J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” Charlotte-Mecklenburg police office Randall Kerrick avoided conviction on manslaughter charges last week when the North Carolina jury deadlocked, forcing the judge presiding over the case to declare a…
Articles Posted in Criminal Lawyer
North Carolina Criminal Makes It Hard On His Defense Attorney
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: What is an expungement? In a case that will surely make headlines across the country, a man from Clayton, North Carolina has been arrested after police say he left his wallet at the scene of the crime. Being arrested and charged…
Law Firm Partner Faces Criminal Charges After Drunken Outburst On Flight From Charlotte
Charlotte DWI Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime? A partner at a major national law firm is currently experiencing the fallout from a series of bad decisions she made during a recent flight from Charlotte, NC to…
Use of criminal law to address societal problems leads to over-criminalization
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?” The passage of the Controlled Substances Act by the United States Congress in 1970 represented perhaps the largest single legislative effort to address societal problems by use of the criminal…
High court invokes ancient legal principle to throw out man’s social-media conviction
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” The United States Supreme Court has thrown out the conviction of a man who prosecutors accused of threatening his wife, coworkers, a kindergarten class and law-enforcement officials in online social-media…
Legislator moves to criminalize sex “procured by fraud,” jail offenders for 20 years
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I talk to the police?” A man after a woman’s heart may be prone to a bit of puffery, but legislators in New Jersey want to criminalize that puffery when it rises to the level of deception.…
Craigslist-post conviction thrown out; criminal defamation law ruled unconstitutional
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?” The axiom that “The truth shall set you free” is, in my opinion, a bit overused and often used out of context. The quote—from the eighth chapter of the Gospel…
Sheriff’s office defends reserve deputy who shot, killed fleeing suspect
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?” The Tulsa Sheriff’s Office was aware as early as 2009 of issues involving a reserve officer’s behavior in the field and special treatment he received during training, according…
NHL player arrested after pool-party pat down uncovers his cocaine, Molly
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?” Sports and celebrity news sites in the United States, Canada and around the world have broadcast the details surrounding the arrest last Friday of professional hockey star Jarret Stoll. Stoll…
Alleged broken taillight means death for North Charleston motorist
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?” Saturday, April 4 seemed like a good day for a cookout. Walter Scott drove his friend Pierre Fulton to a local church to pick up some vegetables. The…