Nearly two-dozen new laws went into effect on Saturday including one important item that extends a North Carolina crime against cyber-bullying to also provide protection to school employees. The new law will mean that students who use a computer to intimidate or threaten school employees will face criminal penalties. Existing…
Brad Smith, a partner here at Arnold & Smith, made the news recently when it was announced that prosecutors in Charlotte, NC decided to appeal a judge’s decision to throw out the drunk driving charges filed against Tim Newman. Neman’s case made headlines earlier this year when the former chief…
According to a recent report by Fox Charlotte, an increase in the number of high profile sex crimes investigations nationally has led to a rise in reports of child abuse cases here in North Carolina. Experts say incidents such as the Penn State debacle along with the Boy Scouts have…
A recent case before the U.S. Supreme Court will result in a clarification regarding rules of double jeopardy in the criminal justice system. The case involves a man, Lamar Evans, who was acquitted of burning down a vacant house after the judge presiding over his trial incorrectly required prosecutors to…
It must be true what they say; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Though it may not sound particularly tragic, North Carolina is evidently gripped by an odd crime wave. The number of scrap metal thefts has skyrocketed across the state recently and legislators have taken action to solve…
The ACLU recently launched an attack against the Justice Department for continuing to keep innocent people locked up in jail. The civil rights organization said the government has continued keeping some people in prison despite knowing that they have not committed any federal crime. An investigation conducted by USA Today…
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recently kicked off a “Booze It or Loose It” campaign and this one is set to coincide with the year’s Halloween festivities. The purpose of the new enforcement effort is to crack down on drunk drivers during what can be a busy season. The campaign will…
A recent online article discussed a seemingly boring but ultimately important issue that may be raised before the Supreme Court in a coming session: pocket litter. “Pocket litter” is a phrase used in law enforcement circles to refer to items of miscellaneous information carried on a person. This comes into…
According to some recent local news, it appears that juvenile crime rates in Mecklenburg County have been dropping recently due to work by the police to fight teen crime and gang activity. Numbers released from the state recently reveal that while overall violent crimes have declined by nearly 14% in…
After eight days of a contentious trial, the case that will test North Carolina’s new racial justice law finally wrapped up last week. The outcome of the case will have an important impact in determining how the Racial Justice Act is interpreted in future criminal cases. Under the state’s law,…