Blog
When it comes to the ultimate punishment, Texas sets many unenviable benchmarks. Last month the state made headlines by executing a woman when it put Lisa Coleman to death. The Washington Post reported on how she was the ninth person executed by Texas in 2014. The Lone Star State has executed more people than any…
A summer of civil disturbance in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer, appears to have had an effect on how the public view the criminal justice system. A recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found Americans of all backgrounds are more likely to see…
Public officials can face numerous criminal charges that would not be brought against members of the public. But there is often a gray area in these matters as demonstrated recently when Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury on abuse of power charges. He strongly denied the charges. City Council members can…
Just as cell phones and smart phones have become a way of life in recent years, it has become routine for police to seek to recover information from the devices as part of their investigations. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court has drawn a line in the sand on use of information from these devices…
Texas hit the headlines last week for one of the worst crimes seen in the Lone Star State for some time. A 33-year-old man stands accused of killing six members of his former wife’s family, including four children in a home in suburban Houston. Reuters reported on an appearance in court by 33-year-old Ronald Lee…
Murder for hire cases can be difficult to prosecute as demonstrated by a recent case in Texas in which the Collin County District Attorney’s Office dismissed a felony charge against man from Garland who was accused last year in a murder for hire plot in Allen. The Dallas Morning News reported that Robert Wayne Bass,…
GPS tracking devices were used in stolen phones to track down two robbery suspects in Dallas, according to media reports. The Dallas Morning News reported a robbery at an AT&T store in the 8500 block of Abrams Road, when police are said to have tracked the suspects and apprehended a car. The suspects were accused…
Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has become the latest state governor to face criminal charges after an indictment was brought against him alleging an abuse of power. Perry has dismissed the indictment as a “farce.” He faces two counts of abuse of power and coercion over a funding veto he imposed last year, which…
As everyone with a passing interest in politics now knows, a special prosecutor in Texas has charged Governor Rick Perry with two felony charges. Those charges are “abuse of official capacity” and “coercion of a public servant.” Because those are not everyday criminal charges like burglary or assault, it is worth taking a look at…
It’s not every day that charges of pointing a laser at an aircraft are brought but the offense is more common in Texas than many people believe. Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how 24-year-old Steven Alexander Chavez Jr. was arrested by federal authorities in Lubbock and charged with one count of aiming a…