by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 25, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Drunk Driving
Have you ever had a moment of hesitation before getting behind the wheel, wondering if your blood alcohol content would register above or below the 0.08 legal limit? The truth is the line between legal and illegal is not very hard to cross. Unfortunately, if you do... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 23, 2015 | Violent Crimes
A couple we know was expecting their first child, and they had all sorts of plans. The baby, they said, would grow up to be a doctor. They just knew it. They could feel it in their bones. This child — a boy — was destined for medicine. But, just to be... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 23, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Drunk Driving
Some people, especially when it is their first DUI charge, think that the best thing to do is just to plead guilty to the charges they face and move on. However, this is hardly ever a good idea. In most cases, the smartest thing to do is to work with a criminal... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 21, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Sex Crimes
Cases involving allegations of date rape are very difficult to prosecute and defend. They involve complicated laws and fact patters, often dependant on “he said, she said” evidence. A conviction for date rape can lead to significant jail time and sex offender... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 16, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Drunk Driving
One of the great things about St. Patrick’s Day is that celebrations — parades, parties and festivals — may be scheduled for weekends, but you can always count on another celebration on the 17th. The North Carolina Department of Transportation and... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 14, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
If you are old enough to remember 1968, you may be more than a little uneasy about the increasingly violent confrontations about race. It is a little hard to think that this will all be resolved somehow. That Ferguson will be made right, that the deaths of young black... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 10, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
There is still a struggle in the media, in the community and in the courtroom to put a label on the Chapel Hill killings on Feb. 11. The victims were three Muslim American college students, the confessed shooter a 46-year-old white man. The defendant, Craig Stephen... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 6, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
It looks as if the Durham district attorney will ask for the death penalty in the case against a 46-year-old Chapel Hill man. The defendant, Craig Stephen Hicks, turned himself in to sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 11, a few hours, he said, after he shot three... by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 2, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Misdemeanors
We are talking about tax evasion, or the willful attempt to avoid paying a lawfully due tax. As a refresher from our last post, it’s a felony, and you can land in prison for as long as five years. The question, of course, is how the IRS figures out that someone... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 27, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Misdemeanors
We say it often, but it bears repeating: In criminal law, intent is almost everything. You may knock someone out in a bar fight and find yourself in jail. If the prosecutor can prove that you hit the guy intending to kill him, you are facing much more serious charges....