Being accused of wrongdoing and allegedly committing a crime when you’re innocent is disturbing at best. Your good name and reputation in the community are at stake. Even if found not guilty or the criminal charges are ultimately thrown out or dismissed, false allegations can affect your freedom, your future,…
Will my case be continued? This morning at 11:00 a.m., the Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court formally announced her Order regarding the Coronavirus. It will affect court calendars, continuances, and future settings in North Carolina. The procedures and protocols apply statewide, involving a substantial number of civil matters…
DWI fatality and homicide cases, those involving murder, manslaughter, and felony death by vehicle charges in Mecklenburg County are handled by a special team of prosecutors. Defense attorneys and prosecutors alike refer to it as the “Homicide Team.” The lawyers in Charlotte who comprise the DA Homicide Team are some…
Union County law enforcement officials report the recent seizure of 4 kilos of cocaine and $9,000 in cash, resulting in drug trafficking charges. While most people understand drug charges in North Carolina can carry serious consequences, an arrest and indictment for “trafficking” may come as a surprise. Unlike other felony…
Hearsay, Tips, and Confidential Informant Evidence in trafficking charges in North Carolina can be the basis for the issuance of a search warrant and further investigation into alleged criminal activity. Courts, prosecutors, and Charlotte criminal lawyers alike carefully review such materials, as may be made part of a Motion for…
Criminal Charges in College – Campus Police While sitting at Gate C3 at the Nashville airport yesterday, I received back-to-back panicked calls from mothers of, let’s say, University of Anytown students. I was returning home to Charlotte after touring a prospective college with my teen-aged daughter. As a criminal defense…
Criminal Code Reform Who makes the criminal laws in North Carolina? Is it the General Assembly through the NC General Statutes or local municipalities through Criminal Code Violations? The answer presently is, “both.” That may be about to change, albeit at a glacier-like pace. It seems “Criminal Law Reform,” as…
They say difficulties come in threes. I don’t know if I necessarily subscribe to that proverb, especially as it may relate to the life of a Charlotte lawyer. It’s not that “stuff” doesn’t happen. It’s just that it happens all the time, one thing after another. My days in court…
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA No. COA18-817 Filed: 20 August 2019 Stanly County, No. 17CRS700160 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA v. SHAWN PATRICK ELLIS, Defendant. Appeal by Defendant from judgment entered 13 March 2018 by Judge Karen Eady-Williams in Stanly County Superior Court. Heard in the Court of…
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA No. COA17-477-2 Filed: 20 August 2019 Mecklenburg County, Nos. 15 CRS 212911-13 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA v. JERRY GIOVANI THOMPSON Appeal by defendant from judgment entered 3 January 2017 by Judge William R. Bell in Mecklenburg County Superior Court. Originally heard in…