Georgia Criminal Defense Blog

A Cobb County judge ordered the suspect in a shooting spree at a Kennesaw truck rental company to be held without bond. An official of the company, Penske Truck Rental and Leasing, said that four of the five shooting victims were employees, and one was a customer. He said the victims were apparently chosen at random.

Police say the suspect opened fire at the truck rental company on January 12, killing two men and critically wounding three others. The suspect faces two counts of murder and five counts of aggravated assault.

Workplace violence is not new in Georgia. The Atlanta area has dealt with workplace violence on a much larger scale. In 1999, day trader Mark Barton shot 22 people, killing nine, at two different metro locations, this while also murdering his wife and two children.

Continue reading "Bond Denied for Suspect in Cobb Shooting Spree" »

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Posted In: Criminal Defense , Murder/Homicide , Violent Crimes

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Recently, deliberations of R&B singer, Ashanti, and her alleged stalker began in New York City. The man claims that he was just “sex texting” as a joke when he sent more than 30 messages with photos of male genitalia to the singer’s mother. The singer’s manager testified that the mother pulled Ashanti out of a rehearsal after receiving a text indicating that the sender had seen Ashanti’s car arrive at the theater.

The man is being charged with stalking and harassment. One juror said yesterday that the accused “clearly seemed delusional.” The juror was released from the panel last night, but still hopes that the defendant does not receive a conviction and gets the help he needs. The defense claims that it is not a crime to send pictures and text messages and that the accused was misunderstood.

Continue reading "Juror in Stalker Case Believes Accused to Be Delusional" »

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Posted In: Criminal Defense , Non-Violent Crime , Stalking

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New research indicates that New York’s juvenile detention centers fail to keep the youths secure and do not meet their treatments and services needed for recovery. This new information has underlined many juvenile justice advocates’ sentiments that the state needs to rethink its actions and responses to troubled youth.

Policymakers and prosecutors alike agree that New York should limit the number of juveniles sent to prison-like facilities and create more community-based programs for reducing youth crimes. These programs have statistically shown to be less expensive and more effective than the residential facilities. A shocking 89 percent of juvenile boys placed in residential facilities go on to commit further crimes. Roughly 1,600 youths are sent to these facilities each year, however, the majority of these youths have not committed serious felony crimes.

Continue reading "New York Juvenile Justice Under Review" »

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Posted In: Criminal Defense , Juvenile Crimes , Law & Information

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Dodge County sheriff’s deputies broke an alleged identity theft ring that has been operating in four counties. The 37-year-old man arrested is accused of receiving stolen property by using a license plate to conceal or misrepresent a vehicle’s identity. He is being charged with 56 counts of identity theft and two counts of receiving stolen property. Another possible conspirator was also charged in the case.

During the bust, Dodge County deputies discovered that the accused had several stolen vehicles as well as access to the owner’s Social Security and account numbers and keys obtained through his job as an auto parts delivery driver. The theft came to light when a Georgia state trooper saw that the vehicle identification and tag numbers did not match the 2008 Ford F-150 the man charged was driving when he had gotten into an accident.

Continue reading "Dodge County Sheriffs Uncover Identity Theft Ring" »

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Posted In: Criminal Defense , Theft Crimes , White Collar Crimes

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Despite the strict laws intended to monitor registered sex offenders, Georgia has lost track of, or absconded, nearly 250 sex offenders from metro Atlanta. In an article by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, many of these missing offenders were convicted of rape, kidnapping, molestation, as well as people who engaged in consensual sex acts with minors.

Over the years, there has been a growing controversy over Georgia’s sex offender registry in that the restrictive rules govern where offenders can live and work. Many advocates against sex crimes are concerned with the high number of missing offenders, especially since they feel that monitoring offenders deters attacks on new victims.

The sex offender laws are currently under review in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. Lawyers prosecuting these laws declare that the state imposes vague and arbitrary restrictions on sex offenders that are unconstitutional. The law currently bars sex offenders from living within 1,000 of churches, parks, schools and day care centers, which some feel could be anywhere.

Continue reading "Atlanta Police Fail to Locate Over 200 Registered Sex Offenders" »

Posted by Conaway & Strickler, P.C. | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Criminal Defense , Sex Crime Defense

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