Today’s smartphones are truly technological marvels and are a storehouse of our personal information. Someone with full access to our smartphones and the apps we have installed on them can see our social media activity, access our bank accounts, see photographs we have taken (and learn where and when we took them), and obtain information …
Individuals who cannot afford to retain their own attorneys may ask the court to appoint them an attorney. This attorney, sometimes referred to as a court-appointed attorney or public defender, is tasked with representing the interests of the defendant throughout their criminal proceedings and attempting to achieve the best possible outcome for the defendant – …
Can I Get a New Attorney to Handle My Criminal Case in Ohio? Read More »
The New York Daily News reported on a disgruntled man’s call to 911, demanding that the Sharonville Police Department return four grams of “really good weed” that the police had allegedly seized during an investigation. In the 911 call (which was shared online), the man alleged that the police took the marijuana from his wife’s …
Thanks to crime dramas on television and intense media coverage of high-profile criminal cases, an average American is likely to have some understanding of his or her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Many of us have seen or heard of those charged with serious crimes “pleading the Fifth” and refusing to answer questions that law …
What Information Can Columbus Police Ask of You? Read More »
“You Have the Right to an Attorney.” Those who are fans of police shows – or those who have been arrested – may know this line. It is one of the Miranda warnings that police are required to inform you of before interrogating you in connection with a crime. This warning or advisory is informative: you …
Your Right to an Attorney (and Why You Should Use It) Read More »
A seventeen-year-old juvenile is facing over 70 criminal counts after allegations that the youth has made dozens of “swatting” calls across the nation. Although the teen had made numerous swatting calls, it was one call in August of 2018 to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office that led to the teen’s capture. In that instance, the …
“Swatting” is a Serious Criminal Offense in Ohio Read More »
A commonly-cited “statistic” says that nine out of every ten lawsuits – both civil and criminal cases – are resolved through a plea agreement or settlement agreement. In the criminal context, these sorts of agreements generally require the defendant to enter a plea to one or more charges in return for some agreed-upon sentencing recommendation …
Everyone makes mistakes. The problem is, some mistakes have greater consequences than others. Some mistakes are illegal and expose you to the threat of costly fines, periods of incarceration in jail, and other negative consequences. Fortunately for some, Ohio permits prosecutors to set up deferred prosecution programs within their jurisdictions for people who are like …
Deferred Prosecution in Ohio: What You Need to Know Read More »
For most Ohioans who find themselves charged with a crime and who are not intimately familiar with the criminal justice system, our impressions of how serious a crime is can be based in whole or in part on how serious the crime sounds. For example, “murder” sounds bad – real bad – but yet the …
Have You Been Charged with a Felony or Misdemeanor in Ohio? Read More »
