Asheville, North Carolina, Criminal Defense Blog

Apparently, the problems involving youths and alcohol are not restricted to North Carolina. In fact, U.S. researchers are looking closely at a recent international study about the consequences of parents offering alcohol to their teens. While many parents may feel they are doing a good thing by providing a safe place for their children to drink, the research does not agree with this well-meaning philosophy.

Health officials in Australia published a report from information gathered after following nearly 2,000 young people for six years. The children were permitted to drink alcohol at home in varying degrees, from sips to full-blown parties. What researchers learned is that the amount of alcohol offered made little difference. Any children whose parents provided them with alcoholic beverages seemed to have a higher risk of problems related to alcohol use.

The search of one's vehicle during a routine traffic stop can only be made under very specific conditions. While some of those conditions follow specific rules, such as the execution of a search warrant, others may be up to the police officer's subjective choice. Some North Carolina officers may take advantage of a driver's unfamiliarity with the law and search a vehicle without probable cause.

One local man was arrested after a search of his vehicle allegedly revealed illegal drugs. Police say the man's headlight was out, so they pulled him over. During the stop, the officer ran a records check and discovered that the man's license had been suspended, although the reason for the suspension was not reported. Police subsequently searched the man and his vehicle.

Underage drinking laws exist because, in most cases, young people may not realize how alcohol affects them. For some who have only been driving legally for a few years, alcohol adds an element of danger they are not ready to handle. One young man in North Carolina has learned this lesson through tragedy and now faces drunk driving charges.

On the night after Thanksgiving, the 19-year-old man was visiting the home of his 24-year-old friend and the friend's 26-year-old girlfriend. The three allegedly drank numerous malt beverages that the couple purchased. At some point in the evening, the woman went to a nearby liquor store and purchased a bottle of Hennessy, which she reportedly shared with her guest. Just after midnight, the younger man left the house and drove through a residential neighborhood.

A celebration often brings noisy revelry and unorthodox methods of expressing excitement. For some in North Carolina, cheering and shouting is enough, and others may blare their car horns or use special noisemakers for the occasion. However, some partiers, especially on New Year's Eve, bring out more dangerous noisemakers, and this may lead to charges for weapons offenses.

Local police responded to citizen complaints of shots fired just after midnight on the first day of the new year. The caller reported that a weapon had been discharged into a residence. When officers arrived at the neighborhood, they located two men who had been firing guns in celebration of the new year. Officers confiscated handguns and rifles and arrested the two men on numerous charges.

Do you have a lead foot? If you are not sure, here are some clues. Do you frequently miss your exit? Do your friends draw straws to see who has to ride with you? Does your spouse wear a helmet when you drive?

If you have a lead foot, you may get places fast but at great risk. Maybe you have been fortunate to avoid an accident, and you may pride yourself on having no speeding tickets. In fact, you may think a speeding ticket would be no big deal and would only slow you down until the officer was out of sight. Perhaps you haven't considered the cost of a speeding ticket that goes beyond the fine you may pay.

Search warrants often play a key role in criminal investigations. Those search warrants may be the culmination of many weeks or months of surveillance, or they may come from tips from observant neighbors. The judge who authorizes the search must rely on the affidavit of North Carolina law enforcement before concluding that there is probable cause to sign the warrant. This is where it becomes essential to ensure that the rights of the accused are carefully protected.

A local police department recently received a tip through Crimestoppers concerning alleged illicit activity in a neighborhood. The caller identified a house on the block that may have been the scene of narcotics distribution. When police responded to the call, they spoke to a resident of the house at the front door. The responding officers claim to have smelled marijuana coming from inside the house, so they quickly obtained a warrant for a search.