Category Archives: Arrest and Indictment

False Confessions: Police Get Them, Prosecutors Use Them – Three Recent Examples and How to Protect Yourself

Let’s talk about Confessions.  False confessions. Think about this: you’re tried — and convicted — of a very public crime, let’s say a homicide, and sent off to prison. Your lawyers keep working; the judge orders a retrial. Then, wham! The prosecutors in the case go before the judge and file their motion to dismiss…


Social Media Arrests: Criminal Charges Based On Content Itself – No Warrant Necessary

Law Enforcement Monitors Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Other Social Media for Investigation – and Now as Basis for Arrest Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Periscope, Instagram: what’s your social media preference? Odds are very high that you use some form of social media, no matter what your age, what kind of work you…


Heroin and Marijuana in Texas: What’s the Federal Government Doing?

First, let’s talk about pot. There’s the real stuff, called “marihuana” in the Texas Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and the fake alternative, a.k.a. “synthetic marijuana.” Under Texas CSA Section 481.002(26), marijuana is defined as follows: “Marihuana” means the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not, the seeds of that plant, and every compound, manufacture,…


Immigration Holds in North Texas: Indefinite Stays and Dallas County Sheriff

There’s a reason that you get nervous when you see that police car in your rearview mirror: police officers have tremendous power in this country, and we all depend upon them to exercise that power (in legalese, their “police powers”) responsibly. Not that this gives many of us much comfort. DWI Held on Immigration Bond…


Forfeiture Victory for Police: They Can Seize and Keep Assets Even In an Illegal Search Says Texas Supreme Court

Texas law allows the police to take property from someone even if the property owner is never charged, much less convicted of a crime. This is called “civil forfeiture,” it’s allowed under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts. 59.01-.14 et seq., and we’ve discussed this several times before. Lots of people are against civil forfeiture…


Manslaughter Case No Billed in Morris County, Texas

Mr. Lowe’s client got into a drunken argument with his father-in-law on Christmas day 2015.  The argument became physical and and Mr. Lowe’s client pushed his father-in-law off his father-in-law’s front porch of the father-in-law’s home in Naples, Texas.  The fall resulted in severe brain trauma.  The client’s wife was present when the altercation took…


Guns, Gun Rights, Gun Ownership in Texas, and Weapons Arrests: Things To Know After Orlando

The Gun Control Debate: What You Should Know About Owning and Carrying a Gun in Texas Time has passed, and still the country is reeling about the tragedy in Orlando, Florida, where a single individual was able to quickly kill 50 people and injure as many more in a matter of minutes. Lots of people…


Sex Crimes With Kids: Teachers and Students – It’s a Serious Felony in Texas

Texas made the national news again on Monday, but not in a good way. A CBS News / Associated Press report focused upon a growing trend in sex crime arrests here in Texas, specifically teachers being arrested for having sexual relations with students. Even more specifically, female teachers allegedly having inappropriate (read that “illegal”) relationships…


Was Johnny Depp Falsely Accused of Domestic Violence? The Overlap Between Divorce Law and Criminal Defense

The crime of domestic violence is getting lots of media attention this week because — once again — Hollywood is providing a spotlight on criminal law and in doing so, educating the public about the reality of criminal acts and the harm that they cause to everyone involved. Which is a good thing. It’s only…


Money Laundering and Texas Drug Cartels

Money Laundering Arrests – The Flip Side of the Forfeiture Coin Money laundering in Texas has to happen, it’s a given. Why? The extremely successful Mexican Drug Cartels that operate here (and across the Tex-Mex border) must have a system to convert the cash revenue generated by their illegal business activities into legitimate and viable…