Category: News
We often associate rising crime levels with big cities such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, but newly released statistics for 2015 point to increased violent offending in many of the suburban areas of northern Texas. Statistics for 2015 for North Texas cities with a population of at least 100,000 people reveal “the suburbs are…
A decade ago social media was seldom a factor in criminal investigations. Today, cyber bullying and other forms of online intimidation form a key part of many cases, meaning both prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys need to keep up to date with the world of social media. In a recent article The Dallas Morning News…
Parents regularly take away their children’s cell phones and other items as punishment but it’s rare for such actions to become criminal offenses. However, this is exactly what happened in Texas when Ronald Jackson, 36, was charged with theft after taking away his daughter’s phone. It sounds like a ridiculously heavy handed reaction from the…
Texas criminal appeals attorney Mick Mickelsen discusses the ongoing case of embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton moved to appeal a trial judge’s ruling upholding charges against him last month, and the case is still lingering. Reports now say that Paxton may not know the court’s decision until the spring….
Federal criminal lawyer Mick Mickelsen discusses the recent decision of a grand jury not to indict an officer in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. A grand jury has decided not indict two police officers in connection with the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Attorneys for the officers in the controversial case defended…
Texas based criminal lawyer Mick Mickelsen discusses the headline making case of a missing teenager purported to be on the run after violating probation. The case of Ethan Couch, a Texas teenager charged after being involved in a drunk-driving accident that resulted in the deaths of four people, made national headlines two years ago after…
When the Dallas Morning News recently featured the case of Khristopher Hood it highlighted one of the most disturbing aspects of Texas’s criminal justice system. Hood was locked up when he was just 11-years-old and hasn’t seen freedom since. That’s about to change next year when he will be released in his 30s. The article…
Bite marks have been used for decades by forensic scientists in criminal cases to help establish the identity of offenders. But the fact it is a tried and tested method, does not mean it’s a reliable one. Now Texas is leading the way in developing guidelines on whether this evidence should be admissible at all…
Sex offenses can be extremely complicated as illustrated by a recent arrest in Dallas where police claim they picked up a man with a 16-year-old girl who he had forced into prostitution. The Dallas Morning News reported police said they had caught a man in a stolen pickup with a 16-year-old girl who he had…
Jailing young people who pose a low risk to society is counterproductive and increases their risks of offending in the future, according to research from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Kathy Park, the Chief Executive Officer of NCCD, outlined her concerns that the juvenile justice system is letting down some young people in…