The Lawrence Eagle Tribune recently reported that an American Revolution memorial honoring the Methuen men who fought in the Revolutionary War was struck and damaged by a drunk driver. A Haverhill man was allegedly drunk at the time of the accident and exhibited erratic driving behavior both before and after…
Several times each month I get a call from a local college student asking me questions about a crime that he or she has just been charged with. Most of the crimes are minor misdemeanors; shoplifting, trespassing or being a minor in possession of alcohol. Some of the charges are…
Here we go again. Police in Lawrence, Massachusetts see a car with Maine license plates. The car contained two female occupants later identified as Donna Jarvis and Tara Burton. The actions of the women suggested to the police that a drug deal was in the works. Another car arrived, in…
A local newspaper reports that three individuals, one from Lawrence, Massachusetts, the other two from Maine, have been charged with various Massachusetts drug crimes involving heroin. Now had the folks from Maine read my blog or any criminal defense publications they might not be in trouble right now. The facts…
An article I recently read in the Newburyport News once again got me thinking about traffic stops and probable cause. The defendant in this case, Luis Peguero was allegedly driving with headphones on. He was stopped. Police dispatchers provided information that Peguero had used an alias and had a criminal…
Local news outlets are reporting that a fifty-six year old Connecticut man has been arrested and charged with child enticement in Massachusetts federal court. The complaint alleges that Paul Hinkel tried to entice a minor into having sex with him. Hinkel responded to a Craigslist post generated by undercover federal…
It is the right of the district attorney and the defendant to call witnesses to testify at trial. Most people dread the process. They don’t want to get up before a jury, take an oath and testify against someone. Others don’t want the inconvenience of sitting around a courthouse for…
Browsing the Internet today I saw a story about a twenty two year old man being charged with statutory rape in Massachusetts. The man, Matthew Pos was arrested out of state and is being held pending a rendition hearing. Rendition is the process of one state sending a suspect in…
There are many areas in Massachusetts where concentrations of drug trafficking arrests are made. Some are in the inner cities. Some are in economically challenged suburbs. Others are on major highways that connect Massachusetts to neighboring states. This last category of cases gives me the most concern and often leads…
If you are wondering just how prevalent prostitution cases are in Massachusetts just open you local newspaper. At least once a week you can read about a local prostitution sting. If you want more detail just perform some basic Internet searches such as “prostitution arrest” in “your town”. You will…