Category Archives: Criminal Defense
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 »
Does Back to School Mean Go to Jail?
It could, according to a new Virginia law that addresses the problem of swatting (falsely summoning law enforcement) at a public or private school. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the new law in the gymnasium of E.C. Glass High School, a school that saw multiple swatting incidents during the 2022-23 school year. “These aren’t… Read More »
Rapper Allegedly Shot 10-Year-Old Boy in Franklin
Police are looking for a suspect in the shooting death of a small boy. Authorities say the suspect is armed and dangerous. The 23-year-old woman is wanted for first degree murder and related firearms charges in connection to a shooting in the 300 block of Artis Street. According to investigators, the woman and three… Read More »
Endgame: Resolving Drug Crime Charges in Virginia
In the early days of the Republic, criminal trials resolved almost all drug crime and other crime charges in Virginia. The landscape began changing in the 1880s. As the nation grew, taxpayers were unwilling to pay for more courts and prosecutors. To speed cases through the system, the plea bargaining system began. As late… Read More »
Kinds of Reckless Driving Charges in Virginia
During the pandemic, empty roads encouraged reckless driving. Two-thirds of professed speeders said that, since traffic volume was so low, they didn’t think they put anyone else in danger. That logic might have worked during coronavirus lockdowns, but it doesn’t work today. Police officers and criminal judges, who are determined to break this bad… Read More »
Virginia Crime Rate Increased in 2022
The overall crime rate in Virginia went up 5 percent in 2022, according to the Virginia State Police. Homicides were up 10.5 percent with 621 people killed in 2022. The data also showed both victims and offenders were on the younger side, with 42 percent of murder victims being between the ages of 18… Read More »
The ALR Process in Virginia
The Old Dominion State, like all other states, has an implied consent law. When motorists sign their drivers’ licenses, they agree to provide chemical BAC samples, if a peace officer makes a lawful demand. More on that below. Interestingly, the implied consent law applies if the defendant is in “actual physical control of a… Read More »
Civil Forfeiture in Criminal Cases
Most people have strong feelings for and against controversial law enforcement practices, like civil forfeiture. Civil liberties advocates believe this practice is policing for profit and point to federal court decisions questioning it. Law enforcement officers justify the practice and point out that forfeiture funds the criminal justice system and keeps taxes lower. Whatever… Read More »
VA Man Sentenced for Sex Crimes in WI
Authorities in Michigan arrested a man who was originally from Virgina for alleged sex crimes after he fled from his new residence in Wisconsin. Investigators say the 44-year-old man lived in Virginia when he met a then-15-year-old girl online. He then groomed the girl for months, a process which included sexually explicit chats and… Read More »
Authorities Break Up Alleged Hanover County Sex Trafficking Ring
A husband and wife, allegedly the ringleaders of an intricate sex trafficking network based in a quiet suburban neighborhood, now face multiple criminal charges. According to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received a tip from an informant about a suspected sex trafficking and prostitution operation happening at a home on Tall Oakes Lane…. Read More »