Posted on January 08, 2018 in Violent Crimes

With school out of session on account of winter break and snow on the ground, actions that start out as mere mischief may get out of hand and rise to the level of torts and crimes. While it may seem inconsistent with the wintertime and holiday spirit, hitting someone with a snowball can bring serious consequences if injuries are sustained. The same is true for sledding-related horseplay that devolves into fist fighting. You may be charged with the crime of assault or battery, or sued in civil court for money damages. If you have been charged with assault or battery in Connecticut, you need an experienced Norwalk criminal defense attorney to protect your legal rights.

Defining Assault and Battery in Connecticut

In the general, common law sense, battery is a harmful or offensive contact. In Connecticut, more specifically, battery is the “willful application of force with the intent to cause bodily injury or offensive contact.” Assault, in the most basic sense, attempted battery. Specifically, under state law, assault is “attempted battery or the intent to cause another reasonable apprehension or contact.” In these two definitions, one can infer the importance of 1) intent and 2) whether or not contact actually occurs. Even if you have been unsuccessful in making contact, or merely intend to make another human being believe that you intend to make contact (but do not make contact), you may still be properly charged with assault in Connecticut.

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 Posted on December 27, 2017 in Theft and Property Crimes

A shoplifting charge in Connecticut is a serious matter, whether levied in the holiday season or any other time of year. Depending on the value of the goods in question, penalties may be far more severe than a run-in with mall security or expulsion from a shopping center. Jail time, fines, and reputational damage capable of limiting one’s educational and vocational future are at stake. With so much on the line, a legal defense mounted by an experienced Fairfield County criminal defense attorney is an absolute must.

Shoplifting Is Larceny

If you have been arrested for shoplifting, the criminal charge you are facing is larceny. Connecticut penal law defines larceny as the “intent to deprive another of property or to wrongfully take, obtain or without hold such property from an owner.” Here, the word “intent” should jump out. Even if you are apprehended while attempted to shoplift, your intent, if proven if in a Connecticut criminal court, is grounds for a larceny conviction. In addition, larceny covers more than shoplifting; if you knowingly receive stolen property, you may be properly convicted of the offense. The same is true with regard to auto theft, embezzlement, false pretenses, and theft by fraud.

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 Posted on December 18, 2017 in Driving Under the Influence

In the month of December, with holiday celebrations either already underway or imminently approaching, there is the risk of a Connecticut DUI charge. One such occasion in which this risk is encountered is the holiday office party. When alcoholic beverages are served as employees let off steam, vent about stress, and celebrate the close of the corporate year, consumption can lead to a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) elevated beyond the legal limit for drivers in the state.

If you commute to work via subway, bus, train, carpool, or by foot, this scenario will not result in a DUI charge. However, if you drive to work and are unable to utilize public transportation, Uber, or Lyft after consuming holiday office party alcoholic beverages, you run the risk of being stopped and arrested for DUI if your BAC is over the legal limit. If holiday office partying has resulted in a Connecticut DUI charge, you need a Fairfield County DUI defense attorney.

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 Posted on December 11, 2017 in Driving Under the Influence

Wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages are present at many holiday gatherings. While some beverages are consumed moderately and merrily, others are consumed for a different reason: stress. Visiting with family and friends can be difficult, especially in the current fraught national political climate, with old grievances and grudges lurking at the corners of contentious conversations.

In the moment, whether in bidding a fond farewell or a good riddance goodbye after consuming multiple alcoholic beverages, one may make the mistake of getting behind the wheel to drive a vehicle. When this mistake turns into a Connecticut DUI or DWI arrest, the holiday is officially over. And when this mistake is, in fact, a second, third, or subsequent DUI or DWI arrest in Connecticut, interpersonal squabbles will quickly seem minuscule in comparison to the state-imposed penalties upon a criminal conviction.

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 Posted on December 05, 2017 in Drug Charges

Connecticut, along with the rest of the United States, is in the midst of an opioid crisis. Opioids, the group of drugs that includes heroin and prescription painkillers such as fentanyl, oxycontin, and oxycodone, have killed tens of thousands of Americans – more people, in fact, than died in the Vietnam War.

Since 2010, Connecticut has seen an increase in accidental death involving drugs, including opioids. Faced with such a scourge, state and federal law enforcement are tasked with fighting the possession, use, and distribution of these dangerous and all too often deadly drugs. If you have been charged with an opioid-related drug offense, you will face serious consequences if convicted. For your legal rights and your future, it is imperative that you task an experienced Fairfield County criminal defense attorney with your legal defense.

Opioid Possession is Punishable by Jail Time and Fines in Connecticut

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 Posted on November 27, 2017 in Sex Crimes

If you have been charged with rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, or other sexual misconduct while attending a university in the state of Connecticut, it is imperative that you secure legal representation experienced in the defense of crimes alleged to have been committed on college campuses. If convicted you face jail time, expulsion from your university, a lifetime of reputational damage, and long-term educational and vocational barriers. When so much on the line, when the consequences are of the utmost gravity, an experienced Fairfield criminal defense attorney is a critical resource.

Criminal Defendants Are Guaranteed Rights Under the Constitution

Legal representation in the wake of sex crimes allegations and charges is focused on the protection of your legal rights. When arrested, for example, the Constitution demands that the arresting officer inform you of your rights under Miranda v. Arizona to remain silent and to have an attorney, whether obtained at your own expense or appointed for you. From the time of arrest, constitutional rights, under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, are retained during time spent in police custody, including during any instances police interrogation.

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 Posted on November 20, 2017 in Sex Crimes

Last month, bombshell allegations were leveled at famed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, ultimately resulting in his termination by the board of directors at his own company. Weinstein, along with his brother Bob, had previously been known best for Oscar-winning films produced by Miramax in the 1990s and Weinstein Brothers in the years since. While no legal charges have yet been leveled against Weinstein for his three decades of sexual misconduct, it stands to reason that a victim could in theory come forward.

Many of Weinstein’s previous victims, commonly women striving to make or maintain a career in the film industry, had been paid large sums of money in exchange for their silence with regard to Weinstein’s sexual misconduct. Known by insiders to be naked in the workplace – sometimes Los Angeles area hotel suites – Weinstein pressured actresses, including Ashley Judd, to give him a full body massage, neck massage, and watch him shower naked, among other things. Ms. Judd refused on all accounts, but other actresses, according to reports, left Mr. Weinstein’s hotel room “feeling violated.” More news is sure to come in the days following.

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 Posted on November 13, 2017 in Juvenile Crimes

The wind blows especially cold for some as October draws to a close and November marks the year’s turn toward winter. Halloween: an occasion for innocent costume donning and candy-crazed merrymaking for the young. For pre-teens and teenagers, however, All Hallows Eve can get out of hand, drastically so, with partying or misbehavior resulting in criminal charges ranging from alcohol and drug-related offenses to property damage or theft to violence to even sex crimes. For a juvenile facing one or more criminal charges in the state of Connecticut, a strong legal defense raised by an experienced Norwalk criminal defense attorney is a must.

Juvenile Criminal Charges Can Have Long-Term Consequences

Dangerous misconceptions about the juvenile justice system abound, tempting parents and children alike to underestimate the long-term impact of a juvenile conviction. Even a minor child can be sent away upon conviction for a year or more. In addition, even if a juvenile conviction is expunged from a child’s criminal record upon reaching the age of 18 or 21, the conviction can still have devastating effects upon the child’s ability to reach his or her full educational or vocational potentially.

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 Posted on November 06, 2017 in Driving Under the Influence

Last week was Halloween. The holiday is in resurgence with the popularity of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, and, because it falls on a Tuesday, kids and adults alike spent the weekend before celebrating with parties and events.

With Halloween fun, as we all know too well from childhood and teenage years, comes mischief. Toilet paper rolls will be strewn across treetops, already shriveling pumpkins smashed in the streets, and, at some gatherings, a veritable witches’ brew of alcohol consumed. While toilet paper confetti and pumpkin punishment can get you in trouble, it is the alcohol-related offenses that can truly turn a fun night into a nightmare in the blink of a bleary eye. If your Halloween ended in a DUI or DWI, you will need an experienced Fairfield County DUI/DWI attorney.

Jail, Fines and Penalties, License Suspension, and IID Installation Are Among the DUI Penalties in Connecticut

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 Posted on October 24, 2017 in Driving Under the Influence

Many universities recently celebrated homecoming. Homecoming is a time of year when current university students celebrate the joys of campus life in autumn, that fairest of seasons, and when alumni return to their alma mater to relive glory days, reconnect with friends and former classmates, don school colors, and root for the home team. Tailgating for fall Saturday football games is already a rowdy affair, with revelers often grilling food and enjoying alcoholic beverages before noon. When combined with homecoming celebrations, tailgating can become downright raucous, with alumni consuming alcohol at increased rates.

It’s one thing if you’re a current student and can walk back from the stadium to your dorm or apartment. When you’re no longer a resident of the college town in which you’re celebrating Homecoming, post-tailgating travel involving a vehicle can be problematic. It’s no surprise that a DUI or DWI charge can result during or after Homecoming festivities. If your homecoming return has been soured with a DUI or DWI charge, an experienced Stamford DUI defense attorney will work to protect your legal rights.

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