morality or tradition, or justified on the basis of necessary to public order. Non-sexual exhibitionism or public nudity is sometimes considered indecent exposure. If sexual acts are performed, with or without an element of nudity, this can be considered gross indecency, which is usually a more serious criminal offence....

Sex assault conviction of Halifax man has been overturned by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Catlin Stewart Cooke was found guilty at trial on charges of common assault, theft and sexual assault, all from an incident with a young woman he knew at a Dartmouth residence. Cooke pleaded guilty to breaching a court order by contacting the complainant from the Dartmouth jail the night before his trial began in an attempt to dissuade her from testifying. After crediting Cooke for his time on remand, Judge Jean Whalen sentenced him last May to two years, three months and 18 days in prison, including two years for the sexual assault conviction. Cooke maintained his innocence on the sexual assault allegation at sentencing and filed an appeal of that conviction. He claimed the judge erred in the task of considering certain evidence relating to the credibility of the complainant, improperly used prior consistent statements by the woman and certain hearsay evidence, and shifted the burden of proo...

Winthrop University police officer has been charged with 49 additional warrants for sex crimes against minors . It comes after Winthrop officials were originally notified by the State Law Enforcement Division in September of an active criminal investigation into one of its officers, 48-year-old Charles Price. Price was first arrested and charged with sex assault in the first degree and two counts of criminal sexual misconduct with a minor under 11-years-old.  Price was charged with the following additional charges:  • 9 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with Minor under 11 years of age firstdegree. • 13 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with Minor victim 11 to 14 years of age second-degree.  • 8 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct third-degree.  • 18 counts of Incest.  • 1 count of Kidnapping. This brings the total number of charges to 52. Price is a former law enforcement officer with the Winthrop University Police Department.  The investigation was requeste...

Former head of Southern Victim Support who was jailed for 14 years for sexually abusing a pre-teen boy has filed a sex crime appeal of his conviction and sentence. David John Charteris, formerly of Dunedin, spent a decade at the helm of the regional Victim Support office from 2008. Charteris was sentenced last year after being found guilty by Judge Raoul Neave of seven charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and one of committing an indecency on a boy. His legal challenge was heard in the High Court at Christchurch. Charteris’ counsel told the court that there had been a miscarriage of justice during the trial over a cross-examination error about whether the defendant was circumcised. He said there was a delay when the boy revealed the sex offending to his family and that little leeway was given to Charteris’ memory many years later. The Crown accepted there had been an error around the circumcision issue during last year’s judge-alone trial but argued there was no i...

A man whose wife and unborn twins were killed by a drunk driver has given powerful evidence in Court and forgiven the man responsible. Bronko Hoang’s pregnant wife Katherine died after Richard Moananu’s vehicle crashed into her in September 2018. She was due to give birth within days. A 17-year-old learner driver was also killed as a result of the collision in western Sydney. Mr Hoang had to wait over 2 years until he was able to confront Moananu in Court. Mr Moananu admitted that on the day of the incident, he had been drinking alcohol for a period of over 8 hours. He began at 10.30am and continued to consume alcohol until approximately 6.45pm. His blood results after the incident indicated that he was more than 4 times over the legal limit, registering a .204 blood alcohol reading. This falls under the category of ‘high range drink driving‘. To further aggravate the offending, he was driving on an expired licence and travelling more than 45km/h over the speed limit. The agreed facts ...

Legislation aimed at stiffening penalties for repeat DUI law offenders got derailed when an amendment was tacked on, dealing with medical marijuana. The amendment would offer protections for people who have a medical marijuana card, according to Democrat Mike Carroll. This would ensure people who have medical marijuana in their system but are not impaired are not subjected to a DUI, as current law has zero tolerance for THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, Carroll said. Carroll added that there is a period of time that is significant while you have marijuana in your system, but you're not impaired. Current law without this amendment, and that's now thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians to a DUI charge. But State Rep. Doyle Heffley took issue with the amendment. He said Heffley is missing the point, if someone is impaired while driving, they could still be charged, but marijuana can stay in someone's system for weeks. Marijuana DUI laws vary across the coun...

A woman is facing charges after she reportedly pulled her pants down and began urinating in front of patrons at a restaurant. An officer on duty was patrolling Gettysburg’s 3rd Ward when a patron of a restaurant began to signal the officer to stop their vehicle and reported that an intoxicated woman was peeing in front of the restaurant, according to reported posted by the Gettysburg Police Department.   The female began to pull her pants up as police approached, the report said, but she left visible evidence in the form of a puddle to support the claims of public urination . Police said the incident occurred within 5 feet of those dining outside. The woman then became argumentative and belligerent with the officer, indicating to them that she was clearly and obviously intoxicated. She attempted to run away from the officers and get into her own vehicle, but was stopped by the officers, police said. Firefighter impersonator: Man responded to emergencies, but was not authorized...

Hire a criminal defense attorney the minute you’re charged with a crime. With the expertise offered by the best defense lawyer , you may avoid time behind bars as well as many other consequences of a criminal conviction. Any Lawyer can represent your case in court, but a lawyer who handles criminal matters and who’s devoted his/her practice to that area of law understands it much better than the average attorney. They offer the absolute best representation for a person charged with a crime. Word-of mouth often provides us with the information that we need, saving us time and hassle. Ask around and learn important details about a law firm not found anywhere else. Take a look at reviews posted online as well. Available at no cost on various sites, reviews provide an inside glimpse to a law firm and attorney, giving you a better idea of how the lawyer can benefit your case. Examine the criminal lawyer’s experience defending criminal matters in a court of law. Not only should you look at t...

Having the right attorney when you need one can help you resolve a dispute with neighbors, end a marriage, enforce your rights in the workplace, or even avoid prison time. When life gets legal, whether it's a DUI charge or a positive event such as adoption, it often makes sense to get a lawyer. But hiring a lawyer is not necessary for all legal procedures, which is why you need to know all legal information about the lawyer you will hire. Before you start looking for lawyers, get educated on your legal issue. Learning the lingo, understanding the issue, and knowing what you as the client will be responsible for will save you time and money. Educating yourself will also help you understand your lawyer more easily. Many lawyers specialize in a particular area of the law. Be sure your attorney has relevant experience. An attorney who regularly drafts wills may not be the best choice to represent you in a courtroom if the subject is an auto accident. If family, friends or co-workers ha...

Internet Sex crimes are aggressively prosecuted in whole state and federal courts. If law enforcement discovers that your computer hard drive contains any images or files deemed to be illegal sexually explicit images, chats or videos you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Your conviction of any computer sex crime statute will result a state or federal prison sentence of up to 20 years, fines that can be as much as $200,000 and life-time registration as a sex offender. To defend the Michigan internet sex crimes charges,  you need to retain an Michigan attorney who knows what resources are required to aggressively defend your case. Here is the summary of Michigan internet sex crimes that are committed with the aid of computer.  Using a computer to communicate with another to commit a sex crime: 10, 15, or 20 years to life in prison, depending on the age of the victim and facts of the case. Sexually abusive material depicting a child: Knowingly producing, distribu...

The criminal justice system has many players, each with specific roles. The prosecutor’s goal is to enforce the laws by convicting offenders and ensuring they are sentenced to certain penalties. The judge is supposed to serve as a neutral decision-maker. The importance of defense lawyer is protecting  the rights of the defendant. Law changes frequently and complex issues often arise. It takes years of experience to become a criminal lawyer. Steering your way through a criminal law matter will require you to understand the law, such as that contained in the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Act, the Crimes Act, the Misuse of Drugs Act, the Evidence Act, the Road Traffic Act or the Sentencing Act. By engaging an expert for your criminal law matter you will save yourself significant amounts of stress, worry, time and disruption to both your working and personal life. Some people think that engaging a criminal lawyer is going to be too costly. But not engaging a criminal lawyer i...

 It's not uncommon for people to be accused of a crime they did not commit. The criminal judicial system is a complicated and slow moving process. In order to successfully navigate this system, a person charged with a crime will need the help. Whether you decide to plead guilty or not guilty to criminal charges, getting legal advice and representation from an experienced criminal defense lawyer can change the outcome of your case. A Criminal Defense Lawyer can represent their client during all criminal court proceedings. They are able to explain the procedures involved with the criminal justice system. A criminal defense attorney will provide the best possible representation based on the facts of a case. A person should never consider representing themselves. An experienced criminal lawyer can assist you to avoid negative types of outcomes. When the stakes are high the costs involved are always worth it. Making a phone call to a criminal lawyer and arranging an appointment is obli...

A Wichita Falls man convicted of child computer sex crime may be headed to prison amid accusations he viewed pornography on the Midwestern State University computer system, according to court records.  Camron Travis Lynn was being held without bond in Wichita County Jail on suspicion of having violated his probation, according to court and jail records.  Police Officers arrested Lynn, who was booked into jail Tuesday, according to jail records.  He was among 10 people snagged in a Texas Department of Public Safety sting to catch online child predators in 2017, according to previous reports.  During an polygraph interview, Lynn disclosed he had been looking at pornography on the MSU computer system, bypassing filters and accessing shared files on Twitter, according to a motion to revoke community supervision filed by the Wichita County District Attorney's Office.  The DA's Office is requesting a two to 10-year prison sentence for Lynn, according to the motion....

An actor who played the oldest son from Home Improvement was arrested in Oregon and faces charges of assault by strangulation . The Eugene Police Department said officers were dispatched to a North Eugene apartment Friday night on a report of a physical dispute. They found Bryan sitting outside and his girlfriend at a neighboring apartment. Bryan reportedly assaulted the victim, impeded her breathing, and took her phone away when she tried to call 911, police said. As of Saturday afternoon, Bryan was listed on the Lane County Jail's inmate custody roster on charges of strangulation, assault and interfering with making a police report. The strangulation charge is a felony; the other two charges are misdemeanors. According to information sent, on Friday night at 10:24 p.m. officers responded to reports of a physical dispute at an apartment complex and found 39-year-old Bryan outside one of the units.  Actor's Girlfriend was waiting for police at a neighbor's home in the apart...

Assault by strangulation is a violent crime. It often accompanies domestic violence cases, or restraining orders. When you have been charged with this crime, usually in conjunction with domestic violence charges, it is important to work with an experienced violent crimes attorney who understands what is at stake. It is a relatively new felony assault under the law, which alleges that the perpetrator attempts to strangle the alleged victim. It most often occurs as a result of a domestic altercation and may contribute to the issuance of a domestic violence protective order. Assault by strangulation is also sometimes charged along with sex crimes and other violent crimes. If convicted, your sentence will depend in part on your prior criminal record. You could be sentenced to a 4- to 25-month jail or prison sentence. In addition, you would have a permanent criminal record. There are three elements to the crime of assault by strangulation: An assault on another person Inflicts physical inj...

 Michigan police, courts, people convicted of sex crimes, and victims are in limbo as legislators indefinitely postpone an overhaul to the state’s sex offender registry, despite being told four years ago that the registry was unconstitutional. State’s 40,000 convicted sex offenders  including about 300 whose addresses are listed in Northeast Michigan don’t have to follow the rules of the Michigan Sex Offender Registry Act until state lawmakers fix it. Recent changes to the registry, including the 2011 retractive shift of reporting time, unfairly punish registrants, the judge said, telling lawmakers they had to come up with a new and fair system of tracking the whereabouts of sex offenders, or the registry would be thrown out altogether. People convicted of a sex offense including acts from rape and possession of child pornography to urinating in public  must add their private information to a public database, check in with police up to four times a year, and notify law e...

 42-year-old man accused of carjacking a woman Monday and holding her at her apartment against her will now faces five charges in the incident, police said. Johnny Jackson was formally charged  in 38th District Court with carjacking in Michigan , a felony punishable by life in prison, unlawful imprisonment, a 15-year felony, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, a 10-year felony,  being a felon in possession of a firearm, a 5-year felony, and possessing a firearm during a felony, a 2-year felony, according to authorities. Judge set Jackson's bond at $750,000.  Police said officers were called at about 3 p.m. Monday to an apartment building on Nine Mile near Dale Avenue between Gratiot and Hayes avenues to respond to a report of a woman being held against her will. They learned the woman was being held in her home by a man who she did not know. The man was armed with a handgun. In Kalamazoo, 2 teenagers were caught on video stealing a man’s vehicle at a gas stati...

Tyrese Hapil, a personal assistant is accused of decapitating and dismembering a Lower East Side tech entrepreneur in his luxury apartment allegedly killed the man to prevent him from testifying against him for another crime, according to an indictment unsealed in New York Supreme Court. He was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first- and second-degree murder, grand larceny , burglary, concealment of a human corpse and evidence tampering. Haspil is accused in the gruesome killing of Fahim Saleh who created a tech empire and founded a number of startups. Surveillance footage shows Saleh coming home from a jog and being followed into his elevator by a man dressed all in black, according to police sources. It’s believed Haspil used a stun gun on Saleh when the elevator opened up into his seventh-floor unit. Saleh was found dead in his apartment the next day. An electric chain saw was left plugged into the wall. Haspil, who worked as Saleh's executive assistant, was arrested sever...

 A Former Deaconess employee drops lawsuit, says she falsely accused doctor of sexual assault. Rebecca Blair who in a civil lawsuit said she was sexually assaulted by a local doctor, has agreed to publicly apologize, pay him an undisclosed amount of damages and dismiss her legal case admitting she made false statements and allegations. She is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, formerly employed by Deaconess, resigned her job in March 2019 because of the alleged harassment, according to her lawsuit against Dr. Nirmal Joshi filed in Warrick County Circuit Court. Joshi is employed as an anesthesiologist by Deaconess, practicing at both Deaconess Midtown in Evansville and Deaconess Gateway in Warrick County. The Courier & Press did not identify Blair in its original reporting about the lawsuit, consistent with its policy not to identify victims of alleged sexual assault or abuse unless they consent. Blair agreed to releasing a written, notarized public apology withdrawing h...

A man from San Diego pleaded guilty to three felony sexual assault counts stemming from allegations that he raped three women, some of whom were unconscious during the acts. Juan Carlos Cordero is  to be sentenced Nov. 4 for charges related to raping women he met on dating sites or in person between 2015 and 2019. Cordero pleaded guilty  to penetration of an unconscious victim by a foreign object, forcible sodomy and sodomy of an unconscious victim, with each count corresponding to women identified only as Jane. Some of the victims alleged they may have been drugged by the defendant, though Cordero's defense attorneys denied that claim, saying no date rape drugs had been discovered in the women's toxicology exams. During a preliminary hearing last year, several women testified that while with Cordero, they blacked out and woke up in his bed, with little to no recollection of the previous night. Many testified that they discovered they'd suffered injuries that led them to b...

Pulaski woman pleaded guilty to felony child abuse of a 6-month-old Tuesday despite the prosecutor’s refusal to offer a plea agreement for acts he termed, supreme evil. Pulaski County Commonwealth’s Attorney Justin Griffith told the court that the innocence of a child is cherished, and we all know children lose their innocence at different times. Referring to photos of the injured child, and he added that we know the exact moment this baby lost his. You can see the innocence leave his face in these photos.The evidence speaks for itself even though the victim was too young to. Heather Amanda Gravley pleaded guilty to the most serious charge of child abuse in Virginia, one causing serious injury. The lack of a plea agreement left sentencing entirely up to the court. According to Griffith, Gravley caused abusive head trauma that resulted in significant bruising to the child’s face. The incident occurred Oct. 18, 2019. Gravley has been in jail since Nov. 15. The defendant reported numerou...

 A 45 years old  man has been arrested for arson in Michigan  related to a suspicious fire at a bar last month. Josh Fortier of Manistee, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 16, by the Manistee City Police Department for suspected arson in the Aug. 11 structure fire at the Hi Way Bar, 715 Kosciusko St. in Manistee, according to information released by the department via Facebook. Manistee police and fire crews responded to the fire around 5:39 a.m. on Aug. 11. The arrived to find flames visible from the rear of the two-story building. A person living in an upstairs apartment was rescued from the fire by police. Within days, the fire was determined to be an arson. Manistee police were assisted in the investigation by the Michigan State Police Fire Marshal Division and the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office. Fortier was arraigned on Thursday, Sept. 17, on one count of first-degree arson, a felony punishable by up to life in prison and/or a fine of $20,000 or up to three tim...

 Sex crimes are given the name Criminal Sexual Conduct, or CSC. The varying degrees of CSC are below, and are generally crimes that involve unwanted touching or attempted touching of a sexual nature, the use of force and the presence of aggravating circumstances.  1st degreee csc is sexual penetration of another person or sexual contact with a person who is less than thirteen years old, and some other circumstance exists, such as the under-thirteen-year-old and the offender are more than three years apart in age, the offender had a dangerous weapon and used or threatened to use it, or the two individuals had a significant relationship and the minor was less than sixteen years old. The sentence is up to 30 years in prison and/or up to a $40,000 fine. Second degree criminal sexual conduct is sexual contact with another person and some other circumstance like those in first degree criminal sexual conduct. The sentence is up to 25 years in prison and/or up to a $35,000 fine. 3rd d...

Sexual assault charges are one of the most serious, devastating things that can happen to a person. The mere accusation of sexual assault can leave you with a negative stigma that is hard to overcome. So learning about the best to defense to sexual assault charges in your case is critical. A conviction for sexual assault comes with serious consequences, including a lengthy prison sentence, heavy fines, supervision upon release from custody, separation from family and, in certain cases, mandatory sex-offender registration. The basic defense for sex assault case is a claim of actual innocence. A defendant may argue that they could not have committed the crime because they were in a different location at the time the alleged crime took place, which is known as presenting an "alibi". In order to mount an effective defense based on an alibi, the defendant must support the alibi with credible evidence that establishes that they were not with the victim at the time the crime took p...

 Many lawyers specialize in a particular area of the law. Be sure your attorney has relevant experience. An attorney who regularly drafts wills may not be the best choice to represent you in a courtroom if the subject is an auto accident. If family, friends or co-workers have hired a lawyer for a similar reason, ask them for recommendations. If not, check with your state and local bar associations. Some groups offer lawyer referral services for their members. Try to talk with more than one lawyer before you choose the one to represent you. But find out if you will be charged for an initial meeting. Be prepared to describe your problem in a brief, clear summary. Ask the various lawyers about their experience, their fees, what your options might be, your chances of success, who will do the work, and when the problem might be resolved. The nature of your legal problem will determine the type of lawyer you need to hire. Most lawyers concentrate their practice in a few legal specialties...

 Every country is different, and every country's laws are different. Sometimes these laws border on the seriously ridiculous, and other times they point to important cultural values that might be different than your own. Sometimes we all suffer when fools break the rules. After vandals used chewing gum to mess with the Mass Rapid Transit system and the Housing and Development Board spent $150,000 a year to clean gum liter, Singapore banned all gum substances in 1992. Anyone importing, selling or making gum in Singapore can get fined and/or jail time, with the exception of nicotine and dental gums offering therapeutic value. The Canadians are a patriotic bunch. So much so that all Canadian radio stations are required, by law, to play Canadian artists on the airwaves at least 35 percent of the time, especially during the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. This means that in an hour of radio during the workweek, you'll hear more than 20 minutes of artists like Nick...

 A man from  Houghton Lake has been charged by the Michigan Attorney General with numerous sex offenses in two northern Michigan counties. The suspect is already awaiting trial on similar charges in a third county. Attorney General Nessel’s office charged Michael R. Clune  with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13, five counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity, and five counts of using a computer to commit a felony. First-degree criminal sexual conduct involves penetration and is a life offense, with the young age of the alleged victim attaching a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison. Clune is accused of using the internet to chat and meet boys under the age of 15 for sex. Using the dating app Grindr, Clune contacted the victims and formed online relationships, Nessel alleges. On at least one occasion, it is alleged that one relationship led to an in-person sexual encounter in Shiawassee County. Michigan State Poli...

 Before moving in a new place,it’s a must that you read and fully understand all the existing laws at that place. There might be some acts that are legal at your previous community but punishable by law at your new found state. If you are living or wanted to move in Michigan, here are few weird laws in Michigan that you must know and fully understand. Here's a law you may not know even existed in Michigan. No person shall while in an offensive state of intoxication enter or be on or remain upon any railway train or interurban car as a passenger. You cannot be drunk on a train in Michigan. It's unclear if this means any type of train. Maybe it's referring to the old Grand Trunk Railroad. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in the business of buying, selling, trading or exchanging new, used or second-hand motor vehicles or offering to buy, sell, trade or exchange, or participate in the negotiation thereof, or attempt to buy, sell, trade or exch...