Recent Blog Posts
Hazing at a CA High School Could Lead to Sex Crimes Charges
Allegations have surfaced at a Los Angeles County high school of sexual hazing by forced sodomy on the school’s varsity soccer team. L.A. county sheriffs investigators are looking into an alleged attack in which a 14-year-old victim was surprised by 10 teammates in the soccer team’s storage room, held down by four older players,… Read More »
Los Angeles Jury Returns Verdicts in Trial of the “Bell 6”
A jury in Los Angeles County returned verdicts in the trial of six former Bell City council members (the “Bell 6”) charged with misappropriating public funds to pay themselves excessive salaries. The scandal came to light in 2010 following the publication of a series of articles in the Los Angeles Times discussing the large… Read More »
…But is it Rape?
Earlier this year, the California Court of Appeals had to determine whether or not a rape occurred when a man entered a sleeping woman’s bedroom and had sex with her, when she thought at the time that the man was her boyfriend. The court held that a rape did not occur, but only because… Read More »
Impact of California A.B. Prison Realignment Law
Governor Jerry Brown signed into law A.B. 109 effectively transferring responsibility for nonserious, nonviolent and non-Penal Code §290 registerable sex offenders from the state to the counties. The law was an apparent response to a U. S. Supreme Court order to reduce California’s prison population to 137 percent of capacity by May 24, 2013… Read More »
Local Jails Might Limit Immigration Holds For Felony Convicts Only
Gov. Jerry Brown recently met with leaders from the California State Sheriffs’ Association to discuss ways to give city police and county sheriff’s departments discretion on immigration enforcement. In 2013, many of California’s local jails might limit federal immigration “holds” to detainees with felony convictions, greatly reducing the number of people deported solely for… Read More »
Law Provides Juveniles Convicted of Murder with the Possibility of Parole
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 2005 case of Roper v. Simmons that juvenile offenders could not be executed for their crimes, based on the 8th Amendment bar against “cruel and unusual punishment.” This year, the Court further extended this ruling in Graham v. Florida to prohibit life without the possibility of parole… Read More »
The Reality of Breaking Bad: California “Meth Lab” Laws
The popular AMC series Breaking Bad tells the story of a struggling chemistry teacher who begins producing and selling methamphetamine to secure his family’s financial future before he dies of lung cancer. Walter White’s life of crime takes the twists and turns of TV drama, but what about real people accused of manufacturing meth… Read More »
Facing Murder Charges after a Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident
California drivers involved in serious or fatal accidents may be charged with serious crimes if accused of driving recklessly or driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of an accident. On June 26, the L.A. Times reported two separate cases involving fatal traffic accidents and alleged drunk driving. In… Read More »
How Violating a Restraining Order Can Result in Criminal Charges
On May 31, the L.A. Times reported that Dennis Rodman, former NBA star, has received notice of a temporary restraining order filed by his ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, in Orange County. As a result of the order, Rodman cannot come within 100 yards of Ms. Rodman and their two children together, or Ms. Rodman’s adult daughter from another relationship.