Question: What Does It Take To Be Declared Incompetent To Stand Trial & Get Committed Answer: 2 or 3 Disinterested Doctors, A Hearing And A Judicial Finding Of Incompetence! In 2012, Lee...
In the State of Indiana, what does the label of a “SVP” mean?
In 2009, 16-year-old D.K. was asleep in her bed when she felt someone on top of her, beating and stabbing her on her head and upper body. As the attack progressed, D.K. was struck several times with a...
What the heck is an “Evidentiary Harpoon”?
In 2010, Scroggins Gun Shop was burglarized. The burglar forced open the front door of the business, broke a glass display case, and took 8 guns. The crime took less than a minute, and surveillance vi...
Indiana Schools, Child Abuse and the Obligation of School Officials to Report.
Question: Does a school have a statutory duty to report child abuse? Answer: Yes. On November 9, 2010, G.G. was a 16 year old student that reported she had been raped in the boys’ bathroom by S.M....
Trash Is Not Always Trash!
Question: Can the police look through your trash for evidence that you have committed a crime? Answer: Yes, if they have reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. In 2011, a detective interviewed ar...
The Police Can Use GPS To Track Your Pot!
Question: Can police insert a GPS device into an already opened package from UPS and track your movements with the package? Answer: Yes. In 2010, UPS alerted the police that they had found marijuana...
COP + GUN = ARREST?
Question: Does the pulling and pointing of a gun by an officer always mean an arrest has occurred? Answer: No, officer may have reasonable suspicion the person is armed. In 2011, the 911 dispatcher...
“Spice” is NOT WEED!
Question: When you charge a minor caught with a pipe of intending to smoke weed, do you have to prove that the minor was going to smoke weed? Answer: Yes. In 2012, a principal at a middle school le...
A Call For Help – Helps with a Conviction!
Can a 911 call get around the Hearsay Rule? The answer is, “yes” when it is an excited utterance. In 2010, a mother fell asleep on her couch. Shortly before 3:00 a.m., she woke up when a man struc...