Beginning in 2014, a new crime was created in Massachusetts, separating assault and battery committed against a family member from other types of assault and battery. As a result, the penalties for domestic assault and battery are generally more serious than those for regular assault and battery. This applies to…
Earlier this year, an Arizona woman was killed when she was struck by an Uber self-driving test vehicle. Elaine Herzberg was crossing a Tempe street with her bicycle when the tragic accident occurred. In response, Uber immediately pulled all self-driving test vehicles from cities nationwide. Although the Uber test vehicle…
It is illegal in all 50 states to purchase, and even to possess, alcohol if you are under the age of 21. And although it is illegal for anyone to drive under the influence of alcohol, individuals under age 21 are prohibited from driving with even the slightest trace of…
No criminal prosecution will occur in a Florida case involving four teens, and an adult male who drowned as the teens watched, laughed, and filmed his struggles. On July 9 2017, Jamel Dunn screamed for help as he struggled to keep his head above water in a small pond in…
In Massachusetts, if you are stopped by police on suspicion of operating under the influence (OUI), there’s a good chance that you will be asked to submit to a breath test. This test measures the concentration of alcohol in your blood, also known as your BAC. You can refuse to…
Earlier this week, the Ottawa Senators hockey team traded left winger Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks, amid controversy involving the player’s fiance. According to news reports, Hoffman’s fiancé, Monika Caryk, has been cyberbullying the wife of Senators’ star defenseman, Erik Karlsson. In fact, Melinda Karlsson recently filed an…
Driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is a criminal offense with serious penalties in MA. But if you are arrested for OUI with a child in the car, those penalties are likely to be significantly harsher. You may even face additional charges. Case in point – a…
Brittany Smith (hereinafter, the “Defendant”), 29 years of age of Athol, was found guilty yesterday in a Home Invasion turned deadly case in Franklin Superior Court. The crime took place in Orange in October, 2016. As a result of the violent Home Invasion, two people died according to the Commonwealth.…
Yep, sometimes things go wrong in the criminal justice system, no matter which side you are on. But, no, not in the way we have been discussing in my last few postings. We turn Northward, to Peabody. According to the Salem Daily News, A gent who had been labeled by…
In the Cape Cod Times, the call that the criminal justice system’s “softness and weak” is to blame for the murder of the Yarmouth police office Sean Gannon. In the words of Rodney Collins, Mashpee town manager: The tragedy of Officer Gannon is another indictment of the Massachusetts criminal…