by Dale Chappell
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia held that a life sentence based on two prior driving on a revoked license felonies violated the West Virginia Constitution’s provision that “[p]enalties shall be proportioned to the character and degree of the offence.”
After ...
by Dale Chappell
An officer does not possess the unfettered authority to shoot a member of the public simply because that person is carrying a weapon,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said, upholding the district court’s denial of defendant deputies’ request for summary judgment ...
by Dale Chappell
On January 23, 2018, the Court of Appeal of California, Fifth Appellate District, held that theft of a vehicle worth less than $950 was not a felony but a misdemeanor under Vehicle Code § 10851, which is subject to Proposition 47’s new petty theft provision—Penal Code ...
by Dale Chappell
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell wants to give a secret list of approximately 300 untrustworthy cops to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, so prosecutors know who not to call as a law enforcement witness in a criminal case. The police union, however, is fighting ...
by Dale Chappell
Where the negotiation of each transaction was “fully consummated” before the next, the sale of guns and drugs separately was not enough to apply a guideline enhancement, the Sixth Circuit held December 5, 2017.
Darryl Jackson sold drugs and guns to a confidential informant (“CI”), but not ...
by Dale Chappell
The Supreme Court of Texas held that a Texas county commissioner’s misdemeanor conviction for possession of a firearm did not constitute “use” of a firearm under the forfeiture statute, and thus forfeiture was not authorized.
Mark Tafel, a former Hamilton County commissioner, was arrested for possession of ...
by Dale Chappell
"Innocent until proven guilty” is a “cruel and hollow motto when you don’t have an adequate defense, and the government is employing its vast resources to lock you up and take away your freedom,” the ACLU says in describing its recent class-action lawsuit against Nevada’s public ...
by Dale Chappell
Dozens of New Orleans police officers who have been fired for misconduct were able to keep their badges and guns simply by switching to another police department, according to police personnel files and court documents. The ease with which the fired New Orleans officers found work at ...
by Dale Chappell
When a Pennsylvania state trooper turned on his emergency lights and pulled next to a car parked on the side of the road, it was an “investigative detention” for which he did not have “reasonable suspicion.” In an issue of first impression before the Pennsylvania Supreme ...
by Dale Chappell
A pair of San Joaquin County forensic pathologists recently quit, citing abusive treatment working under Sheriff Steve Moore. They say Moore tried to influence their decisions in cases, especially on deaths that occurred at the hands of law enforcement.
“I realized that I had to leave to ...
