On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Criminal Defense on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
When North Carolina residents face criminal charges, it is the job of their defense attorneys to ensure that their constitutional rights are protected throughout the case. Sometimes, police violate the rights of a defendant during an investigation or during the arrest itself. It is important that these violations are presented to a judge, because they can sometimes lead to reduced or dismissed charges.
A criminal defense lawyer in North Dakota is arguing that police violated a man's constitutional rights in June when they arrested him with the assistance of a Department of Homeland Security Predator drone, an unmanned surveillance aircraft.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Domestic Violence on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Two North Carolina women have come forward to accuse the former head of the Iredell County Sheriff's Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit of stalking them after they sought the department's help.
The first incident allegedly occurred in 2008, after one of the women had contacted the department to obtain a protection order after her husband's reported domestic assault. After she received the protection order, the accused officer offered to help her personally with her problems. She claims that he then started harassing and stalking her.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Criminal Defense on Friday, May 4, 2012
Cumberland County, North Carolina, authorities arrested a 23-year-old man last week for failing to register as a sex offender. He came to their attention after having driven home a 23-year-old female combat medic stationed at Fort Bragg who has been missing since April 14.
The man claims he is just being targeted because of his sex offender record, and police have not named him as a suspect in this high-profile missing person case.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Sex Crimes on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A Statesville, North Carolina, man has been charged with 122 counts of sexual assault, including counts of rape, statutory rape, and taking liberties with a minor. The activity is alleged to have taken place over 11 years.
Some might find it shocking that a single man has been charged with so many counts at once, and one might mistakenly assume that the sheer number of crimes he allegedly committed must mean that he is guilty of at least something.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Criminal Defense on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Mustafa Greene, the leading rusher for North Carolina State in 2010, is scheduled to appear in court later this month in relation to criminal charges. He is accused of separate drug and traffic violations. Neither violation; however, is directly related, and authorities have not accused Greene of driving under the influence of any substance.
In February, a state trooper pulled the football player over for speeding. The trooper issued Greene six tickets, including citations for having illegally tinted windows and out-of-date stickers.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Criminal Defense on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Law enforcement officials in Greensboro, North Carolina, are treating a string of vandalism incidents as potential hate crimes. Last weekend, a person or a group of people spray-painted graffiti on three homes and an automobile. The graffiti reportedly contained obscenities and negative references directed toward Jewish people.
Authorities have not made any arrests, and as of yet they have do not have any leads. Due to the nature of the crimes and the content of the graffiti, police believe that these are juvenile crimes, but they could be prosecuted as hate crimes.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Violent Crimes on Monday, April 2, 2012
Two 16-year-old girls from Hickory, North Carolina, are facing criminal charges for allegedly helping stab a cab driver to death in August 2011. They are just two of four people charged with murder in connection to the incident. A fifth person has also been charged with accessory after the fact.
Authorities put the girls under arrest late last month. March 29 was their first court appearance. According to a news report, no one from either girl's family attended the hearing.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Criminal Defense on Monday, March 26, 2012
North Carolina residents who find themselves under arrest and facing criminal charges now have the right to effective legal representation during the plea-bargaining phase. Criminal defendants have long had the right to representation during their trial. And incompetent legal representation is sometimes grounds to overturn a conviction on appeal, allowing for a new proceeding.
Last week, however, the U.S. Supreme Court enhanced protections of criminal suspects by ruling that poor legal counsel concerning a plea bargain is grounds for overturning a conviction as well.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Violent Crimes on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Police have arrested a soldier in North Carolina on criminal charges for murder. Authorities reportedly found the man's girlfriend's body in a bathtub in Clarksville, Tennessee. Someone had apparently shot her to death.
The girlfriend was also in the military. Both were based out of Fort Campbell. The accused is awaiting extradition to Montgomery County, where Clarksville is located.
On behalf of Dickerson Law Firm, P.A. posted in Sex Crimes on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
When residents of Orange County, North Carolina, talk or possibly joke about a crime, they likely do not believe such action could amount to its own criminal act or lead to a federal investigation.
One man, who may have a penchant for making very tasteless jokes on Facebook, was recently investigated by the FBI and arrested, according to news reports. The man reportedly posted comments about child rape and child pornography on the popular social media website, which led to the federal investigation and then his arrest.
