Roseville, CA Criminal Defense Law Blog

Roseville, California, residents may be familiar with the recent trial of a 27-year-old man who is being charged with child molestation. The trial was in Sacramento, California, and ended in a mistrial. The 27-year-old defendant was facing 21 charges related to his alleged molestation of five children. He has been in custody since his arrest in January 2010.

The declaration of a mistrial means that the defendant is likely to have to face a completely new second trial with a new jury panel. Many of our Roseville readers may think this sounds like a violation of the double jeopardy standard, but a mistrial is different. A mistrial means that the case is still open, that a final judgment of any kind has not yet been rendered, and that the prosecution is still free to bring the defendant to trial again. Of course, the prosecution is also allowed to dismiss the case in the event of a mistrial, but that does not seem to be the likely outcome in this particular case.

California lawmakers have begun the legislative process of reducing penalties for drug possession within the state. Senate Bill 1506, introduced by Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco, California, would make the possession of heroin, meth and coke a misdemeanor rather than a felony, as it is now. Although the measure passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a 4-2 vote, it still needs to pass the full Senate and Assembly before becoming law.

The measure has garnered support from unexpected sources, including San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. His position sums up the position of most in favor of the bill: making drug possession a felony simply means long prison sentences and no rehabilitation.

A recent California curfew sweep resulted in the arrest of 16 juveniles. This would have included a 14-year old girl who was considered intoxicated, another juvenile in possession of marijuana, and a third for allegedly interfering with a peace officer. Motivation for the sweep stemmed from a fatal car accident earlier in the week involving area teenagers and the demand for stronger enforcement of curfew violations.

What is remarkable is that so many drug possession charges come about during such stings and so many individuals arrested are juveniles with no criminal past. Many of these juveniles are arrested for possession of small amounts of marijuana that were only for personal use or having too much to drink.

Crime doesn't pay, but for some criminals, the internet has proven to be a lucrative way to scam individuals out of their money. With information available at your fingertips, it's easy to see how those looking for ways to cheat others out of money, find the internet full of opportunities. What criminals don't count on, is that more people are becoming aware of these internet crimes and will usually be wary of the "too good to be true" scams.

Identity theft is a fast growing crime and according to the Federal Trade Commission, 18 to 29-year-olds account for almost 30 percent of all identity theft complaints. An identity theft is classified as when someone uses your personal identification information, like your Social Security number or credit card number without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. Scams refer to bogus internet auctions, to the infamous Nigerian advance fee fraud schemes and seem to focus in on the elderly or those who are easily swayed.