Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Should I talk to the police?” The North Carolina General Assembly has passed legislation that would ensure that individuals who are convicted in the state of human trafficking must register with local sheriffs as registered sex offenders. The legislation was passed unanimously by…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” A potentially important bill has been introduced in the North Carolina legislature that could change the way law enforcement agencies handle marijuana possession offenses. The legislation, House Bill 637, would lower penalties for…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Should I talk to the police?” Late last month the Supreme Court handed down a major criminal ruling concerning the use of drug-sniffing dogs. The case, Florida v. Jardines, was a close one, 5-4, and backed up a lower court’s decision to declare…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” News from the Attorney General indicates that there was a big rise in the number of North Carolinians who died as a result of domestic violence last year. The 15 percent jump, a rise of…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” A recent piece of legislation proposed by state Representative Pricey Harrison would create limits on how law enforcement agencies across the state would be allowed to use unmanned drones. The Bill would only allow the…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” An employee of Macy’s in Charlotte’s SouthPark Mall was charged yesterday with embezzling more than $2,000 from the department store. The woman, Shamika Freeman, 27, was arrested over the weekend and later released…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Should I talk to the police?” A battle in the state legislature is brewing over a bill that would grant prosecutors dramatically more power in determining which juveniles are tried as adults. The legislation, House Bill 217, would allow prosecutors to decide whether…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” It is tragic to think that there are people in prison in North Carolina today all because courts or police lost or discarded important evidence that could have been used to secure their freedom. Rape…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an important ruling just last week making clear that those criminals sentenced to life in prison for murder, rape and other serious crimes during a period of the 1970s…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Should I talk to the police?” A North Carolina woman pled guilty to stealing from her neighbor’s dead child. The horrible incident took place in September of 2012 after a one-year-old boy drowned in a neighbor’s pond after wandering away from his Rowan…