Assault and Battery on Police Officer Defense I was recently reading and article in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune about Methuen, Massachusetts police officers with assault arrests in their background. The article, written by Douglas Moser on July 16, 2015 identifies two Methuen officers charged with violent crimes. One was facing…
Cruelty to animals is a crime, but in terms of being reported as a crime on the National Incident Based Reporting System, instances of animal cruelty have always been reported under the category of “all other offenses”. The U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation recently announced that this…
When Toy Guns Look Real Boston police have recently called for legislation to be put into place concerning toy and replica guns. Not only are BB guns and air rifles commonly used by teens to commit acts of vandalism such as the destruction of property. In light of the recent…
Pretrial Probation for a Felony or a CWOF For a Misdemeanor Anytime you can dispose of a criminal case and not have a record you should really think about taking the deal that is on the table. Unless there are potential collateral consequences the risk of going to trial usually…
Furnishing Alcohol To Minors Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138 Section 34 makes it a crime for anyone to knowingly furnish alcohol to someone under the age of twenty-one. This law is strictly enforced. Typically we see an increase in these charges around this time of year. Graduation parties and gatherings…
Heroin Trafficking At the end of June, police stumbled onto evidence of heroin trafficking activity while investigating a home invasion, which lead to the discovery of one of the largest drug crimes ever in New England. WMUR9.com News reports that more than $2.2 million dollars worth of heroin cut with…
The Police Want To Talk To Me…What Should I Do? Several times each month I get a similar call from a perspective client telling me that “the police want to talk to me…what should I do?”. My advice never waivers. I have always been consistent in my belief that nothing…
Defending Date Rape Allegations in Massachusetts When someone is charged with rape in Massachusetts the indictment reads that the defendant “did unlawfully have sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, with the named victim and compelled said person by force and against her will, or compelled said person to submit by…
Threatening To Commit A Crime Many people in Massachusetts underestimate the power that making a threat can have. Most people think that a threat is just words and that it is okay to make idle threats when you are mad. However, Massachusetts law enforcement takes threatening to commit a crime…
Involuntary Manslaughter and Gun Charges Early this month, a Boston man was convicted for involuntary manslaughter for the death of a victim who died from a fatal asthma attack, wbur.com reports. In January of 2012, Michael Stallings, 26 years old, instigated a shooting on a group of men, allegedly as…