Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog

Brain research on the cutting edge of criminal-law developments

Published on: April 28, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Charlotte DWI Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?

People far older and wiser than me have told me a person can stay young at heart if one never allows oneself to lose the kind of childlike fascination with even the everyday, mundane matters of life. Of course, the older we get, the more jaded we become, the more ordinary things seem, and the greater the tendency becomes to accept the world as it is, to question nothing, to stare straight ahead and move along.

State Highway Patrol resists release of dash-cam videos in criminal cases

Published on: April 23, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?”

Local news outlets are abuzz over the deployment of officer body cameras in two divisions of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Lumber Liquidators facing criminal conservation act shakedown

Published on: April 21, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?”

An American retail flooring company is facing criminal charges for alleged violations of Chinese law.

Supreme Court curtails use of drug-sniffing dogs in traffic stops

Published on: April 16, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I talk to the police?”

Last week the United States Supreme Court held that law-enforcement officers may not prolong traffic-stop investigations in order to allow police canine units to sniff vehicles for drugs.

Sheriff’s office defends reserve deputy who shot, killed fleeing suspect

Published on: April 14, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

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 to the Daily Mail and CBS News.

Little girl’s nightmares could hold clues to mom’s killer, dad says

Published on: April 9, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Charlotte DWI and Criminal Defense Attorney J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can the police search my car without a warrant?”

At around 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of February 21, Natali Castellanos-Tyler, a 30-year-old married mother of two small children, was driving home from a birthday party in her 2002 Ford Explorer. Castellanos-Tyler’s three-year-old daughter, Elisa, was riding in a back passenger seat.

NHL player arrested after pool-party pat down uncovers his cocaine, Molly

Published on: April 7, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

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.

Alleged broken taillight means death for North Charleston motorist

Published on: April 2, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

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 men dropped the vegetables off at Fulton’s house and then headed over to Scott’s, where the cookout was planned.

Cop who allegedly shot suspected drunken driver in back cleared of wrongdoing

Published on: March 31, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Charlotte DWI and Criminal Defense Attorney J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What am I obligated to do if I’ve been pulled for Drinking and Driving?”

Long before Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown, and long before New York City police restrained an alleged untaxed-cigarette seller named Eric Garner, killing him and sparking a wave of protests nationwide, a Texas campus police officer shot and killed a 23-year-old college student outside his campus apartment after pulling him over for suspected drunken driving in circumstances that had some calling for a murder charge against the officer.

Police officer seeks dismissal of conviction related to fantasy of killing, eating women

Published on: March 26, 2015 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?”

The prosecution of a former New York City police officer who federal prosecutors say participated in “a concerted criminal plot to kidnap and eat women” has raised concerns that his case will set a precedent for so-called “thought-crime” prosecutions.