What You Say Can Get You Charged. Here’s What the Law Actually Says. You didn’t hurt anyone. You didn’t break into a house. You didn’t pull a weapon. You were just talking. Maybe you were venting. Maybe you were joking. Maybe you said something out of frustration or adrenaline. Then
It is an understatement to say that getting arrested or even detained by law enforcement can be extremely stressful. Due to officers’ coercion or other complications, these individuals who broke no laws (or at least not the one charged) find themselves admitting to a crime they did not commit. These
The First Step Act (FSA) of 2018 was one of the few bipartisan bills passed during the Trump presidency. The goal was to reduce draconian or overly severe sentencing guidelines for drug charges leftover from the zero-tolerance era. Then the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that one of the FSA changes
Harassment involves a wide range of behaviors. Here in Colorado, it consists of a person who intentionally attempts to annoy, alarm or otherwise harass. It can also be an obscene gesture or when they strike, shove or kick someone. It can involve using a computer or telephone. It can be
Burglary charges involve someone accused of illegally entering a building or accessing a locked space through the use of force. Their intent is to commit a crime. The crime may involve the theft of property or assault of the occupant. There are different degrees of burglary charges with different penalties.
Two people can witness the same event and see it in two different ways. Nevertheless, eyewitness accounts still are a cornerstone of evidence used in litigation. Now, the courts realization that eyewitness testimony is not as ironclad as once thought. DNA evidence has now been used in overturning 70% of
Each state’s laws are slightly different, with varying definitions meaning the same thing. For example, menacing is a term used in Colorado for those who attempt to strike the fear of imminent serious bodily injury, which many states refer to as battery. It may start as a conversation that turns
Business partnerships are a lot like a marriage or a family. There is a relationship with common interests, similar goals, and shared history, and like a marriage or family, there are disagreements. Sometimes, there may be hostility built over a series of disagreements, different approaches to working, and external factors
Law enforcement has a long list of protocols to observe when officers are on duty. Something notable for many drivers on the road, patrols must have reasonable suspicion or probable cause to pull drivers over. In other words, they must have a valid reason for conducting a traffic stop, which
Police are there to protect and serve the communities they work in, so it’s assumed that officers treat people with respect. This assumption is not entirely correct. For example, a police department in Virginia used forged documents with fake DNA evidence on at least five occasions between 2016 and 2020
