Sometimes, unruly teenagers or bored adults will make false emergency reports for their own entertainment. Other times, people may pretend that they are about to commit a serious crime in order to get attention and get peers talking. Situations of this nature waste hours of law enforcement officer’s time.
When law enforcement officers could be out fighting crime, they are instead responding to fictitious situations that were invented by individuals looking for a little entertainment. This can be extremely frustrating for the law enforcement, which is why the Texas state department has chosen to increase the penalties for this crime.
According to reports, the state of Texas has increased the penalties for the offense if initiating, communicating, or circulating a false report of an emergency that involves an institution of higher education. The crime of circulating a false report used to be considered a Class A misdemeanor.
Now, the offense of relaying false emergency reports is considered a state jail felony. Those that are found guilty may be required to serve time in prison and will have a felony posted on their record. It is important as a citizen of the United States to honor the state code in order to avoid serious penalties.
Many suspects arrested for this crime will need to spend time behind bars simply because they violated the law for their own amusement. Don’t hesitate to contact an attorney at The Martinez Law Firm if you need assistance in defending yourself against charges of intentional false report.
You will certainly want an attorney to represent you if you truly did believe that there was a threat and circulated the report out of a conviction that you needed to warn law enforcement. In this situation, you will want to prove that you truly were concerned and issued the threat out of a desire to help your fellow man. Talk with a Houston criminal defense attorney if you need help today!
Thieves have an abundance of opportunities to steal. For one, some thieves will shoplift at busy malls days before Christmas. This is because inventory is typically scattered during the holidays and oftentimes it is harder to keep track of what is taken from the store and what is paid for. As well, some thieves target shoppers’ cars. These thieves will break into cars while shoppers are in the mall and lift their brand new purchase. With so many online retail websites, many individuals steal brand new items and then list them online to make a profit.
Stealing Packages Is A Federal Crime
In addition to these types of thievery, some individuals will steal packages off porch steps. This very common type of stealing is also considered a federal crime because it has to do with usurping packages sent by the mailing system. Stealing packages is a serious crime and can result in major prosecution. Sometimes, individuals will also rob houses at Christmas. While this sounds extremely Grinch-like, it is true that some robbers want to take the presents that are so neatly wrapped and new. They may sneak into homes and lift all of the presents before a family wakes up.
Theft crimes during Christmas are serious. If you are caught committing theft crimes during Christmas, you may be charged and need to face the court. If your case is taken to trial, you may find that you have a difficult time defending your position as the jury is emotionally wrapped up in the fact that you stole something from a family on Christmas. If you want assistance in your case, don’t hesitate to call the Houston criminal defense attorneys at our firm today to learn more. With a former prosecutor on your side, you have a better chance of getting the results that you want in your case. Hire The Martinez Law Firm today to learn more!
A man in Houston robbed a bank inside of a Walmart in Harris County early this morning. According to the FBI, the suspect walked into the store and went up to the teller’s window. He handed the teller a note and demanded finances. He threatened the teller, claiming that he had a gun and was willing to use it.
The teller complied with his wishes, and the suspect walked out of the store with cash in hand. He got into a silver Pontiac Grand Prix and sped from the scene. This is not the only time that a Harris County local has robbed a bank in the area in recent days. Some suspect that the same individual continues to rob banks in the area.
Harris County Sheriffs are now looking into the incident. They are still trying to determine how many suspects were inside the bank for the robbery and how much money they fled with. The getaway vehicle was located in a shopping center and there was cash inside the vehicle. It has been recovered, but police are still looking for the offender.
If you have been accused of robbing a bank, then you are going to want a Houston criminal defense attorney on your side immediately. Bank robbery is a serious crime that can result in life-altering penalties and marks on a person’s record. Texas State Law says that a bank robber can be charged with up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Aggravated robbery is a robbery that occurs when a suspect causes serious bodily injury to another or uses or exhibits a weapon. This means that the robber doesn’t actually have to use the weapon, exhibiting the gun or knife is enough to constitute aggravated robbery. If you have been charged of this crime and want a defense lawyer on your side, don’t hesitate to hire a professional former prosecutor at The Martinez Law Firm. A
Houston criminal defense attorney at this firm will help you to get the assistance that you need today. Contact the firm right away to learn more!
According to recent reports of police crimes, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy was recently indicted after claims that he was coercing women with warrants into pleasuring him sexually. Reports show that he told one woman that if she performed an act with him, he would not turn her in. He has been charged with the police crimes of sexual assault and official oppression as a result. According to investigators, he came across a woman who had an open warrant, and then offered not to arrest her in exchange for physical interactions.
Whenever police are arrested and indicted, it can be very serious. Those who are supposed to be maintaining the law are often held to the highest standard, and when arrested and charged with police crimes officers are at risk to serious punishments and guaranteed job loss. If you want to learn more about police crimes, or if you are an officer who has been charged with a serious crime, then you need to talk with a Martinez Law Firm criminal defense attorney today.
Sadly, many police officers are falsely accused of crimes like the one described above. Sometimes angry criminals want to avoid penalties, and will claim false arrests or accuse a police officer of gross misconduct. If you have been accused of a police misconduct crime, and are not guilty, then you need to talk with a Houston criminal defense lawyer at the firm today and set the record straight. At The Martinez Law Firm, Attorney Martinez and his team are here to help you out with your criminal charges. The firm is focused on working to help you with your case and doing all that they can to prove your innocence. Don’t hesitate to call the firm right away to learn more and get the information that you need!
If you were arrested for any crime, you cannot be tried for that crime twice (with some exceptions) according to the federal laws on double jeopardy. Jeopardy protection only applies in certain types of legal proceedings, but it is always important to try and challenge any actions that could possibly violate a double jeopardy statute. Essentially, the defendant protected by double jeopardy cannot be tried again on the same or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal conviction.
This does not apply to when a person commits the same crime again. Instead, this is a protection against being tried for the exact same crime more than once. For example, if a person was caught using drugs and was charged for this crime but won an acquittal, he cannot be retried without an appeal. Double Jeopardy is protected in the Fifth Amendment of the United States where it says that no person shall be subject for the same offense twice to be put in jeopardy of life and limb. There are four distinct provisions which can be identified in the double jeopardy clause. These are:
- Subsequent prosecution after acquittal is illegal
- Subsequent prosecution after conviction is not permissible
- Subsequent prosecution after mistrial is unconstitutional
- Multiple punishment for the same indictment is unconstitutional
If you have been arrested and/or tried for a crime, and you are told that you are going to be re-arrested, it is important that you hire a criminal defense attorney to help you and argue Double Jeopardy in your case today. Don’t hesitate to hire a successful criminal defense lawyer, like Herman Martinez, from The Martinez Law Firm to represent you and make sure that you get the treatment that you deserve in your case. Learn more by talking with an experienced attorney at our firm today!
In Houston, the police have been accused of racial profiling when they arrested two African-Americans and a white teenager after seeing her with the two men and assuming she had been stolen or was a runaway. In reality, the girl was a dancer who was travelling with her dance partner and trainer throughout the United States to head to a hip-hop academy and tape a video.
The police stopped the unlikely trio at a gas station and handcuffed them, putting them all into patrol cars and taking them to the police station. When the police called the 13-year-old blonde girl’s parents, they were shocked by the law enforcement’s tone. They said that their daughter was exactly where they wanted her to be, and they had given her dance instructor a plethora of papers to help prove that they were travelling in a legal fashion.
The parents say that the dance instructor had his student’s birth certificate, insurance card, and every contact number that was necessary. He also had a signed letter from the parents acknowledging that he had permission to care for the teenager. The police eventually let the threesome go, but stirred up a lot of frustrations in the midst of the situation.
Sometimes, police will racially profile individuals and will make assumptions that are incorrect or are even hurtful. If you think you have been a victim of racial profiling by a police officer, or have been accused of a crime based on your race or culture, then you need well versed criminal defense attorneys like Herman Martinez and his team to assist you in your case. With the right criminal defense attorney on your side, you may be able to prove that you were racially profiled in arrest and do not deserve the penalties that you are facing.
Contact the firm today to learn more about these types of cases!