Personal Injury and Criminal Defense Legal Blog

Harvard Professor Accuses Police of Racism

The New York Times recently reported in an article that a scholar of African-American history at Harvard University was arrested at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The man accused the arresting officer of possible racism, claiming his arrest may have been based on the color of his skin. There was no available statement from Cambridge police.

The man was arrested upon returning to his home after a trip to China. Finding his front door jammed, he enlisted the help of his cab driver to help force the door open. The arresting officer responded and investigated a report of potential robbery. Upon arriving at the home, the officer informed the man that he was investigating a robbery, and upon being asked to step outside from the home, the man refused and accused the officer of profiling him because he is African-American.

Though stories are conflicting, there remains little evidence to determine exactly what was said and transpired between the arrested man and the officer. The man did eventually follow the officer outside, and the officer reported to have informed the man, who was supposedly yelling and irate, that “he was becoming disorderly.” The arrested man was taken into custody and later released on his own recognizance.

Arrests are often characterized by confusion, and tension can build almost instantaneously. Details are often forgotten, accusations are sometimes made in haste, and repercussions for behavior, whether interpreted correctly or not, can lead to arrest. In the event that you are falsely accused of actions which have sullied your good name, you need a lawyer on your side who will examine every detail of your case to ensure that your rights are not infringed upon. At McNeese & Trotsky, our skilled Washington criminal defense lawyers will defend you from any accusations that come your way. Please contact us today for a free evaluation of your case.

6 Year Old Rape Case Solved by DNA

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office recently arrested a 40-year-old man from Lynwood for the sexual assault in Washington of a 13-year-old girl. The rape case was 6 years old, and DNA evidence recently surfaced that linked the man to the crime. The man was arrested near his apartment without incident.

The Lynwood man had been arrested for drunk driving in 2008, and agreed to give a DNA sample at that time. The sample was put into the FBI database, and was declared a match to DNA samples found at the scene of the rape, which occurred at the victim’s house. Though the man had previously been convicted of burglary, he had never been charged with a sex crime.

According to the police report, the man broke into the home and sexually assaulted the girl while two of her friends slept soundly nearby. The man threatened the victim, raped her, and then fled the scene of the incident. Though DNA evidence has been gathered at the scene, police were unable to link the evidence to any individual who was currently in their database, and the case eventually grew stagnant until the emergence of matching evidence from the drunken driving arrest.

In cases that take a number of years to solve, a variety of factors can have a significant role in determining who the perpetrator is. Evidence may be lost or tampered with, witnesses may second guess their accounts and change the details of what they remember, and other circumstances surrounding the case might be neglected in lieu of supposed new and accurate evidence. In the event that you or a loved one has been accused of a crime that occurred years prior to arrest, please don’t hesitate to contact the criminal defense lawyers in Seattle at McNeese & Trotsky. Our skilled lawyers will examine the details of your case, and will see to it that your rights are not infringed upon in a court of law. Please call us for a free evaluation of your case, and we will work towards clearing your name once and for all.

Seattle Indecent Exposure of Handyman to 4-Year-Old

According to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer story, a handyman has been accused of indecent exposure in Seattle. The claim was made by the 4-year-old daughter of a family whom the handyman was working for. Police arrested the man without incident.

James Albert Warning, 56, was installing a fireplace door when he reportedly exposed himself to the child and asked her to take off her clothes. The little girl told her parents of the incident, who informed police and then informed them a second time after finding out that Warning was a registered sex offender. When police went to Warning’s residence to make an arrest, he was no where to be found. Deciphering his actions, police later found Warning hiking the John Wayne Trail near Stampede Pass.

Warning did not dispute the charges, and seemed to have accepted the fact that he will be returning to jail. This particular instance went as well as it possibly could have, with no one having been hurt and a peaceful arrest having transpired. However, there are instances where mistaken identity and false accusations can lead to the arrest of an innocent person.

If you or a loved one has recently been accused of a sex crime, please contact the skilled Seattle sex crime defense attorneys at McNeese & Trotsky. Our knowledgeable lawyers will examine the details of your case, and will ensure that your rights are upheld in a court of law. Please call us for a free consultation, and we’ll begin the process of clearing your good name.

Kids Use Pit Bull to Attack SeaTac Women

Seattle’s Q13Fox news station (KCPQ-TV) recently reported in an article that two Seattle women were attacked by a group of teenagers (three boys, ages 13, 12, and 11; one girl, age 15) and their pet pit bull. The two victims, ages 63 and 41, were each beaten by the 15-year-old girl of the group, as well as attacked by the leashed pit bull. The victims of the Washington violent crime sustained bruising from the beatings and puncture wounds from the dog bites. The 41-year-old woman sustained more serious dog bites, with the skin on her left forearm being flayed open so severely that her bone was visible. Treatment sought by both women as well as their conditions was not reported.

The 63-year-old women reportedly witnessed the group of teenagers kicking and mistreating the pit bull while she was driving near the 13300 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive in SeaTac. The woman stopped her car because she thought the teenagers were in trouble and she wanted to help them. The 15-year-old girl reportedly told the woman to mind her own business, and then proceeded to drag the woman out of her car by her hair through the passenger’s side of the car. The 15-year-old girl repeatedly punched the victim, while one of the boys in the group ran over with the pit bull. As the 15-year-old girl continued to assault the woman, the pit bull bit the woman repeatedly, and was then pulled off of her when the group of teenagers fled into North SeaTac Park.

The 41-year-old woman reportedly witnessed the attack, and confronted the group of teenagers in North SeaTac Park. The 15-year-old girl then reportedly head-butted the woman and began delivering punches to the woman’s head and body. The pit bull, increasingly agitated, attacked the woman, gnashing at her head, face, and arms.

The King County Sheriff’s office took custody of the dog, relinquishing it to Animal Control. The teenagers were released into the custody of their parents. Sheriff’s detectives will likely file felony assault charges against the 15-year-old girl. It was not reported whether or not charges would be filed against any of the teenage boys.

In all criminal defense cases, and especially those dealing with juvenile crimes, it is important to have a skilled attorney on your side that will exhaust every aspect of the law to ensure that the charges brought against you are as minimal as possible. At McNeese & Trotsky, our knowledgeable and experienced Seattle assault defense attorneys have years of experience in defending those accused of criminal offenses. Please call us today for a free consultation and we will begin examining the details of your case with the utmost discretion and professionalism.