Charlotte Crime

Running from a charge—and your past—only makes it worse

Published on: July 15, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Do I need to hire an attorney if I have been falsely accused?”

Last week, Amy Arrington illustrated how not to handle an impending court appearance. Arrington, of Gaston County, faked her own disappearance during a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach in order to avoid court in Charlotte on fraud charges. She turned herself in after additional charges were levied against her and husband Paul Arrington over the staged disappearance.

Now police have identified 48-year-old Jeffrey Wayne Greene as the man who illustrated Sunday how not to handle the problem of outstanding warrants. Police received a tip early Sunday that Greene was staying at the Days Inn in Huntersville. Greene was a wanted man in Mecklenburg and Lincoln Counties in North Carolina and York County, South Carolina. He faced a slew of charges ranging from resisting an officer and fleeing arrest to obtaining property by false pretense.

Before police officers could arrest him, Greene fled, leading officers on northbound Interstate 77 from Exit 28 to Exit 33. Greene then exited the interstate and continued north on Highway 21 until he struck a patrol car while making a U-turn.

Greene then fled south, again on Interstate 77, before crossing the median at mile marker 24 and heading northbound again. Greene then exited the interstate and fled south on Highway 21 before crossing the centerline and crashing into two oncoming vehicles. Six people, including Greene, were injured in the crash. All are expected to survive. Police said Greene will be facing additional charges when he is released from the hospital.

The Greene and Arrington cases appear to illustrate a simple truth: you can run from the law, but you won’t get away.

Woman’s apparent disappearing act to avoid court anything but new

Published on: July 10, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?”

A Gaston County woman did not drown in the ocean near North Myrtle Beach on July 5. Police are sure of that, but they do not know where Amy Lynette Arrington is. Her husband, Paul Arrington, reported her missing, and initial news reports focused on Mrs. Arrington’s last-known whereabouts: she was last seen on the beach near 24^th Avenue North wearing a red bathing suit with a floral design and brown trim. Police used jet skis and boats to locate her.

Now police say Mr. Arrington’s report was false. They have charged him with filing a false police report and said they have reserved the right to seek repayment for costs associated with searching for Mrs. Arrington.

Questions about Mr. Arrington’s missing person story were raised after it was revealed that Mrs. Arrington was supposed to appear in court in Charlotte for trial the following Monday. She was charged with identity theft in October 2013 after she allegedly used another woman’s account to buy thousands of dollars of merchandise on Amazon.com and pay cable and bank bills.

Mrs. Arrington reportedly has a long criminal history, with convictions in Wake, Union and Mecklenburg Counties. If she faked her own death or disappearance to avoid her day of legal reckoning, she is not alone. In fact, faking one’s death or disappearance to avoid court is quite common.
In 2011, a Tennessee woman accused of stealing $2,500 from a Macy’s department store had her case dropped after court officials received a death certificate showing the woman had died in Kentucky from a drug overdose.

Interstate 77 madness: A case of no charges brought, so far…

Published on: July 3, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

2013 Best Lawyer In Charlotte winner Brad Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Do I need to hire an attorney if I have been falsely accused?”

An old client of mine called me yesterday to report some exciting news: the truth was setting him free. He had been accused of a crime. The police called him and asked him to talk. He did, then he called me.

I told him the last thing he should do is talk to the police. When they called asking him to take a lie-detector test, he told them he would exercise his 5^th Amendment right to remain silent. Good for him.

A few days later, a police officer called to tell him the prosecutor didn’t think there was enough evidence to charge him.

“It’s not over,” I told him. “Just because they don’t have enough evidence now doesn’t mean they won’t gather more evidence and charge you later,” I said. I repeated the ages-old advice from criminal lawyers to clients: Silence is golden.

Many clients of mine – and most people in general – fail to grasp the complexity inherent in how and why people are charged with crimes. In some cases, it seems like the government is in a rush to hold someone accountable for a crime, while in other cases the plodding, methodical conduct of law enforcement and prosecutors drives a justice-hungry public crazy.

Television Theft Takes Years To Uncover

Published on: April 10, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “The person that called the police doesn’t want to press charges.”

Usually, you’d expect that if someone had $500,000 worth of electronics stolen from them they’d notice pretty quickly, right? However, recent reports issued by the Democratic National Convention Committee and LG Electronics appear to prove that it might take years before a theft of that size could be uncovered.

According to a recent article, it took the DNC more than six months and LG nearly two years to come to grips with the vast array of electronics that went missing following last fall’s convention in Charlotte. The DNC revealed that an estimated $496,000 worth of equipment disappeared after the 2012 convention.

Included among the missing items were a number of Apple laptops, iPads, printers, BlackBerrys and, most notably, television sets. According to the DNC, the group purchased 600 BlackBerrys prior to the convention. Of those, 282 were eventually returned while a whopping 217 failed to turn up.

Beyond the smaller items such as smartphones or iPads that might have accidentally disappeared, LG Electronics, supplier of the television sets used during the event, say that 72 big screen television sets vanished at the end of the convention. The company says that while it noticed the sets had gone missing sometime last year, it assumed that they had only been misplaced. Now, after going through records the company is convinced that the sets were stolen and have asked CMPD to investigate. The televisions ranged in price from $350 to $1,800 and are worth a total of around $75,000.

Toe-Sucking Case Hits Close To Home

Published on: March 18, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “The person that called the police doesn’t want to press charges.”

A man from Concord, North Carolina made national headlines when he was arrested for sucking on a woman’s toes in a Lincolnton Walmart. The arrest of Michael Brown was sensational and prompted a flurry of articles in newspapers across the country. Now that Brown is behind bars, he faces serious criminal charges despite the generally silly tone of many articles

Police say that the incident began when Brown walked into the Walmart located on North Generals Boulevard a little after 11 a.m. Shortly after entering the store, Brown approached a female shopper and said that he was a podiatry student. The two struck up a conversation and eventually Brown talked the woman into trying on several pairs of shoes, all with his eager assistance.

At some point during the shoe fitting, Brown is said to have held the woman’s foot, put it up to his mouth and began sucking on her toes. The woman was understandably horrified and says that she believed Brown was a Walmart employee. Brown attempted to smooth things over and offered to pay for the woman’s groceries, but that did not do the trick.

Cold Weather Has Surprising Impact On Charlotte Crime Rates

Published on: February 13, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?”

It might come as a surprise to most people that something like the weather could have a noticeable impact on crime rates. Tracking weather trends and crime is something that experts have been doing for years, with many noting how long, hot summer nights often lead to spikes in criminal behavior. Interestingly, cold weather appears to also impact crime, though in a curious way.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers say that the recent frigid temperatures in the city have driven down the rates of some kinds of crime while other varieties have increased. A police department spokesperson said that violent crime rates were down dramatically, a trend they have noticed in the past.

Examples of these kinds of crimes include things like armed robberies, shootings and stabbings. All these categories showed marked declines in the past week or so as the weather became colder and colder. While violent crime rates were way down, other categories showed a worrying uptick.

Robbers Beware: Cops Tracking Crooks Through Snow Tracks

Published on: February 4, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “The person that called the police doesn’t want to press charges?”

We hear a lot these days about some sophisticated tools and tricks used by law enforcement agencies around the country to help nab criminals. Police departments are investing in things like license plate scanners, DNA cheek swabs and even drones to help track down suspects. This past week, the Associated Press reported that several North Carolina police departments relied on something more old fashioned to solve some local robberies: foot prints in the snow.

The article noted how police in Fayetteville, Gastonia and even here in Charlotte claim to have solved several burglaries this past week thanks to fresh tracks in the snow. In Charlotte, authorities say that some snow prints led them to two men they believed were responsible for several recent convenience store robberies. Police who responded to a 911 call from the manager of one of the stores noticed prints in the snow outside the building and followed them, eventually stumbling across the two men thought to be behind the robbery.

In the Charlotte case, each of the men has now been charged with seven counts of kidnapping, six counts of armed robbery, conspiracy and larceny of an automobile. The kidnapping charges were because there were customers inside of the store at the time of the robbery and all were made to lie down on the ground while money was stolen.

Charlotte Fast Food Robberies Lead To Police Search

Published on: January 21, 2014 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Should I talk to the police?”

Police say that they are looking for a man they believe is responsible for a series of robberies that have impacted several local fast food restaurants over the past month. Authorities recently released security camera footage showing the man robbing several Cook Outs spread across the Charlotte area.

Police say that four Cook Outs and one Wendy’s were robbed over the past month. The Cook Outs in Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Union and Rowan counties have all been hit, with the first robbery happening just under a month ago. The most recent occurred this past weekend.

Police say they are thankful that no one has been injured in any of the robberies, but that disaster could happen at any time given the way the robber has behaved during the encounters. Authorities say that the burglar fired a handgun several times in at least two of the robberies, leading police to fear that the man might lash out if provoked.

Police say they believe the robberies are related because the description of the burglar has been similar in each case. Additionally, all the robberies happened early in the morning, around 7 a.m. Store employees have said that the suspect is a black man in his mid-20s with shoulder-length dreadlocks. So far he’s worn a ski mask, which obscures the bottom portion of his face.

Charlotte School Teacher Charged With Taking Indecent Liberties With Student :: Charlotte DWI Lawyer North Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney

Published on: December 12, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?”

A 26-year-old teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was arrested earlier this week and stands accused of taking indecent liberties with a student. Officials say the man, David Cale Allison, was employed at Hopewell High School, which is also where the crime is alleged to have taken place.

Classroom desks Charlotte DWI Lawyer North Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney.jpg Officials with the Huntersville, NC police department say they first began investigating the case on November 21st when they were alerted to possible trouble by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials. Authorities say that an investigation later revealed that there had been inappropriate contact and text messaging between Allison and a student at the school during school hours.

Police say the inappropriate contact consisted of flirtatious text messages sent by Allison to the student during and even outside of school. Additionally, there was one incident when Allison is accused of engaging in inappropriate physical contact with the minor.

Police officers say they believe the case is an insolated incident and that other students at Hopewell were never at risk. They also noted that Allison had only been employed as a physical education teacher at the school since August of last year and that this was his first job with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Currently Allison is suspended without pay pending a final determination in his case.

Sexual assault charges in North Carolina are incredibly serious offenses and can leave lasting stains on a person’s record. Such charges might even require registration with the state’s Sex Offender Registry, something that can dramatically impact the way you live your life.

Dozens Arrested Following Charlotte, NC Police Checkpoint :: Charlotte North Carolina DWI DUI Criminal Attorney Lawyer

Published on: December 5, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What happens if I am convicted of a DUI or DWI in North Carolina?”

Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department say that they have issued more than four-dozen charges to drivers in connection with an overnight checkpoint Saturday and early Sunday morning.

Police Car lights Charlotte DWI Lawyer North Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney.jpg Police with CMPD say they were assisted by officers at UNCC. The checkpoint took place on Runnymede Lane near Michael Baker Place, close to Myers Park High School. According to a spokesperson, the checkpoint resulted in a total of 48 charges, 21 of which were for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Three of the charges concerned driving with a revoked license, eight were for driving without a license, two were for open container and 14 were for more minor traffic violations such as out of date tags.

As we near the holiday season, drivers in North Carolina should understand that there is usually an increase in the number of people arrested for driving under the influence. Many of these arrests come police checkpoints just like the one in this case where police stop and interrogate drivers who have not actually done anything wrong.

The purpose of police checkpoints like this one is designed to deter drunk driving rather than to specifically arrest drunk drivers. This means that officers do not have to abide by the requirements of the Fourth Amendment which protects individuals from illegal searches and seizures. It also means that officers are legally allowed to stop drivers who have done nothing wrong. Courts have said that because the length of the stop is so brief, the inconvenience to the driver is outweighed by public safety need.