Criminal Charges

If you are charged with drug possession, the government has the burden of proving you were in possession of drugs beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant does not have to prove he/she was not in possession of the illegal drugs. Anyone charged with possession of illegal narcotics has the right to hold the government to…

The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides rights for those accused of a crime. These rights include the right of the accused “to be confronted with the witnesses against him…” This part of the Amendment is known at the “confrontation” clause. It generally means that someone accused of a crime can cross-examine any of…

Frequently, when an individual is charged with a crime, he or she files a Motion to Suppress and asks for a suppression hearing. The purpose is to ask the court to rule that particular evidence cannot be used in determining an individual’s guilt or innocence. When evidence is suppressed, the prosecutor may not use the…

Identity theft is happening far too often. Criminals have taken aim at the vulnerable and inexperienced.  In 2014, 1.3 million identity theft cases involved people under the age of 16, but there are protective steps youth and parents can take to avoid or minimize on-line harm. If you or your child is the victim of…

It is no secret that our country is in the grip of an opioid epidemic. Stories about opioid-related overdoses are all over the news. In Tennessee, however, we are facing another battle – one against the use, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of methamphetamines. WKRN discussed this in a recent article, calling it the “madness of…

Many people do not understand what “criminal defense” means or involves. They see lawyers portrayed in movies or TV and believe that every trial is “all or nothing:” the accused is either guilty or innocent of the charges. However, in this area of law, the outcome often depends upon what facts can be shown, and…

There are two main categories of assault charges in Tennessee: simple assault and aggravated assault. A person who is convicted of either charge may be subject to time in jail or prison, as well as hundreds or thousands of dollars in fines, depending on the specific charges. For example, you could be charged with: Aggravated…

Immigration laws and policies have been in the news quite a bit over the last few weeks. The new Administration has been very vocal about deportation (removal), so we want to discuss a particular issue that non-citizens may face: using fraudulent documentation in order to get work here in the U.S. Back in 2009, the…