If you should be taken into custody by a police officer, you have the right to know what charges are being filed against you and all of the potential penalties of those charges. You have the right to a lawyer, whether it is one that you hire or one that is appointed to you if you cannot afford one on…
In the past ten years we have seen great advances and a powerful criminal justice tool: deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA. DNA is being used by law enforcement to identify criminals with indisputable accuracy in cases where biological evidence exists. But, DNA can also be used to clear suspects and exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes…
The preliminary DWI hearing is not where you will be formally charged with anything; that occurs in the DWI arraignment. During the preliminary hearing, there is a chance that some or all of your DWI charges could be dismissed; however, you need a solid defense in order to do so. During this hearing, the prosecution will most likely be aggressive in nature, especially…
Whether you are heading to the beach, heading to a BBQ or going out of town for Labor Day weekend, you can expect to see increased DWI patrols. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has announced a boost in DWI patrols between the dates of August 19 and September 9 in an effort to catch impaired drivers during the weeks surrounding…
According to MySanAntonio.com, an alleged murderer confessed his crime to out-of-state relatives before the body had even been found. Albert Guerra was found dead and dismembered in his Northwest Side home in mid-May, and both Michael Scott Quinn, 50, and Connie Yanez, 36, have been arrested in relation to the crime. “The motive for the killing wasn’t clear because both…
In the wake of the Long Star College Cy-Fair campus multiple stabbing incident, there has been questions about why students are not screened before admittance. According to KVUE, the answer is simple: it’s illegal. In the state of Texas the law states that public institutions, such as schools, do not have the legal right to question whether a prospective or…
The San Antonio Express-News recently ran an interview with Gary L. Wells, a psychology professor at Iowa State University and also the director of social science for the American Judicature Society’s Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy. Wells has been studying witness identification since 1975. He has conducted extensive research on lineup procedures and the accuracy of witness identification,…
A burglar in Fort Bend County was caught in early April by a family’s eight surveillance cameras, according to Kens5News.com. The family lives in the Village of Oak Lake subdivision near Sugar Land, according to Kens5, and had the surveillance cameras installed after “someone walked into their house a few months ago.” The cameras showed the thief getting into one…
A 44 year-old Von Ormy woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison of the September 2011 murder of her boyfriend. Beatrice Ann Ibanez pleaded guilty to stabbing Alfred Ramirez, 46, in the heart. Ibanez initially claimed self-defense after the murder. But prosecutors had a problem with that defense because it was the same one Ibanez used in 1996…
The San Antonio Express-News is reporting that the 22-year-old son of Tejano star Emilio Navaira III has been arrested on DWI charges. In the early morning hours of February 23rd, 2013, a police officer pulled over Emilio Casias Navaira IV as he was entering the ramp to southbound U.S. 281 from Northwest Loop 410 in his white SUV. The arresting…