Author: Mick Mickelsen
Gang crimes are among the most complex offenses investigators and prosecutors deal with in Texas because they can involve a raft of offenses ranging from money laundering, drug offenses and murder. They can also cross the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The complicated and far reaching nature of these crimes were illustrated this month…
The recent arrest of a 19-year-old in relation to an alleged hit-and-run accident that resulted in a death, highlights one of a number of amendments brought in last year that tighten up the criminal law relating to driving offenses in Texas. The Dallas Morning News reported on how Lancaster police arrested Santos Quezada, 19, and…
There are many alarming statistics about identity theft and the rapid growth of the crime. A recent Today.com story stated about 13.1 million Americans were victims of ID thefts in 2013. The figure was 500,000 more Americans than in 2012. A report released by Javelin Strategy & Research, found somebody becomes a victim of identity…
Human trafficking is described by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “one of the most heinous crimes” that it investigates. It’s also big business in Texas. In a recent report, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center revealed Texas remained number two in the country in 2013 in terms of the number of calls placed…
Texas is no stranger to controversial executions but the case of the latest prisoner to die in the state has ignited a dispute over the rights of foreigners held on death row. Edgar Tamayo, a Mexican national, was convicted of killing a police officer in Houston in 1994. He had sought a reprieve from the…
The legal system in Texas is littered with wrongful convictions and the sad stories of defendants who have languished in prisons for crimes they did not commit. The case of Daniel Villegas appears to fall into an all too familiar pattern. As a young and vulnerable suspect he claimed detectives intimidated him into confessing to…
Thousands of people buy and sell items or advertise services on Craigslist every day says Dallas Criminal lawyer Clint Broden. Although most transactions go without a hitch, Craigslist has also proved to be a medium for crimes, both premeditated and spontaneous. The Dallas Morning News recently reported on how a man in the city pulled…
A society in which almost everybody has a video camera on their cell phone has highlighted some crimes in a way that would never have happened two decades ago. It also raises some questions about trial by social media. In Houston, Texas, an alleged attack on a teenage girl by a schoolmate went viral attracting…
Texas executed more prisoners than any other state in 2013, but the use of capital punishment declines here as well as in the rest of the U.S. according to a new study. The annual report from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) revealed 39 prisoners were executed in the United States in 2013. The figure…
Cases in which teachers are accused of being involved in sexual relationships with students invariably make headlines. Recently a Wylie High School teacher was arrested following allegations that she had a relationship with a 17-year-old boy, the Dallas Morning News reported. Kristin Sims, 33 resigned as an English teacher last Wednesday following her arrest for…