On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Felonies on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
One man residing in Arizona was recently arrested in connection for his alleged role in the January murder of a man in another state. According to court documents, a witness in the case supposedly saw the suspect and two others commit the murder. The other suspects were arrested in February for their alleged involvement with the crime.
Police officers revealed that they had been tracking the man across the country since February. He has been charged with second-degree murder, a felony offense, and a judge placed his bond at $500,000. Law enforcement officers say the man used a number of false names to avoid detection, but that they found him because he used one name for too long. While Arizona has agreed to the suspect's extradition to face the murder charges, Arizona officials are considering filing charges of their own.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Sex Crimes on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
An Arizona body piercer is facing sex crime charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault that took place on April 5. The alleged incident took place at a tattoo parlor where the accuser went to have her nose and lip pierced. She claims that the body piercer exposed himself and inappropriately touched her after she asked about a genital piercing.
In the police report, the alleged victim also says that she later called the employee, who admitted guilt on the phone. But there are apparently conflicting reports of the incident. The shop owner has stated that the woman remained in the shop for some time after the incident. By contrast, the woman says that she "left in shock and fear." The man faces three sexual assault charges.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Domestic Violence on Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A new study reports that there has been an increase in domestic violence incidents across the country, and it links the rise to an economy seemingly reluctant to embrace a full-scale recovery. The study included data from 700 law enforcement agencies around the country--likely including Arizona--and compared the number of domestic violence calls in 2011 to the total in 2010. Overall, there was a noticeable increase from one year to the next, and some individual police departments saw a marked jump in domestic violence reports.
One city saw an additional 1,600 domestic violence incidents in 2011 over its 7,500 total in 2010. Some researchers believe financial stress is the link between the tepid economic recovery and domestic violence. The argument goes that a tough economy means fewer jobs, and the prospect or reality of unemployment places a persistent burden on a person's home life. This stress then manifests itself in acts of violence against family members and others.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Drug Charges on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Many Arizona residents are familiar with the efforts of Mexican drug cartels to bring drugs across the border. Stories abound of the cartels' innovative tactics, which evolve over time in response to pressure from law enforcement agencies. But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have uncovered a new drug trafficking scheme that can lead unwitting people to face drug charges.
According to law enforcement authorities, the drug cartels have attempted to use ordinary people to transport drugs across the border. In one variation of the scheme, members of the cartel gained access to the cars of those who commuted frequently into the United States. The cartel members then placed drugs, such as marijuana, in the cars' trunks without the owners' knowledge or consent. When the owners drove across the border, they became unsuspecting drug mules. Cartel members would take the drugs out when the cars were safely in the United States. One man has been detained under this scheme.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Criminal Defense on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Criminal suspects subject to police interrogation in Arizona have a number of rights, but they will not always stop some police officers from applying pressure to a suspect in an attempt to elicit a confession. The subject of falsely-given confessions is the subject of a new film called Scenes of a Crime, which highlights the need for accused persons to have a strong criminal defense.
The film recounts the story of a man suspected of killing his young son with repeated head trauma. During questioning, police used a variety of tactics to get the man to admit to the crime. He eventually gave in to police and confessed. Although he withdrew the confession at trial, a jury convicted him of murder. He recently appealed his case but lost.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Criminal Defense on Friday, April 13, 2012
The federal government has been investigating an alleged gun buying conspiracy in Arizona, and another suspected member of the conspiracy pleaded guilty earlier this month to the criminal charges against him. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is named Operation Fast and Furious.
Federal agents have focused on a 20-member conspiracy that they believe has been buying firearms in Arizona then illegally transporting them across the border into Mexico for use in the drug cartel wars. The cartels are alleged to seek weapons purchasers in the United States because access to guns is more tightly controlled in Mexico.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Criminal Defense on Monday, April 2, 2012
Many posts on this blog mention that every criminal defendant who faces any criminal charge is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial. While everyone may be able to agree to that statement in principle, some have an exceedingly difficult time applying it in practice. A person's personal beliefs and prejudices can taint rational and impartial judgment, sometimes unwittingly, others deliberately. Although this may not ordinarily affect a defendant's fate, when a juror subjugates reason to personal beliefs, a defendant's very life and freedom could be put in jeopardy.
Last week, an Arizona judge ordered a new trial in a murder case when the court discovered that the jury forewoman concealed potential biases during jury selection and later improperly influenced other jurors during deliberations. The woman never informed the court that she had been the victim of a crime. She also diminished what effect her husband's death at the hands of another might have had on her impartiality.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Felonies on Monday, March 26, 2012
Prosecutors have alleged that a doctor is responsible for the deaths of three young men, which resulted from the men taking too much prescription medication. One of the men was a student at Arizona State University. According to the charges against her, the doctor prescribed the men painkillers, such as oxycodone, and other medicines.
The state has leveled three felony charges of second-degree murder against the physician in the men's deaths. Prosecutors remain confident that they will be able to obtain a conviction against the accused. Such cases are rarely brought, however, because the law imposes a high standard of proof against the prosecution.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Drug Charges on Monday, March 19, 2012
Arizona readers may have heard of a new drug coming to prominence across the country. That drug, the subject of increasing media attention, is "bath salts." The name, however, has little to do with the product that many add to their bath water. The federal government made the synthetic drug illegal last year, and last month Arizona proscribed the drug when Governor Jan Brewer enacted laws that made certain chemicals contained in the drug illegal, subjecting those who possess the substance to drug charges.
Soon after the legislation was in place, law enforcement bodies from the federal, state and local levels initiated busts of several shops suspected of selling bath salts. The shops involved were in Prescott and Prescott Valley. Police served search warrants on the businesses and arrested some people within. They also seized any bath salts in the shops and, according to the police, found weapons during the raid. Police suspect one shop of accepting food stamps in exchange for bath salts.
On behalf of Janet Altschuler, Attorney at Law posted in Domestic Violence on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Recently, a State Representative from Tucson was charged with committing domestic violence offenses against his ex-girlfriend. Last week he entered pleas of not guilty to all four charges against him. The charges are all misdemeanor crimes and relate to conduct that allegedly occurred during late February and early March. Specifically, the charges accuse the man of the domestic violence offenses of harassment, imprisonment, assault and disorderly conduct.
But there are concerns about the reliability of the man's accuser. That person has since been taken into custody on suspicion of felony drug offenses. The man's attorney has asserted that any testimony offered by the accuser will be weakened by the drug charges. The attorney has also indicated his intent to pursue legislative immunity as a defense.
