Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?”
A man from North Carolina is currently facing murder charges after prosecutors say that he killed his four-year-old son. In a surprising twist, his defense attorney says that he will attempt to convince a jury that he was unconscious at the time his son was murdered.
Prosecutors say that Joseph Anthony Mitchell decided to reject a plea deal that he had been offered late last week and instead pled not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. After his rejection of the plea deal, his case will now move forward to a full criminal trial, which is currently scheduled for March. Prosecutors have revealed that they will not seek the death penalty in the case.
Authorities say the horrible crime occurred nearly three years ago when four-year-old Blake Mitchell was found suffocated in the family’s home in Durham, NC. Two of Mitchell’s other children, a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, say they were able to successfully fight off their father as he tried to cover their mouths.
Prosecutors argue that the Mitchell was under extreme financial stress at the time and that neither he nor his wife had reliable sources of income. The family home was in foreclosure and Mitchell was the target of numerous debt collectors. Police later found evidence that Mitchell had taken out life insurance policies on his three children, providing what they say was motivation for the killings.
An official with the Rock Hill Police Department says that 76 warrants have been taken out against Paul Fuller and Travis Alston, all related to burglaries committed in the area. The warrants are voluminous and include everything from second-degree burglary, criminal conspiracy, grand larceny and, unusually, safe cracking.
Authorities say that Cuthrell, minister of music at Gospel Shepherd Baptist Church, poured oil and gasoline across his rental home and set it on fire to avoid pressing financial obligations. At his sentencing, Cuthrell spoke out saying he was ashamed and embarrassed about his behavior, claiming that it was the most irrational decision of his life.
Police officials say the current sweep focused in on 22 people and was designed to reduce violent crime in the surrounding areas. Police officers in Charlotte worked in conjunction with federal agents to nab the suspected criminals, beginning their undercover operation earlier in the summer. Authorities say they targeted individuals who were selling drugs or that were known to possess or sell weapons.
The changes come a year after the ACLU launched an investigation into the actions of the department following complaints that the supposed seat belt checkpoints were actually being used to target Latinos. The ACLU said that they received information that at one checkpoint alone, 15 undocumented immigrants were detained and ultimately taken into custody. Thankfully charges against 10 of those arrested were eventually dropped.
The mayor of Durham has responded to the results, saying that he is instituting an investigation into what appears to be clear evidence of racial profiling by police officers. The action was all prompted by the release of a University of North Carolina study that showed how blacks and Hispanics across the state were vastly more likely to be searched following a traffic stop than their white counterparts, something that has alarmed criminal defense attorneys as well as civil rights advocates.
According to the 
Police say Edwards faces charges of second-degree forcible sex, sexual acts with a student, taking indecent liberties with a minor and crimes against nature. The charges relate to incidents that occurred between 2009 and 2011 when Edwards is accused of molesting at least three boys between the ages of 11 and 14. One of the cases involved a middle schooler who was allegedly attacked while his parent sat just outside the door in the waiting area.
Woodall says that he hopes the trail he is blazing serves as a lesson to other prosecutors and says he hopes other states will follow his attempt at curbing improper agent conduct. Woodall says the activity can be quite harmful to athletes and athletic institutions in the long run and that too many law enforcement officials allow it go on with only a wink and a nod. Woodall says the law is the law and he intends to vigorously uphold it.