Violent Crimes

Credit Card Cop Arrested for Fraud

The Las Vegas Sun recently reported that a North Las Vegas Police detective has been arrested for allegedly using a department credit card to make personal purchases. The 39-year-old has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is being handled. The week-long investigation that led to his arrest was prompted when the department credit card went missing.

The accused detective has been charged with three counts of credit card fraud, and three counts of accepting merchandise obtained by unlawful use of a credit card, all considered felonies. If convicted of a felony crime, a person’s future is put in jeopardy and may face lengthy prison time, hefty fines capable of putting one in debt, and many other consequences.

In any event, it is important to remember that accusation of a crime does not necessarily mean that you will be found guilty. In is essential that the services of a skilled criminal defense attorney are sought to ensure that you are afforded the strongest possible defense in relation to an understanding of the extent of the charges against you.

Commerce Man Pleads Not Guilty in DUI Crash

According to an article from examiner.com, a Los Angeles county man was recently taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing an accident. The 23-year-old man is said by police to have been the cause of the accident that involved a reported four other vehicles. Though the man was not said to have been injured in the crash, a 9-year-old girl that was a passenger in the man’s car was seriously injured and died shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital for treatment. The man now faces charges including vehicular manslaughter, DUI, and child endangerment and could use the help of an experienced Los Angeles drunk driving defense attorney.

Reportedly, the man did not notice the slow down in traffic while traveling along the Northbound I-5, and swerved to avoid the vehicles in front of him but barreled into other vehicles as a result. The crash took place at 1AM in the city of Carlsbad.

Though driving under the influence and driver inattention were the main culprits in causing this tragedy, not all accidents that occur under suspicion of DUI are the same. Dangerous road conditions, faulty auto products, and other drivers that are not accused of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol can all be the primary cause of a traffic accident. Thus, it is imperative that all details of any crash are thoroughly examined to determine exactly who was at fault so that accountability can be distributed accordingly.

The Number of DUI-Charged Women Rising

A recent article in The Seattle Times reported on an alarming trend that can have an impact on motorists anywhere in the country, particularly Los Angeles, where commuting via passenger car is as commonplace as taking the subway is in New York. According to the article, the number of women arrested for driving under the influence nationwide rose 28.8% higher in 2007 than it was in 1998. Interestingly enough, the number of men arrested for DUI decreased 7.5% over the same time period, indicating that woman are now more likely to engage in reckless behavior than they ever have been in the past.

Based on FBI figures relating to arrests, the state of California experienced an increase as well in the number of women driving under the influence. That is, 18.8% of all DUI arrests in California in the year 2007 involved a woman driving under the influence, while, in 1997, women only accounted for 13.5% of all DUI arrests. Numerous explanations have been given as to the reason why this deadly trend is becoming more and more prevalent across the country. Some cite that women tend to drink more at home than men do, and consequently hide their drinking problems until after an accident has occurred, at which point preventative measures to help curb the problem are too late. Others cite the current economic tide as reasoning as to why women are more likely to succumb to driving while under the influence. That is, as more and more men, and women alike, lose their jobs, there is a definite increase in pressure placed upon the shoulders of women, many of whom take on the dual roles of homemaker and financial contributor towards the well-being of the family. This added pressure, unfortunately, has led to increased drinking habits on the part of women

Tustin Teen Charged with Car Crash Murder

According to The Orange County Register, an 18-year old, male from the North Tustin area was recently charged with second–degree murder for crashing his parents’ car, resulting in the loss of life of his 16-year-old, female passenger. The driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash boasting a blood alcohol content of 0.11. His female passenger, though wearing a seatbelt, died from massive, blunt-force trauma.

It was reported that the young driver had previously, the very day of the crash, in fact, been warned by a juvenile court judge that driving involved taking on a tremendous amount of responsibility. Though the driver’s friends warned him of his intoxication level, and advised against driving the vehicle, those warnings were not taken into full consideration, with the ensuing result being the crash. The driver now faces 15 years to life in prison, and will be sentenced in October 2009.

Driving under the influence can often, but not always, lead to a loss of life, but does always have a detrimental impact on those involved, regardless of the extent to which they are a part of the crash. In any event, it is important to remember that the circumstances of the case must be examined, all influences that may have lead to the incident need to be taken into consideration, and the best possible defense should always be afforded to those being charged with driving under the influence.

Singer Chris Brown Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Rhianna

R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, pop star Rhianna, in a plea deal that his criminal defense attorneys and prosecuting attorneys reached at the last second before his domestic violence trial was set to begin.

The altercation occurred between the couple the night before the Grammy awards when Chris Brown received a text message from a former lover. After arguing in his rented Lambourghini, police found Rhianna bruised and bloodied on a Hancock Park side street.

According to the report, Brown, who is 20-years old, will be on probation for five years, attend a yearlong domestic violence prevention class and complete six months of what the judge termed “community labor” — a more restrictive form of community service in which he will be required to perform such tasks as picking up trash or removing graffiti.

Indictment Offers Details of LA Gangs Workings

In our legal system, an indictment is a formal accusation that a person has committed a criminal offense. The LA Times online published an article about one such indictment, the document charges about 40 members and associates of the Columbia Lil Cycos — a clique of the 18th Street gang — with being involved in a racketeering conspiracy that allegedly involved murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping and other crimes.

According to the indictment, the Mexican mafia, a notorious prison based organization that allegedly controls Latino street gangs were angered that a baby was killed in a botched “hit” of a street vendor. The vendor, a 37-year-old, had been refusing to pay the $50 weekly “rent” that he and others working near the corner of 6th Street and Burlington Avenue were expected to pay gang members. The gang members attempted to kill Clemente, but accidentally shot the baby.

The LA Gang involved, the 18th street gang, decided to take matters into their own hands and resolved the issue. They lured the gunmen to Mexico under the guise of hiding him from authorities, where they strangled him and left him for dead. The shooter did not die, however, and instead was picked up by police after being found in Mexico. He has since given authorities valuable information into the inner workings of the Mexican Mafia and 18th street gangs.

Fresno Businessman Held in Woman’s Beating

A well known Fresno businessman was being held in Fresno County Jail on felony domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges. Bail was $421,000.

According to an account, the businessman had been arrested on suspicion of brutally beating a woman and holding a knife to her neck. The argument was apparently over a watch that had a value of approximately $135,000. Offices found bruises and scratches all over the woman’s arm and neck when they responded to the call for help.

The California penal code defines abuse as “intentionally or recklessly causing or attempting to cause bodily injury, or placing another person in reasonable apprehension of imminent, serious bodily injury to himself, herself or another”. Domestic violence in California can refer to violence between spouses, partners, former partners or spouses, children, individuals involved in a dating relationship, or elder abuse.

Public Aid Sought in Double Murder Prosecution

There has been an arrest in the case of two Highland Park boys who were shot and killed in Piedmont Park on March 13th. Authorities have arrested an 18-year-old and charged him with two counts of murder in California with the special circumstance of multiple murders, according to a published report in LA Times online.

The arrests come after 4 months of investigations following the tragic shootings. According to authorities, someone from the community had stepped forward and accused the teen, a documented member of the Dogtown gang whose street monikers include the name “Shorty.”

The shootings occurred when the two boys, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, were walking home from Piedmont Park near the Highland Park Recreation Center. A gang member confronted them, which lead to an altercation. That is when the gang member called for help. Homicide Det. said another gang member ran to the scene and then pulled a handgun and shot the two boys.

Although authorities have someone in custody, they need more individuals to come forward to insure prosecution. Commanding officer of the northeast police division was quoted as pleading with the public:

“Many people saw this crime, many, many. We would like them to come forward,” he said. “Please help us get a conviction on this man for this heinous crime,” he said. “Let’s put him away for a long time, if not forever.”

Los Angeles Murder of Teenage Girl

In the early morning of Saturday, June 25, 2009, a seventeen year old female student was discovered dead in the passenger seat of her car, which was parked in a lot on the edge of Downtown Los Angeles at the corner of Alameda and 5th street. According to an article, her death is currently being investigated as a homicide in which a fifty year old parolee has been charged with murder in Los Angeles after his fingerprints were found in the teen’s vehicle.

Apparently, the parolee approached the teen and kidnapped her in an attempt to have her access money from an ATM using her credit card. Police claimed there were signs of struggle inside the teen’s car and the initial cause of death reported was said to be blunt force trauma. The teenage girl left her Los Feliz home on Friday at 2pm to run an errand at the Southwestern University School of Law but sadly never made it back home.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines homicide as the “willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.” Anyone facing a homicide conviction in California must prepare for some of the most severe penalties a person can be charged with. Based on highlights from the California Office of the Attorney General’s 2006 homicide report, there were 665 individuals by the end of 2006 under sentence of death in California for being convicted of murder in which of these persons seventeen were sentenced.

Man Convicted of Fatally Poisoning his Wife Dies at the Age of 81

An orange county man who was convicted of poisoning his wife has died in prison at the age of 81, according to a published LA Times report. The highly publicized California murdertrial occurred in the late 80’s and gripped the nation with its headlines.

The decedent’s trial involved the story of a couple who was married 19 years but was anything but perfect. According to evidence presented by the prosecution, the marriage was filled with lies, mistrust, infidelity and eventually murder. The prosecution alleged that the husband was extremely jealous of his beautiful wife, who was a popular school board member in the community. He suspected her of cheating on him and by all accounts was unhappy in his marriage. She refused divorce, however, so he allegedly took matters into his own hands.

The prosecution alleged that he began to poison his wife by slowly exposing her to toxic levels of cyanide and selenium. The exposure caused the woman to suffer from dehydration and lesions on her body that were so painful that she could hardly bear to move around, having to endure the pain of having them rub against her clothing. She died on Jan. 24, 1988, leaving behind her son.