Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Fighting a Traffic Ticket in Loudoun County
In the old days, fighting a traffic ticket in Loudoun County was easy. Usually, a municipal court wasn’t a court of record. So, defendants could automatically appeal the verdict. Then, at the appeal hearing, the arresting officer often didn’t appear, so the judge dismissed the case. The environment is different now. Most municipal courts… Read More »
Building a Successful Defense in an Assault Case
Ultimately, a successful defense in an assault or any other case must create a reasonable doubt as to the evidence. A criminal case doesn’t decide if the defendant “did it” or not. Rather, the outcome of a criminal case hinges on what the state can prove. The less evidence prosecutors have, and the stronger… Read More »
Cops Offer Cash Reward for Suspect’s Capture
Investigators are looking for a man wanted in connection with a November 2023 shooting, and they’re offering $5,000 for information that leads to his arrest and conviction. Officers say a 26-year-old Big Stone Gap man was shot and killed around 8:40 p.m. on November 14 in the 3700 block of Wharf Lane. The primary… Read More »
Defending Aggravated Assault Charges in Loudoun County: A Primer
The aggravated assault arrest rate bottomed out in 2014. Since then, it’s increased almost every year. Now, law enforcement investigators aggressively pursue cases that, ten years ago, they considered civil matters and dropped. An often over-aggressive investigation usually means additional procedural defenses when the case goes to court. More on that below. Fortunately, when… Read More »
Lawmakers Mull Expanded Hate Crimes Law
Because of an increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Semetic incidents, Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) wants to extend hate crimes law coverage to include ethnicity. Helmer’s bill would offer protection for Jewish people who may not identify with the religion, but whose heritage is connected to the culture. “My sons, like many other children, have faced antisemitism… Read More »
Breaking Down Forfeiture Proceedings in Virginia
Depending on your perspective, civil forfeiture, which is covered in Section 18.2-46.3 of the Virginia Code, may be the most essential or most oppressive law enforcement tool in the state. Essentially, this provision allows law enforcement to seize and sell any property related to criminal activity, such as a bank account associated with money… Read More »
Triple Shooting in Virginia Beach on Christmas Eve
An apparent shootout killed one person and wounded two others, and police have no leads or suspects. Shortly after midnight Sunday, the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Riverbend and Lakecrest roads. There, officers found two men who had been shot. One of them… Read More »
Top Five Non-Moving Violations in Loudoun County
Most people cannot drive more than four or five blocks without violating at least one provision in Virginia’s extremely complex traffic code. That’s just the moving violations. Many vehicles are not street legal, making their drivers subject to a stop at any time. The next step in a traffic stop is usually a criminal… Read More »
An Unsolved Mystery Right Here in Virginia
A 21-year-old man who was convicted of aggravated malicious wounding, grand larceny, and hit and run is still on the run a month after he escaped from custody. The Greensville Correctional Center inmate escaped while he was getting medical care in St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico County. He escaped when two officers watching him… Read More »
Cops Use DNA Evidence to Locate Cold Case Suspect
A 51-year-old New York man is in custody and facing charges for a murder he allegedly committed thirty years ago. In November 1994, a 37-year-old woman was found stabbed to death inside her home in Springfield, Virginia. Her 2-year-old daughter was in another part of the house during the stabbing. While investigating the case,… Read More »