If you have been charged with a misdemeanor offense in MA, you have the right to a clerk magistrate hearing prior to the issuance of a criminal complaint. At this hearing, the clerk magistrate will examine the facts of your case to determine if a criminal complaint should be issued,…
College students who commit crimes can be prosecuted just like anyone else. In fact, they are often subject to additional penalties by athletic departments or college administrators. As you know Massachusetts is loaded with a number of public and private colleges. Most schools have codes of conduct, especially in the…
Any type of Massachusetts warrant is a serious issue and needs dealt with immediately. However, not all warrants are the same. A bench warrant, for example, can be issued for something as simple as missing jury duty, whereas an arrest warrant is only issued in a criminal case. Arrest Warrants…
You’ve just discovered that you have an outstanding warrant in Massachusetts – what do you do? It may be a bench warrant, which is typically issued when you fail to pay a fine or miss a court date. Or maybe it’s an arrest warrant for something more serious, such as…
Well, kind of. If you opened your mail and found what you believe to be a criminal complaint, it is more likely a summons to appear in court for criminal allegations being made against you. The summons will either be for an arraignment or a clerk magistrate’s hearing. If it…
Massachusetts is cracking down on people who drive without auto insurance. The penalties are severe. But can you be arrested for driving without insurance? The short answer is, it depends. In the state of MA, individuals who are caught driving a motor vehicle without the required minimum coverage may face…
Larceny is the unlawful taking of another person’s property without their consent. For petty larceny of items valued at under $250, the offender will face a misdemeanor charge with up to one year in jail and fines of up to $300. Grand larceny, also known as grand theft, is a…
In my last two postings, we have been discussing the arrest of unfortunate gent who was pulled over, contraband was allegedly found in his car and he turned out to be someone other than he said he was. He was, by the way, someone with an outstanding warrant hanging over his…
Let’s continue with our story from last Thursday. It was the car stop about which we learned from the Salem News . Although there is more to say about the stop itself, let’s look at what happened after the stop. During the traffic stop, the detectives say that they observed wires, unusual…
Folks still try…but one very seldom outruns a default warrant for long. Edgardo Rivera-Alvarado (hereinafter, the “Defendant”), allegedly has just learned this lesson. According to law enforcement, the Defendant jumped bail seven years ago in a drug trafficking case. Now,41 years of age, he has been found to have been…