The Marijuana Laws Are A-Changin’ Back in 1964 when Bob Dylan sang “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” marijuana was called the “killer weed” and even simple possession was a felony in California carrying a sentence of one to ten years. Now over 60 years later, the citizens of California will…
California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Suspects Arrested In Irvine On Suspicion of Package Theft
Two adults and one juvenile were arrested today after a mail carrier called Irvine Police Department and reported a possible package theft. The Irvine PD responded to the neighborhood and spotted the individuals in the vehicle described by the witness. After pulling the vehicle over, the individuals were positively identified…
THE CRIME RATES CONTINUE TO DECREASE IN CALIFORNIA
The California Attorney General is responsible for collecting and analyzing yearly crime data for the State of California. Guess what? Crime is down in California – way down! According to the Attorney General’s statistics for the most recent year studied (2014) crime has decreased in number and rate in…
IS IT A CRIME TO INFECT SOMEONE WITH AIDS?
TV star Charlie Sheen recently revealed that he is HIV positive. Mr. Sheen’s lifestyle is no secret, for years the tabloids have chronicled his seemingly non-stop partying, his coterie of “goddesses” and his many sexual escapades. According to Mr. Sheen’s revelation, he has known he was HIV positive for at…
Grand Theft Laws In California
When talking about theft laws in California, it’s important to distinguish between theft and grand theft. To be specific, California law defines the crime of theft as the unlawful taking of someone else’s property. In situations where the value of the item taken is $950.00 or higher, then the crime…
Co-dependency and the adult child defendant.
As most people know, codependency exists where one person supports another person’s addiction, anger or other psychological weakness. In the criminal context this unbalanced relationship rears its head very frequently. To the extent a parent or other loved one unequivocally and unreservedly supports the weakness of a child or other…
IS COERCED TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSERS THE RIGHT APPROACH IN CALIFORNIA?
IS COERCED TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSERS THE RIGHT APPROACH? A recent study that has garnered a lot of attention is the finding by two Princeton economists, one a Nobel prize winner, that there is what has been termed an “epidemic” of substance abuse by middle-aged white Americans. In fact, the…
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME: MISREPORTING IN ORDER TO AVOID TAXES OR INSURANCE PREMIUMS
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME: MISREPORTING IN ORDER TO AVOID TAXES OR INSURANCE PREMIUMS Sometimes the cost of doing business in California gives a business owner reason to consider whether it’s worth it at all. Between taxes, insurance costs and various fees, the cost of doing business in some professions can be…
California’s Prop 47 Producing Anticipated Results
California’s Proposition 47, which was considered a controversial measure, appears to be producing the results it was intended for. However, there are still those skeptics who question whether or not the desired results are being met. But, according to reports by the Stanford Justice Advocacy Project, any criticism of Prop…
Local High School Suffers Performing Arts Theft
An Orange County high school’s biggest theatre production in over a decade almost came to a halt after two speakers and nine wireless microphones worth over $7,000 were stolen from a locked moving truck less than a week before the show. Katella High School’s performance art equipment was borrowed from…