Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?”
When the Utah jury acquitted a man named Roberto Román of first-degree murder of an officer of the peace, Román and his attorney breathed sighs of relief.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?”
If you’ve ever tried to buy tickets to a concert or other popular live event you understand the frustration felt by many. It can be downright impossible to get tickets to especially hot performances and the reason seldom has to do with other fans. Instead, automated ticketing purchasing software, known as “bots”, frequently scoop up huge numbers of tickets before few if any real people get the chance to buy. This leads to dramatically inflated prices with the bots reselling these tickets on the secondary market. It’s a deal that’s bad for fans and also bad for venues and the artists who aren’t getting the benefit of the higher prices being charged on the secondary market. Everyone, except the bots, lose.
Charlotte DWI Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What steps should I be taking outside legal guidance to help my DWI case?”
With so many holidays right around the corner, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the imperative of calling your attorney immediately if you are arrested or face new criminal charges this holiday season.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Am I allowed to videotape an interaction with police? Can they make me stop filming?”
Most people assume that if they’ve never been arrested and charged with a crime, there’s no way their personal information would be inside a criminal database. After all, as the name implies, criminal databases collect information about and concerning crimes and criminals, not ordinary citizens. Though it’s certainly understandable why you might assume that, you’d be wrong. As reported in a recent piece by NPR, law enforcement agencies across the country have amassed a collection of images of 50 percent of Americans’ faces. How did they get them and what are they doing with them? To find out, keep reading.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?”
To many people, involuntary commitment in a psychiatric facility seems like the equivalent of jail when it comes to restricting your freedoms; for some, it could be considered even worse. However, the majority of the N.C. Court of Appeals feels differently, with a divided panel recently ruling that a man who was involuntarily committed after he tried to kill himself was not in custody for Miranda warning purposes.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “If I am charged by campus police could I still face jail time or probation?”
Recently, the two largest cities in Tennessee passed laws aimed at reducing the number of residents arrested for nonviolent drug crimes. Specifically, the cities passed laws that gave police officers the ability to hand out minor civil citations for possession of small amounts of marijuana rather than charge them with committing a criminal offense.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “The person that called the police doesn’t want to press charges, can I still be prosecuted?”
In a lawsuit for malicious prosecution, a York County jury has awarded a $150,000 verdict to a Rock Hill-area man for the county Sheriff’s Office 2012 arrest of the man in a Stand-Your-Ground case in which he argued he should never have been charged.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?”
Millions of voters around the country are busy today making a number of important decisions, the biggest of which is about who will lead our country for the next four years. Though the significance of that question often overshadows other concerns, voters in some states, California chief among them, will also need to consider some important ballot questions that could have an important impact on criminal law for years to come. Let’s take a moment to discuss a few of these California proposals and what they might mean for citizens of the state should they become law.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?”
A recent article in Bloomberg discusses the danger that comes when prosecutors become persecutors. Though everyone agrees it is important to obey the law, some prosecutors take the power to enforce our many laws and run wild with it. Interpreting often vague legislation broadly can give the government sweeping power to target nearly anyone it disagrees with. It’s for this reason that prosecutors are called to exercise restraint and use their extensive power only when absolutely necessary.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?”
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear North Carolina’s law that bans registered sex offenders from using or even accessing any social media that allows those under 18 to post, which includes Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and more.
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog
