On the evening of February 2, 2016, Indiana Police State Trooper James Manning (“Trooper Manning”) was parked on the northbound shoulder of I-69, near Petersburg, Indiana. A motorist pulled over and informed Trooper Manning that he observed a blue Chevy Tahoe driving northbound on the southbound lanes of the interstate. Trooper Manning activated his patrol vehicle’s emergency signals—the lights ... More...   $0 (07-08-2018 - IN)

Los Angeles, CA - South L.A. Man Pleads Guilty to Making Online Threats to Kill L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Personnel at the Inglewood Courthouse

A South Los Angeles man who made a series of online threats to kill law enforcement personnel and others at the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Inglewood Courthouse, a nearby school, and a private business pled guilty on July 2, 2018 to a fed... More...   $0 (07-03-2018 - CA)

On the night of October 9, 2015, Fagan and her then-boyfriend Kalib Hall
Watts attended a basketball game and then went to Tiki Bob’s Cantina in
downtown Indianapolis. Shortly after midnight, on October 10, 2015, Fagan
and Hall-Watts were forcibly escorted from Tiki Bob’s by security. The security
manager, Lawrence Crutcher, helped escort the couple out of the bar.
[3] In... More...   $0 (07-01-2018 - IN)

In this appeal from his conviction and sentence for second degree murder, appellant, Hiram Gonzalez Morales, contends that the court erred in denying his “Stand Your Ground” defense, as well as erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal at his trial. After reviewing the evidence, we conclude that the court did not err in either respect. We therefore affirm the judgment and sentence. <... More...   $0 (06-28-2018 - FL)

Late in the evening of August 20, 2016, Prouse picked up Ashley McMickle
from her friend Shawn Roberts’s house and drove her to McDonald’s. They
returned about thirty minutes later and hung out with Roberts for a bit. Prouse
and McMickle then left in Prouse’s truck.
[4] Prouse and McMickle turned up at Leona and James Crowley’s home
sometime after midnight, purportedly w... More...   $0 (06-26-2018 - IN)

Golden, CO - The State of Colorado charged Andrea Moreno with attempted murder for attempting to kill her husband by setting fire to the car in which she was sleeping. She was also charged with fourt-degree arson, child abuse and violating a protective order. ... More...   $0 (06-26-2018 - CO)

A fire set in a home north of Ottumwa resulted in the death of two occupants.
An investigation turned up no solid leads until a decade later. At that time, the
State charged Christopher Yenger with two counts of first-degree murder. A jury
found him guilty as charged. On appeal, Yenger contends (1) the State presented
insufficient evidence to corroborate accomplice testimon... More...   $0 (06-25-2018 - IA)

At trial, the witnesses presented varying and sometimes conflicting versions of the context that led to this prosecution. We have pared down the factual background to what we deem important for resolution of the issues.

Around 2007, Barlett and Chad Ford formed a rap group called Wicked Wayz. Unable to agree on finances, Barlett and Ford ended their venture in 2010 or 2011. Barlett cont... More...   $0 (06-22-2018 - KS)

Ramos’s status as a career offender is dictated by his criminal record, which includes several prior felony convictions. First, in July 1998, Ramos “threw a brick at the nose of a 10-year-old child,” who then required medical treatment at a local hospital.1 As a result, Ramos pled guilty to aggravated assault in the Philadelphia County Common Pleas Court.2 Second, in October 1999, Ramos was app... More...   $0 (06-21-2018 - PA)

Hans Edling pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession
of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Under the
United States Sentencing Guidelines, the base offense level
for that offense varies depending on whether the defendant
has one or more prior felony convictions for a “crime of
violence.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a). The district court
determined that Edling had t... More...   $0 (06-19-2018 - NV)

Defendant-Appellant Latroy Leon Burris pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), which provides for an increased sentence if the defendant has been convicted of three prior violent felonies. Burris contends that he was not eligible for the increase because his prior Texas conviction for robbery was not a violent felony.... More...   $0 (06-18-2018 - TX)

The facts supporting Petry’s convictions, as set forth more fully by this court on
direct appeal, are that Petry sexually molested his teenage daughter more than
twenty times over the course of two years. Petry v. State, No. 63A01-1306-CR
279, 2014 WL 729901, slip. op. at *1 (Ind. Ct. App. Feb. 25, 2014), trans. denied.
Among other things, he touched his penis to her vagina, us... More...   $0 (06-18-2018 - IN)

The government appeals the District Court’s determination at sentencing that Juan Ramos is not a “career offender” under Section 4B1.1 of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. That determination was based on the conclusion that Ramos’s prior state court conviction for aggravated assault is not a predicate “crime of violence,” as that term is defined in the Guidelines. We disagree with that conclusion. A... More...   $0 (06-15-2018 - PA)

East St. Louis, IL - East St. Louis Woman Sentenced to Prison for Arson

Lori M. Jones, 50, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced on June 15, 2018 for one count of Arson. The Honorable Michael J. Reagan sentenced Jones to 60 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, along with a $100 special assessment. Judge Reagan also ordered Jones to pay restitution in the ... More...   $0 (06-15-2018 - IL)

Hans Edling pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession
of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Under the
United States Sentencing Guidelines, the base offense level
for that offense varies depending on whether the defendant
has one or more prior felony convictions for a “crime of
violence.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a). The district court
determined that Edling had t... More...   $0 (06-09-2018 - NV)

Following a bench trial, the district court found Vasquez guilty of the premeditated
murder of Amber Lechuga. Lechuga and Vasquez shared an apartment in Springfield.
They had been romantically involved and have two children together. The State’s theory
was that Vasquez murdered Lechuga because their relationship had deteriorated, and she
was seeing other men. The State cont... More...   $0 (06-08-2018 - MN)

On March 29, 2010, in the late evening, Defendant, Aaron Orlando
Richards, and co-defendant, Marcus Feast, followed Timothy Falgout to a home
where he was delivering a pizza. Defendant stabbed the victim five times during
the course of a robbery. The victim died as a result of the stab wounds.
On October 27, 2010, Defendant was indicted for the first degree murder of
T... More...   $0 (06-07-2018 - LA)

Appellant was indicted for aggravated assault against a family member with a deadly
weapon, a knife, enhanced by two prior offenses, one assault causing bodily injury family violence
enhanced and one arson. The State subsequently moved to strike the indictment’s second
enhancement paragraph related to the arson, and appellant entered an open plea to aggravated
assault with a d... More...   $0 (06-06-2018 - TX)

The government appeals from an October 6, 2016 judgment of
the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
(Gregory H. Woods, Judge) convicting defendant‐appellee Juan
Castillo, following his plea of guilty, of being a felon in possession of
a firearm and ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and
sentencing him principally to 19 months’... More...   $0 (06-04-2018 - NY)

Wichita, KS - Federal Charges Filed In Deadly Wichita Swatting Case

A federal indictment unsealed here today charges three men in a “swatting” incident where false reports to police and emergency services set off a chain of events that led to a Wichita man being shot and killed, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

The indictment alleges the defendants are responsible for hoax ... More...   $0 (05-25-2018 - KS)

Appellant Remigio A. Martinez III was charged with the offense of arson of a habitation,
and the State sought a finding of habitual offender and an affirmative finding of deadly weapon.
Martinez pled nolo contendere to the offense as charged. The trial court sentenced Martinez to
confinement for thirty-five years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal More...   $0 (05-16-2018 - )

Appellant Samson Moses Billiot appeals from his conviction for arson of a
habitation and forty-year sentence. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 28.02(a)(2),
(d)(2) (West 2011). Billiot argues that the trial court erred by denying him the
right to represent himself and that the evidence was insufficient to show he
started the fire by igniting a flammable or combustible liquid. Becau... More...   $0 (05-15-2018 - TX)

Zukevich was charged with the second-degree felony offense of arson by starting a fire
with the intent to damage or destroy a building. At trial, the jury heard testimony from Deputy
Alex Monroe of the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Monroe testified he was dispatched one
evening to respond to an arson in progress. According to the dispatch, a local R.V. repair shop,
ow... More...   $0 (05-02-2018 - TX)

Following a fourteen-day jury
trial, Daniel E. Saad was convicted of arson, wire fraud, and the
use of fire in furtherance of a federal felony. Saad, who
testified, appeals from these convictions, which stem from a
November 30, 2014 fire that gutted Snow's Clam Box, a restaurant
he owned in Glocester, Rhode Island. He was sentenced to fifteen
years in prison.
Saad's pri... More...   $0 (05-02-2018 - RI)