Justin Bieber Imposter Gets 25+
Luxurious lifestyles, the roar of adoring fans, the glitz and the glamour, I’m sure at one point and time everyone has wondered what it would be like to have the life of a famous Pop Star. Daydreaming and wishful thinking are harmless, but once you pose as a Pop Star in order to benefit yourself, it’s no longer child’s play.
A 31 year old man, Christopher Gunn, of Montgomery, Alabama hijacked the Pop Star, Justin Bieber’s fame in order to receive explicit photographs of young girls. In return he promised free tickets and backstage passes to a Bieber concert.
Gunn, used chat rooms and other social media websites, such as Facebook, in order to contact hundreds of young girls ages ranging from nine to 16 and located throughout the United States. He also posed as a “new kid in town” and once he had gained the trust of these girls, he would share embarassing and personal information about them, if they did not provide him with nude photos.
On Thursday, the wannabe Justin Bieber plead guilty to child pornography and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck said Gunn’s plea included two counts of making child pornography, 15 counts of interstate extortion and seven counts of internet stalking. The FBI retained a search warrant and seized a laptop computer and cellular phone, both of which contained videos and images of child pornography.
Based on Christopher Gunn’s plea, he will be facing a minimum of 25 years in a federal prison and could be on supervised release for the remainder of his life. Police are working with the victims and their families and identifying new victims in several states.
If you are a victim of an internet crime or child endangerment, do not hesitate to seek the counsel of an experienced lawyer, everyone deserves to feel safe.
- Published in Criminal Law
Domestic Violence and Teen Dating
The Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV) defines domestic violence as physical, mental, sexual or emotional abuse in an intimate relationship. It occurs when one person uses abusive tactics to gain power and control over a partner or former partner.
First and foremost, if you are in a situation that you feel puts you or anyone else in danger, seek help immediately.
One of the most unrecognized instances of domestic violence occurs among dating teenagers. This happens for several reasons, but on top of the list is that young dating couples often don’t know what to expect of the dating experience or how to handle their emotions. It is important to set boundaries and expectations with kids from a young age, before they ever begin dating so they know what to look for and don’t become victims of violent dating scenarios.
Young men should be taught that treating their female partners with respect and kindness should be a character trait of masculinity. Often times young men believe that they should have the ability, or even the right, to “control” their partners in any way necessary. They also tend to believe that in order to be men, they should be physically aggressive rather than attentive and supportive of their girlfriends.
Young women should be taught that jealousy, possessiveness and physical abuse has no part to play in a healthy relationship. They need to know that abuse is not normal and that they have a trusted adult to come to in case such characteristics exist in their relationship. Often they quickly become afraid of leaving an abusive situation. These fears can lead them to not talk to a parent or guardian about abuse if not taught otherwise.
There are early warning signs in abusive situations. Teens need to be aware of what those warning signs are so they can avoid such relationships.
- Published in Divorce
Convicted Rapist Receives Additional Sentencing
Mark Anthony Beecham has a list of charges turned convictions that will keep him behind bars for 744 years.
Beecham appears nonchalant as he was led into the courtroom to hear the judge read the verdicts to him. The convictions are brutal and carry long sentences each. Beecham was ordered by Judge Kevin Moulton to serve 99 years each for the three sodomy convictions. He then added to that 99 years each on two different rape convictions and another 99 years on a kidnapping conviction. The lesser charges were 10 years for jumping bail and 20 years for theft. But these charges were just for one of the women he attacked in his extensive criminal career. That attack occurred in 2006.
He had already been sentenced to for another brutal attack of another Dothan woman in 2006, for which he received 100 years in prison. Upon sentencing, he was already serving a 20 year sentence for the kidnapping and rape of a Tallahassee college student in 2007.
One of the victims, according to Beecham, had traded drugs for sex. He says that he had supplied her with cocaine and that they had a history of consensual sex, including the day for which he was standing trial. Beecham testified that the woman owed him $175, but that she only had $100 to pay him offering to trade the other $75 for sex. The jury didn’t see it that way.
After long deliberations, the verdict was reached by jurors. Guilty on all charges. Beecham will return to Florida to finish serving his time for the Tallahassee conviction first.
- Published in Criminal Law
Dothan Woman Convicted of Child Endangerment
Charlene Sutherland claimed that her children love to read, and that they asked to be dropped off at Barnes and Noble while she ran other errands. District Judge Benjamin Lewis was not convinced.
Sutherland was found guilty on one of six counts of child endangerment for leaving her children alone at a Dothan book store. Sutherland was accused of leaving her 6-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son unattended at Barnes and Noble three days in a row, for several hours each time. But Sutherland argued that point, saying that it was “only an hour or so,” and that her 16-year-old son was there, too. Her 16-year-old, Nigel, testified in court that he was there the first two days with his siblings. All three were on summer break at the time.
On the third day, when he saw that the kids were alone again, store manager Steve Cagle called police to report the situation because he was concerned about the children. He did say, however, that the children were quiet, and that they didn’t cause any problems the three days they were in the store.
Sutherland’s defense attorney pointed out to the court that children are often dropped off by their parents at places like bowling allies, movie theatres, and amusement parks, but Assistant District Attorney Jarrod Blumberg argued that those businesses are meant to accommodate children.
Cases like this are complicated, and no two situations are alike. If you are facing criminal charges of any kind, it is important to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney early in the process. The right lawyer can make all the difference.
- Published in Criminal Law
Two Women Arrested for LSD Trafficking in Dothan
Drug arrests in Dothan aren’t front page news, but LSD trafficking arrests cause quite a stir.
Dothan Police Sgt. Jason Adkins, who heads the Dothan narcotics unit, said that the LSD trafficking arrests made on June 26 were a first for his department. He stated, “It’s very much out of the ordinary. That’s the first time we’ve ever charged anybody with trafficking in LSD. We’ve seen it before once or twice, but we’ve never had a trafficking amount.”
23-year old Kasondra Kay Strickland and 26-year-old Abby Gail Newton both face charges of trafficking LSD and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. According to the police report, the women are accused of trafficking 45.5 grams of the drug. The arrests took place at Newton’s home in Dothan. Officers also arrested another individual in the home, 41-year-old Leigh Dehannon Manning, for possession of LSD.
Adkins claims, “What they did in this case is put it in sugar cubes. We have dealt with [LSD] in the past, but it’s not as prevalent as crack, meth or marijuana.”
The state of Alabama prosecutes drug crimes aggressively, and the penalties are severe at the state and federal level. But it is important to know that a drug crime arrest does not always lead to a conviction. Whether the arrest was for simple possession, importation, or distribution, a qualified criminal defense attorney at your side can make all the difference. An experienced lawyer can work to have your charges reduced or possibly dropped altogether. Don’t face the risks of a drug crime conviction alone.
Read the original story here.
- Published in Criminal Law
Alabama Court Fee Increase
Effective June 21, 2012, Alabama court filing fees will increase for most case types.
According to the Administrative Office of Courts, the fee increase is necessary to prevent the already understaffed court system from being forced to layoff an additional 500 employees. Over the past few years, staffing levels have been reduced due to budget cuts, and many circuit clerks’ offices are now operating below 50 percent of the required staffing levels as called for by the National Center for State Courts. The legislative fiscal office believes the increased fees will bring in nearly $9 million for the rest of the fiscal year.
The only cases that will not see a filing fee increase are child support cases and juvenile cases. Under the new law, docket fees will increase by $45 for circuit and district civil cases. Criminal cases, excluding juvenile cases, will see a filing fee increase of $40. For small claim court cases, the fee will increase by $15. Traffic cases, with the exception of parking tickets, will go up by $26. Bail bonds will increase by $35 on each bond paid. Also, if convicted, the defendant must pay an additional bail bond fee of 3.5 percent of the face value of the bail bond. All fee increases are effective June 21, except the 3.5 percent bail bond fee, which will become effective on August 1.
The last court fee increase took place in 2004, but the money generated did not go back into the court system. In contrast, a portion of the funds generated as a result of the new fee increase will feed back into the operation of the court system. These new fees will be in effect until at least August 30, 2015.
- Published in Alabama Law
Southern States Divorce Rates
It would appear that states in the South, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, have higher divorce rates than their Northeastern counterparts. That’s what is reported by the United States Census.
Is it really a demographic statistic or is it something more than just the location of the married couples? Do couples in the Northeast happen to find wedded bliss more frequently than couples in the South?
As it turns out, the only demographic role that’s played here is simply that there are more couples marrying in the southern portion of the country. That would naturally make it seem as though there are more divorces, but the comparison is really apples to oranges if we’re looking at numbers alone.
“Divorce rates tend to be higher in the South because marriage rates are also higher in the South,” said Diana Elliott, a family demographer at the Census Bureau. “In contrast, in the Northeast, first marriages tend to be delayed and the marriage rates are lower, meaning there are also fewer divorces.”
The numbers don’t seem to change upon examination of economic status, although divorce rates seem to be slightly higher among women than men. Along with higher divorce rates among women, it is also reported that women find themselves falling below the poverty line before divorced men to. Nationally, the rates of marriage were higher for men than for women. That seems opposite of the “more marriages, more divorces” rationale.
Widowhood also occurs differently among men and women. For example, in the last 12 month there were 3.5 instances of widowhood for men and 7.8 for women, per every 1,000 people.
It seems that divorce rates don’t have as much to do with demographic location as it does with gender.
- Published in Divorce
Houston County Teacher Arrested on Meth Charges
A 10th-grade science teacher at Ashford High School has been arrested by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department on drug charges.
32-year-old Jason Allen Andrews was arrested on May 29 after being stopped by officers. Upon searching his home, deputies found methamphetamine, prescription medication, precursor chemicals, and moonshine. Andrews was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, one count of unlawful possession of precursor chemicals, and one count of possession of moonshine. Andrews’ traffic stop was part of an investigation being conducted by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
According to Houston County School Superintendent Tim Pitchford, there is no evidence that Andrews was dealing drugs or alcohol at Ashford High. He claims that Andrews passed a recent random drug test he was given as part of his coaching duties. Police agree with Pitchford, stating that they do not believe Andrews sold drugs at school.
For individuals facing drug charges, the future can look bleak. Prosecutors and law enforcement officials will be aggressive, and the penalties for a drug crime conviction are harsh. If convicted of a drug crime, a person faces catastrophic economic damage and years behind bars, among other things. But it is important to know that being arrested for a drug crime does not mean conviction is imminent. An experienced criminal defense attorney can fight to have your charges reduced, get a plea bargain, or have your charges dropped altogether. With your freedom at stake, it is vital to seek the counsel of an aggressive lawyer who can support you and fight for your rights.
To read the original article, click here.
- Published in Criminal Law
Shooting in Tuscaloosa
A gunman opened fire in a crowded bar early Tuesday, sending bullets flying into crowds of people, glass shards and chunks of brick fell all around the bar, at least 17 were injured.
Police think that the gunman fired through the glass of the double French doors at the front of the building and from a door on the side of the building. Witnesses said it sounded like automatic gunfire and thought the shooting would never end, they said there would be a pause and then it would start again.
Before he went on a shooting spree at the bar Nathan Van Wilkins wounded his first victim at the house he lives in with three other roommates. Brian Felton said he heard gunshots and found one of his roommates with a gunshot wound. The wounded roommate, who is white, and said Wilkins was looking for their black roommate, and when he found out the black roommate wasn’t there Wilkins made a racial slur and shot the roommate that answered the door.
Nathan Van Wilkins, 44, surrendered after the 2nd shooting. Police say that they aren’t sure what his motives were but say there were signs that his life was unraveling. He was divorced in 2005 from his wife of 16 years and last year a credit union tried to garnish his wages to collect a debt of more than $15,000 but couldn’t because he had declared bankruptcy. Wilkins also talked about being high on drugs during the shootings.
Wilkins is also suspected of setting 3 fires to equipment at his former place of employment, an oil and gas company. Around 3 a.m Tuesday, a volunteer fire chief received a call stating that there were fires at two Capstone Oilfield locations in Brookwood. A Capstone car was also set on fire in Northport.
Wilkins is being charged with 18 counts attempted murder and is being held on a $2 million bond. It is unknown if Wilkins has an attorney.
- Published in Criminal Law
Second Birmingham Police Officer Jailed in Arson Investigation
Police officers take risks and suffer inconveniences to protect the lives, defend civil liberties, and secure the safety of fellow citizens, which, thus, makes police work one of the more noble and selfless occupations in society. A Law Enforcement Oath of Honor is taken by each police officer, which is a public affirmation that the officer will adhere to ethical standards. Unfortunately, two police officers in Alabama were definitely not adhering to ethical standards when they allegedly burned homes in the west Birmingham area.
Last month, Curtis Jeffrey Thornton, 27, was charged in at least 12 arson fires at unoccupied homes in western Birmingham, and on Thursday, a second officer is also being charged in connection with the same fires. Thornton is charged with two counts of second-degree arson, one count of attempted second-degree arson and one count of criminal mischief in connection with fires in the town of Warrior. To date, Thornton has only been charged in one Birmingham fire, which was the last in a string of 14 blazes dating back to around May 9 of this year. The last fired was started on May 20.
Birmingham Police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams, Jr., said that a second West Precinct officer is being held in the city jail on a 48-hour extension. The officer was taken into custody early today during his shift, but his name is not being released pending formal charges. The officer is thirty-five years old and has been a member of the police force since August 2009. The police have said the two officers were in the same rookie class.
- Published in Criminal Law