Felonies

If you are arrested with a small amount of drugs for personal use in California, you will likely face simple possession charges. However, if you had the drugs with the intent of selling them, you risk a much more serious charge - possession for sale. The police do not...

In comparison with many other states, California has relatively lax knife laws. For instance, switchblades are not illegal to carry here as long as the blade is less than two inches long. But that does not mean you can’t still run afoul of the law for carrying a...

Areas of Southern California with high-end stores have seen a significant increase in organized and brazen thefts carried out by groups of people in recent years. Whether it’s in Beverly Hills or the upscale shopping areas of Newport Beach or other cities, retailers...

When police officers arrest you and then prosecutors arraign you on allegations of a criminal offense, you need to plan a defense if you want to be those charges in court. Prosecutors generally do not pursue cases without adequate evidence, so they likely have some...

The success of a prosecutor's career depends largely on their conviction rate. They need to secure election and then re-election, which can be difficult to do without having data to confirm their job performance. The more times a prosecutor brings charges and then...

While it is common in California to see everyone from the CEO to the employees wearing jeans and a hoodie, even Mark Zuckerberg wears a suit when he goes to court. No rule dictates that you must dress or wear your hair a certain way when going to court. Yet the...

If you have lived in California for a time, you know our state suffers from many out-of-control fires. Frequent drought conditions, soaring temperatures and dry plant life combine to make wildfires particularly destructive. All states take a harsh stance against arson...

Many people think of kidnapping as an elaborately planned and executed crime, involving taking someone by force or at gunpoint, hiding them and then demanding money from loved ones. Movie franchises and countless episodes of TV shows have been devoted to it. The crime...

Being accused of committing a crime is a big deal. If you have been accused of a crime, it is important that you take appropriate steps to defend yourself and have your charges either reduced or dismissed.  However, while figuring out your options, it is crucial that...

Murder is, of course, a felony charge on its own. However, when someone is charged with a “felony murder,” it can be very different than what people generally think of as a murder charge. Typically, a murder charge requires intent. A person has to plan out, to some...