Maryland Criminal Law Blog

Organized retail crime schemes are nothing new. Those accused of shoplifting are often caught with common items that have some value on the black market, items like over-the-counter painkillers, baby formula and razors.

A drug distribution case recently took center stage in a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

At issue was whether the police needed a warrant to gather evidence of cocaine trafficking via GPS surveillance (the police put a tracker on the defendant's vehicle).

Legal commentators are saying that it's a landmark Fourth Amendment case concerning privacy in light of technological advances, which all started when a joint local and federal law enforcement task force began investigating the defendant, a club owner, in 2004.

In the early morning hours of February 2, 2010, an Army reservist called what he thought was an emotional support helpline for veterans after feeling depressed and deprived of sleep. In truth, he spoke with the National Suicide Hotline, and after a short conversation that included questions about whether or not firearms were in his home, he ended the call. He then took some prescribed sleeping medication and went to bed.

At approximately 4 a.m., the reservist awoke to the sound of police using a bullhorn calling his name and asking him to come outside. He obliged and opened the door, where he was greeted by nearly 20 officers on his lawn. He then walked outside the home and locked the door behind him. He was promptly handcuffed and put in the back of a SWAT vehicle. One officer asked for the keys to him home and when he refused, the officer disregarded his clear refusal to allow officers in his home by ordering officers to force their way into the home, resulting in what appears to be an unreasonable search.

Why the Judicial Campaign in Howard County, MD Is So Important

Clarke Ahlers rightly challenges his two opponents for a judgeship...

[Correction to earlier version of blog post: Clarke Ahlers has argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, not in front of the U.S. Supreme Court; everything else stands as-is, including my opinion that you cast your vote for Clarke Ahlers.]

Let's be clear: I'm going to make a pitch for you to vote for Clarke Ahlers, who has entered the Howard County Judicial race, but in order for me to convince you, we'll start with the basics about judges.

Criminal defense attorneys know that police officers aren't shy about stopping drivers suspected of DWI.

But here are some surprising statistics: In the past five years there has been a 30 percent drop in DWI arrests, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DWI arrests are actually at their lowest mark in two decades.

What explains this?

20-year-old Midshipman 3^rd Class Patrick Edmond, a student at the U.S. Naval Academy, was convicted of rape by a seven-member military panel and sentenced to six months in military prison. Edmond was also dismissed from the Navy.

It's not often that you see the words "anti-slavery" in a contemporary article, but Beth Happick and Jeanne Allert, in their opinion piece for the Baltimore Sun, use those words and more in their call for our politicians to continue funding anti-human trafficking and anti-slavery efforts nationwide - and to set a good example for the rest of the world when it comes to sex crimes.

You can understand why you'd spend your time maintaining a website that influences only one person's behavior - it's because you've influenced one person's behavior, and perhaps spared the death of someone else by preventing what otherwise would've been an alcohol-related car accident.

Ken Rossignol does just that (runs a website called DWI Hit Parade) with "probably 20,000 names and probably pushing a thousand pictures. I don't know. I haven't thought about it that hard," Rossignol says, as Jay Korff reports for ABC 7 News. Rossignol publishes the names and faces of anyone charged with DUI/DWI.