16 Year Old Charged as Adult for Murder in Temecula

Ryan Jawad, has been accused of the murder of his friend Gage Seal in Temecula. The police found the victim and the accused at a motel after the shooting.  Jawad has had problems with the law in the past and will be tried as an adult. He is also a suspect in a number of burglaries in his […]
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Mila Kunis’ Stalker Arrested After Escaping From mental Institute

Stuart Lynn Dunn, who was placed in a mental health facility after being convicted of stalking actress Mila Kunis, was recaptured four days after escaping from the facility. Dunn was found by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff‘s department Major Crimes division, who had advised Ms. Kunis about the escape. Dunn escaped from the Pomona facility while […]
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Henry Solis found in Mexico, will be charged with Murder

According to the L.A. Times, a former Los Angeles police officer who had fled the United States was found in Mexico and  transported back to face murder charges. Henry Solis had relatives in Mexico where he had been staying. Solis was fired by the LAPD when he was named a person of interest in the shooting death of […]
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Charges Filed Against San Bernardino Man Beaten By Deputies

The L.A. Times reported that a San Bernardino man, who had been beaten  by Sheriff’s Deputies after a horse pursuit, has been charged with multiple crimes. Mr. Francis Pusock had received $650,000 from the county of San Bernardino a week after the beating, which was caught on film by a news helicopter. The dollar amount was […]
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Los Angeles Woman Detained After Making Bomb Threat

On May 20th a woman was detained on the steps of a Federal Building after telling authorities she had a bomb and triggering device. The LAPD dispatched the bomb squad and the SAWT team and a standoff ensued. A robot was dispatched to the scene and was used to deliver a phone to her but she was seen pointing […]
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Ray McDonald Arrested Twice In Three Days

Ray McDonald, who was released in December of 2014 by the San Francisco 49ers, was arrested again for violating a restraining order. The former NFL Defensive player signed a free agent contract in March with the Chicago Bears. He was arrested in May for domestic violence and child endangerment. This led to McDonald’s release by the Bears who had been hopeful […]
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Possible Road Rage Incident has Police Investigating many Felonies

On May 9, 2015, CBS Los Angeles reported of a fatal accident involving a white Mercedes sedan and an Audi SUV in Beverly Hills. The two vehicles collided at Olympic Boulevard and Swall Drive around midnight and a passenger in the Mercedes was killed. No other serious injuries were reported but the other passengers did […]
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Woman Arrested in Home of Chris Brown

Los Angeles County Sheriffs have arrested a woman, found at the home of Chris Brown, on suspicion of breaking and entering. Chris Brown posted a picture of her on his Instagram account with the caption: “I get home, and find this crazy individual in my house…Then had all these crazy voodoo things around my crib…I pray she will get help.” The […]
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Two Brothers Sentenced in the Murder of a Teenager in Reseda

Two brothers have been sentenced in the Reseda murder of a third youth in 2013. The brothers had challenged the 18 year old victim Kevin Orlellana when he was playing handball as a possible member of a rival gang. The altercation that followed ended with Orellana being stabbed and the two brothers fleeing in a […]
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Santa Rosa Police Searching for Assault Suspect

A man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in Santa Rosa, California is still at large. The police have provided a sketch of the suspect in an attack that was similar to two others in the area in the last year. A woman who was walking on a path near Round Barn Boulevard was grabbed […]
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Murder Trial to Start in Sacramento Superior Court

The trial of David Acuna, who is charged with the murder of a resident of Natomas, California, will begin April 29, 2015, in Sacramento. This murder took place in 2013 and the accused also faces arson charges as part of the indictment. The prosecutors are charged with proving Mr. Acuna stabbed Mr. Patrick Kendrick a […]
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Yuba City Police Officer Arrested in Drug Trafficking Case

On April 15, 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Yuba City policeman Harminder Phagura had been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Agency Investigations division. The officer is being charged with drug trafficking for helping a man believed to be a relative in a drug selling operation. The officer would keep […]
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Reward Offered for Two Hit and Run Accidents

Two different hit and run accidents in the area of University of Southern California have led to rewards being offered for information on either one. The first case, that has seen no new leads lately, involves an accident that took the life of a man after a black sedan hit him while he was crossing the […]
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Suspect in California Car Jacking Spree Arrested

On March 10, 2015, four different drivers were confronted by a woman of similar description and two of them had their cars stolen by her in Tustin, California. The first victim had her doors locked and windows closed and the suspect couldn’t take the vehicle. ABC Eyewitness news reported that after the first attempted carjacking […]
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Will Robert Durst Be Back in a California Court?

Robert Durst, the real estate heir and man suspected in his wife’s murder many years ago, is back in Los Angeles news after being arrested in Louisiana. He was arrested because a friend of his, Susan Berman, was found dead soon after Los Angeles police allegedly wanted to speak with her about Durst and any […]
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California Defense Attorney Fights Back in Kidnapping Hoax Case

The kidnapping of Denise Huskins has been the subject of local and national news stories and television reports. In what last week seemed to be thought of as a hoax Ms. Huskins was reported taken forcibly from her boyfriend’s home. He spoke to police and FBI agents and they were reported as being skeptical but […]
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Valencia Restaurant Owner Arrested By Human Trafficking Officers

A restaurant owner in Valencia, California was placed into custody by deputies from the Human Trafficking and major crime force divisions of the Sheriff’s department March 24, 2015. Federal officers are also involved in the case that was originally brought to the attention of authorities by the victim’s brother. His brother had sent an email from […]
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California Woman Suspected of Kidnapping Hoax

A woman from Vallejo, California has gone missing for the second time this week. The first time her boyfriend called the police and said she was forcibly taken from his home and soon after a ransom demand had been sent to him. The police were skeptical but they soon brought in the FBI to help […]
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Couple from California Sentenced in the Death of a Pedestrian

It took a long while find out who has struck and killed a pedestrian in the Pacific Palisades last December, but the driver has been identified. The son of a California judge was walking home from a party when Marguerite Vuong hit him with her car while driving to her job at a Postal facility. […]
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Hells Angel on Probation Charged With Assault

A night at a sports bar in Oceanside, California turned ugly and when it was over a man had been injured in a hit and run accident that later was found to possibly be much more than that. The driver of the vehicle was eventually arrested by police, who were led to his home by […]
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Driver in Fatal Car Crash Pleads guilty

A California woman, who was operating a vehicle that hit another car, killing the driver and seriously injuring his wife, has pleaded guilty recently in a San Diego courtroom to a manslaughter charge. The accident happened in February of 2013. A seventy seven year old man driving a car that the defendant hit was killed […]
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Brother of Paris Hilton Pleads Guilty

According to a Los Angeles Times article on March 3, 2015 the brother of Paris Hilton, Conrad, is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom to be arraigned on an assault charge. This stems from an in July of last year incident last year when the younger brother of the socialite and reality TV […]
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Second Arrest in Chatsworth Street Race

There was an illegal street race in Chatsworth, California that led to the deaths of two spectators and seriously injured another. Israel Venezuela was arrested by the Valley Traffic division according to the LA Daily News story on March 5, 2015. He is the second man arrested for the crash which occurred on February 26, 2015. […]
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Haunted House Owner and Employees to Face Charges of Battery

An Illinois woman has brought charges of battery and infliction of emotional distress against the owner of a Kane County haunted house. The incident that prompted the filing occurred in October of 2014, when the woman claims that she and her teenage daughter were accosted by two employees in the parking lot of the haunted […]
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Nine Year Old Accused of Making Terrorist Threats

A fourth grader in Kermit, Texas has been suspended from school for making what school officials have referred to as terrorist threats. The boy’s father has a very different view of the scenario that played out on school grounds but administrators are sticking with the punishment thus far. The investigation began after the nine year old […]
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Florida Woman Released from Jail after Aggravated Assault Case

A woman in Jacksonville, Florida has been released from prison after having served three years as part of a plea agreement for three counts of aggravated assault. The charges stemmed from an incident where the woman discharged a weapon at her husband and his two children. While 1095 days might have felt like an eternity […]
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North Carolina Man Cleared of Four Decade Old Murder

A North Carolina man who has spent nearly the last forty years behind bars has been cleared of charges after an investigation conducted by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. Joseph Sledge had escaped from prison just one day prior to the murders and was picked up, charged and ultimately convicted of the crime. Sledge […]
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Suge Knight a Suspect in Compton Hit and Run

Former music mogul Suge Knight is suspected of running over two men after an argument in Compton. The confrontation between Suge Knight and two unidentified men took place at 3:00 p.m. on January 29, 2015, on the set of “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about the group N.W.A. Witnesses says that about 20 minutes after the alleged […]
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3 Florida Teens Accused of Multiple Felonies During 24 Hour Crime Spree

On January 13, 2015, three suspects ranging in age from 14 to 17 allegedly participated in a full day’s long crime spree that included such serious acts as carjacking, robbery, attempted fleeing police and murder. Police are currently keeping the identity of the suspects under wraps because the teens are also suspects in a host of other […]
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California Requires Sex Offenders On Parole to Take Lie Detector Tests

State officials said that the lie detector tests will help the government better determine which offenders are most dangerous and in need of increased supervision. The question that will be asked of parolees can range from whether they are attending 12-step addiction programs to whether they are lingering at playgrounds or having inappropriate contact with […]
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New Laws in 2015 That Every Californian Should Know

With the start of a New Year comes the enforcement of new laws. Lawmakers in California passed over 900 new laws that went into effect January 1, 2015. However, most of the time the general public is not aware of the new laws. So here are some selected new laws every Californian should know:  (AB […]
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The Impact of Prop 47 on the California Justice System

On November 4, 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47 (“Prop 47”), which dramatically changed the Justice System in our State. These changes went into effect immediately. Some penalties for common drug and theft crimes in California will be reduced from potential felonies to misdemeanors, shortening the time some offenders spend behind bars to a maximum of […]
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Michael Phelps Arrested for DUI, Offers Apology.

On September 30, 2014, at approximately 1:40 am Maryland Transportation Officers observed a white Land Rover traveling at 84mph in a 45mph speed zone. The car was crossing double lane lines. Officers initiated a traffic stop and discovered that the driver was non-other than 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps. Even though Phelps was cooperative he was “unable […]
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If Ray Rice was not a famous NFL player would anyone care?

In February of 2014, NFL player Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, and his fiancee Janay Plamer,  were arrested in Atlantic City. The arrest was the result of a “simple domestic assault” which took place between Rice and Palmer. At the time Rice’s attorney said the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding. On February 19th […]
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Woman Charged With Homicide After Surfing Facebook While Driving

While driving, if you look at the car next to you chances are you will see the driver on his/her phone. Some are talking without a headphone. Others might be texting, Tweeting, or updating their Facebook statues. It seems the threat of getting a traffic ticket does not deter these drivers. All those public service […]
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California Death Penalty Ruled Unconstitutional by Federal Judge

On July 16, 2014, US District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled that California’s death penalty violates the 8th amendment of the United States Constitution which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The case was brought up on a petition made by death row inmate, Ernest Dewayne Jones who was sentenced to death nearly twenty years ago. […]
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Boston Marathon Bomber an Enemy Combatant?

One of the most dramatic manhunts in US history has come to an end with many questions still unanswered. One of them is how to treat Dzhokhar Tsarnaev within the legal system. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Representative Peter King (R-N.Y.) issued a joint statement commending law enforcement […]
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Elements Of A Crime

In the July 2013, California Supreme Court case People v. Davis, Mr. Davis was arrested at a rave party after he sold blue pills to an undercover officer. The California Health and Safety Code lists methylenedioxy amphetamine (MDA), commonly known as Ecstasy, as a controlled substance. However, subsequent tests revealed that the blue pills contained […]
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Aaron Hernandez and First Degree Murder

There are several different violent crimes a person can be charged with in the United States of America. One such example is Murder; which is defined as the intentional and unlawful killing of another human being. However, there are different degrees of murder a person can be charged with. Professional athlete Aaron Hernandez (formally of […]
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Man Held In Solitary Confinement For 41 Years

71-year-old Herman Wallace died on October 8, 2013, approximately one week after being released from prison in Louisiana. Mr. Wallace, a member of the Black Panthers and one of the Angola 3, was convicted of armed robbery in 1971 and sent to Angola State Prison. The next year, he was accused of fatally stabbing a […]
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Law Enforcement and Qualified Immunity

The Supreme Court of the United States of America is the highest court in the country. The Court hears cases that are on appeal from a United States Circuit Court decision. The Supreme Court can choose to overturn the opinion of the lower court, or they can rule Stare Decisis, which is Latin and translates […]
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Revenge Porn Now Illegal in California

In October 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that expanded the definition of disorderly conduct and invasion of privacy. Senate Bill 255 outlaws so-called “revenge porn,” which involves the posting of private, pornographic photos of another person as a means of revenge against an ex-partner. The bill, which goes into effect immediately, specifically […]
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Murder Suspect Gives Up

A woman accused of murdering her two children has requested the death penalty. In September 2013, police in Orange County arrested 42-year-old Marilyn Edge of Scottsdale, Arizona in connection with the murder of her two children, aged 9 and 13. Prosecutors allege that Ms. Edge poisoned her children after she lost a custody battle with […]
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When Criminal Law And Immigration Law Collide

The question often arises: can a criminal conviction be a snake in the grass as far as your immigration status is concerned? The California Supreme Court recently considered this question in the September 11, 2013 case of People v. Martinez. In 1992, Mr. Martinez was arrested for and charged with possession of marijuana. He pled […]
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Felony Pretrial Procedure

After the arrest and before the trial, there are a number of important events that take place in the life of a felony criminal case. Once a person is arrested, a judge determines the amount of bail. Bail cannot be tied to the evidence against the person — instead, the judge determines the likelihood that […]
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The Heat Of The Moment

A sudden passion can separate murder from manslaughter, in a legal sense — but, where is that line drawn? On June 3, 2013, the California Supreme Court delivered People vs. Beltran, (124 Cal.App.3d 335). Mr. Beltran shared a residence with Claire Joyce Tempongko and Ms. Tempongko’s son. While the son called Mr. Beltran “Dad,” Mr. […]
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Taking & Storing DNA Evidence During The Booking Process in California

On March 20, 2014, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that California’s taking and storing DNA profiles from anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony is Constitutional. This caused a bit of controversy throughout the State, because some argue that this practice should not be legal. The state of Maryland practices the same […]
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