As we have said on a number of occasions, many arrests are the result of police sting operations. Stings probably are used most commonly in the case of drug crimes. An example occurred last month with the alleged sale of fentanyl and heroin. The sting in this case was...
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Innocent Man Arrested for Phoenix Murder
Earlier this month, an illegal marijuana sale allegedly took place in Phoenix, and ended with the shooting death of a 19-year old man. The Phoenix cops apparently wanted to arrest someone for the murder – we question how much they cared that it was the actual murderer...
How A Single Act Leads to Multiple Charges
When you read a story recounting an alleged crime, you’ll often see that a single act leads to not one, but a host of charges against the defendant. You may wonder how one theft, or a single altercation, can have a person facing a number of different felony and...
Warren Not Guilty in Case of Aiding Asylum Seekers
It’s been a long road for Scott Warren. He is a well-known humanitarian worker and volunteer who has been on the front line of attempting to prevent deaths from exposure of those people journeying through the Arizona desert after crossing the border from Mexico....
Criminal Defense Issues on the 2019 U.S. Supreme Court Docket
The 2019 – 2020 United States Supreme Court term began last month. A review of the docket, that is, the cases pending and to be decided by the court, include a number of issues affecting criminal defense and civil rights. Given the current makeup of the court, many...
Violent Crime Down – Marijuana Arrests Up
Late last month the FBI published new data regarding crime rates and clearance rates for various offenses. The numbers are, in one sense, very good, with an overall decline in violent crime. On the other hand, the report shows some figures that are somewhat bizarre....
Vaping Bust Leads to Multiple Drug Charges
Maricopa County investigators, armed with a search warrant, raided a home in Phoenix last month. We don’t know what the basis for the warrant was, but the cops apparently suspected that the home was being used for more than a residence. Here’s what the police say they...
Arizona Ranks High in LGBT Hate Crimes
A report was released this month concerning bias-motivated incidents, a/k/a hate crimes, that targeted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. The report was issued based upon a study by Security.org. The report analyzed FBI crime statistics for...
Wrong Way DUI in Arizona
A recent story reported that Arizona Charter Schools Director Charles Tack resigned after being arrested for drunk driving. The case is still pending, but it points out another instance of how the DUI laws in Arizona (along with those of most other states) continue to...
From Felony to Disorderly Conduct
Plea Deal for Cop A Phoenix police officer was moonlighting as a security guard this past December at a local Walmart store when he says he saw an individual shoplifting. He proceeded to handcuff the suspect, then brought him to the “loss prevention room.” As soon as...
Can I Record a Phone Conversation?
If you read a lot of mystery novels, you might find references to one of the characters in a book surreptitiously recording a telephone conversation. One of your thoughts might be whether it’s legal to do so. The answer, as in many legal situations, is that it depends...
Court: Second Degree Murder Not a Crime of Violence
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a man convicted of second degree murder did not necessarily commit a “crime of violence.” As a result, while the court affirmed the man’s conviction for murder, it reversed a second conviction and an additional...
Phoenix Police Misconduct in the News . . . Again!
The Phoenix Police Department is under fire again. The misdeeds range far and wide, but the fact is that the department appears to have far more than its fair share of police misconduct, ranging from bullying, to pulling guns on a young family and their small...
Arizona Prisons Ban Book on Racism
A book was released in September of 2018 entitled Chokehold: Policing Black Men. The essence of the book is that through various means, black men suffer lethal effects of societal racism at the hands of law enforcement. The use of the term “chokehold” is a reference...
County Attorney Admits Error in Medical Marijuana Charge
Back in 2018, medical marijuana patient Stephanie Parisi was pulled over on a traffic stop because of a cracked windshield. When the officer who pulled her over learned that she had a marijuana concentrate – purchased from a dispensary – in her car, he confiscated the...