Houston Men Face Hate Crime Charges

Federal hate crime charges have been levied against four men following a brutal attack at a Houston bus stop. This case marks the first of its kind in the Houston area—where federal prosecutors have stepped in to file hate crime charges. The four white men were indicted this month, after the attack that occurred last summer. read more

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 7:54 am and is filed under assault. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Austin Crime Lab Scientist Fired, Files Complaints

Debra Stephens was fired from the Austin Police Department in April of last year. She says this firing was due to her whistleblowing on the lab, raising concerns with department officials last January. Now no longer employed with the lab, she has formally filed complaints with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. She says the lab does not perform quality work and should not be used for evidence testing. read more

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 1:10 pm and is filed under criminal law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Houston Area Pill Mills Thrive Despite Law

A state law went into effect last year requiring “Pain clinics” to register with the state and be inspected by the Texas Medical Board if half of their patients received prescriptions for controlled substances. Some clinics are getting around this new law by simply calling themselves something other than a pain clinic. read more

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 8:45 am and is filed under Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Prosecutor Investigated By Defense in Murder Case

Michael Morton was sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit. He was charged with killing his wife and served 25 years before being exonerated and released. Morton’s defense attorneys have reason to believe the prosecutor in the case had knowledge of Morton’s innocence, knowledge he didn’t disclose. Now, the prosecutor, Ken Anderson, is under a microscope as the defense lawyers dig into court records and files in an effort to uncover the truth. read more

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 5:45 pm and is filed under criminal law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

“No Refusal” DWI Blood-Draw Programs Commonplace

Last year, 801 people died in alcohol related traffic fatalities in the state of Texas. This number has climbed over the past several years. In 2009, Texas had the most alcohol related fatalities of any state in the country. These numbers have pushed lawmakers to take more aggressive steps in getting drunk drivers off the road, including mandatory blood draws. read more

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 12:34 pm and is filed under DWI. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Harris County Stops Prosecuting Crack Possession, Peeves Cops

If you are caught with less than one gram of crack-cocaine, it is a crime. But if you are caught in Harris County, you’ll likely be let off with nothing more than a stern warning and a dirty look from the police. This is because Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos has stopped prosecuting for such offenses, an action that has the police up in arms. read more

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 2:34 pm and is filed under Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

As Texas Prison Closed, More Bunks Were Being Added

Just a few months ago, we blogged about a Texas first: the closing of Sugar Land’s Central Unit prison. But while that closure was initially seen as something to celebrate—signaling a shift away from mass incarceration—Texas was quietly adding prison beds to existing facilities, virtually erasing any positive impact of the closed facility. read more

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 at 9:33 am and is filed under criminal law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Counterfeit Bills Result in 80 Year Prison Sentence

This isn’t a “wacky crime news” type of blog, but every once in a while, an out-of-the-ordinary story can teach us a good lesson in how the justice system often works. Such is the case of a Fort Worth man who will be in prison for a very long time because of his evening out at a Mansfield movie theater. read more

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 3:29 pm and is filed under fraud, theft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

30,000 Warrants Yet Un-entered in Harris County System

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is lacking staff (as are many agencies) and it’s this shortage that’s being blamed for a serious backlog of warrants. As of last week, the office had about 10,088 felony warrants and 19,748 misdemeanor warrants that had yet to be entered into the state database. Without such entry, law enforcement officers have no way of knowing someone is wanted in connection with a crime. read more

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 7:53 pm and is filed under criminal law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Texas Drug Traffickers Using Innocents to Mule Their Goods

“This has been going on as long as there has been smuggling,” says Houston attorney Norm Silverman. He’s talking about the use of unsuspecting, innocent people by drug traffickers to transport their goods, either across the Mexican border or throughout the state of Texas. “If you are a drug trafficking organization, there is no more effective means you can use than have a person be an unwitting courier” he said. “They won’t have any signs of nervousness because they simply don’t know.” read more

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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