Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Hit-and-run is a serious crime in Texas. This month, a driver was accused of killing three people on an interstate near Dallas and fleeing the accident scene. Dallas police sought Jesus Chavarria-Vasquez, 32, after three men were killed and two were injured on March 10. Investigators said Chavarria-Vasquez abandoned his 12-year-old son at the scene…
No-knock raids by police are a controversial and dangerous practice, nowhere more so than in Texas where police and homeowners have been killed in recent years. In January, two people in Houston were shot dead in a disastrous no-knock drug raid by police. A few weeks later, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced he intends…
Corporate fraud is a complex area of law. Here’s what you need to know about corporate fraud crime, along with answers to the most commonly asked questions. No business, no matter how large or small, is exempt from the risk of corporate fraud. Crimes in this category happen on both large and small scales and…
Texas set up a new jail system a quarter of a century ago intended to keep low-level drug offenders out of the state’s overcrowded prisons. Lawmakers sought to give inmates convicted of non-violent drug offenses less time behind bars than in state prisons. Instead, they would receive rehabilitative services on probation and be supervised to…
It’s rare for a child as young as 12 to be charged with a serious offense but in Texas, a boy is facing a possible sentence of 40 years in prison over the fatal shooting of a boxer. The 12-year-old was charged with capital murder over the shooting death of a 24-year-old professional boxer in…
A law enacted in Texas in 2015 means many drivers who would previously have lost their licenses can now remain on the road as long as an ignition interlock device is fitted to their vehicles. An ignition interlock is connected to your vehicle. The device is like a breathalyzer. It has a preset level for…
The right to vote is an important part of being an American citizen. Is it possible for a convicted felon to regain their voting rights in the state of Texas? As citizens of the United States, we have individual rights that we often take for granted – until they are taken away or jeopardized in…
Many forensic science methods used for years to convict people of serious crimes have unraveled under closer scrutiny. Bite mark evidence was used to secure scores of convictions before it was debunked as junk science in 2016. In December, the state’s highest criminal court declared a Texas man innocent of two murders he served more…
Texas once again executed more people than any other state in 2018 when the number of prisoners put to death rose. However, the state’s Death Row population is falling. Two groups that oppose the death penalty reported Texas again tops the capital punishment table. With no further executions scheduled for 2018, tallies from both the…
Civil asset forfeiture occurs when police seize assets from people who are suspected of involvement in criminality. Nowhere is it more controversial than in Texas where people have lost millions of dollars in valuable assets without being charged with a crime. Recently, the Texas Tribune reported on how police in Texas made $50 million by…