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50 Founders Plaza
East Hartford, CT 06108
50 Founders Plaza
East Hartford, CT 06108
Sex crimes are some of the most serious and harshly punished crimes there are. Even just being accused of a sex crime can have a negative and long-lasting impact on your life. The state of Connecticut does not take kindly to those who are convicted of being a sex offender, and consequences can be even more severe for those who are convicted of a sex offense involving a minor child. If you are convicted of a sex crime in Connecticut, you could a face long prison sentence, extremely expensive fines, and the requirement to register as a sex offender.
In Connecticut, sex offenses are broken down into degrees. Though all sex offenses are extremely serious, first-degree sexual assault is the most harshly punished, and fourth-degree sexual assault is one of the lesser offenses. When it comes to sexual offenses involving victims who are minors, the same laws apply as if the victim was an adult, but the charges automatically become much more serious, and the consequences become more harsh.
Most Americans rely on motor vehicles to go about their daily lives. According to the Pew Research Center, around 88 percent of American households have at least one car. While cars are one of the best inventions in modern history, they also bring with them certain dangers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that there were more than 7.2 million police-reported traffic accidents in 2016 alone.
After a car accident, you will typically want to file a claim with the insurance company of the driver who was at fault, and it may be necessary to pursue a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries. Sometimes, liability is not always immediately obvious, and it is important to gather evidence that will demonstrate who was at fault for the accident. A skilled personal injury can help obtain the necessary evidence, including:
One of the most notorious and discussed news stories about sexual violence on a college campus in recent years is that of Brock Turner, a Stanford University student who was charged with sexual assault in 2016. Though Turner was convicted, he only ended up receiving a sentence of six months in jail, and he only actually served three of those months. This case sparked a great deal of conversation about how sexual assault charges are handled and the potential punishments that college students and others may face in these situations.
There are several different degrees of sexual assault that a person can be charged with in Connecticut, and they all carry different consequences. Sexual assault charges in Connecticut are as follows:
In 2012, Connecticut saw one of the worst school shootings in history. Twenty first-grade children and six adults were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Since then, there has been a massive overhaul in gun laws in the state of Connecticut, making them more strict than ever. Disobeying gun laws can mean years in prison and hefty fines, which is why it is crucial for anyone facing weapons charges to work with a skilled criminal defense lawyer.
Connecticut law recognizes four types of firearms. The categories of firearms are as follows:
The trucking industry in the United States is alive and well. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), there were 33.8 million trucks registered in the U.S. and used for business purposes in 2015. Trucks were responsible for moving 71% of America’s freight by weight and generated nearly $739 billion in gross revenues in 2016. Though it is safe to say that trucks are an integral part of the country’s economic system, they can be quite dangerous, especially if they are involved in a motor vehicle collision, which is not uncommon. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were an estimated 119,000 injury crashes and 4,213 fatal crashes involving trucks in 2016.
The FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a study in 2007 to try to pinpoint certain causes of semi-truck crashes. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study looked at a multitude of different truck crashes over a span of multiple years and determined what they believe to be some of the top causes of truck crashes. According to the study, driver fatigue was estimated to cause around 13 percent of all large truck crashes.
The United States has a long and complicated history with cannabis. Back in colonial times, hemp - which is a non-intoxicating strain of the cannabis plant - was a very important crop for early settlers. Virginia even passed a law in 1619 requiring every farm in the colony to grow hemp. By 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was passed and effectively banned the sale and use of marijuana, though the act was replaced by the Controlled Substances Act in the 1970s.
Now that 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states have legalized medical marijuana, the prevalence of marijuana-related DUI is of concern to lawmakers across the country. In the state of Connecticut, medical marijuana is legal, but recreational marijuana is not legal - yet.
Sex crimes are some of the most serious offenses a person can be charged with. When sex crimes involve children, the situation becomes even more serious, and the penalties can be severe. An arrest, or even an accusation, for crimes related to the possession or distribution of child pornography can follow you for your entire life. If convicted of child pornography charges, you will be required to register as a sex offender in the state of Connecticut, which can make your life even more difficult.
Those who have been accused of crimes related to child pornography will likely be worried about how their life will be affected. Unfortunately, these types of charges can result from seemingly innocuous activities or because of the actions of another person, and an alleged offender will likely wonder how their career, personal relationships, and criminal record will be affected. If you are facing child pornography charges, it is imperative that you hire a skilled criminal defense attorney.
Murder is one of the oldest and most serious crimes in civilized society. The killing of one human being by another is taken very seriously and can come with extremely severe punishments. Many states divide murder charges into first, second, and third degree murder, but Connecticut is slightly different. Rather than dividing murder charges into degrees, Connecticut determines the seriousness of the murder charge based on a variety of factors, such as the people involved in the crime, whether or not the murder occurred at the same time a felony was committed, the type of felony that was committed, and other circumstances.
According to the Connecticut Penal Code, murder is defined as causing the death of another person when the offender has the intent to cause death. A murder charge becomes a murder with special circumstances when the offender:
Being charged with a drug crime is a serious matter. Those who commit these offenses are not only breaking state laws, but they are likely violating federal laws as well. This means an offender can be prosecuted at the federal level with sentencing that is more strict than state sentencing.
A person can be charged with both state and federal drug charges for the same crime, which may seem unfair at first, but ultimately makes sense. When multiple jurisdictions are involved in a crime, double jeopardy does not apply. The idea of “dual sovereignty” gives both states and the federal government the ability to prosecute an offender for the same crime. However, there are a few differences between federal and state drug charges, and it is important to understand them.
In case we were not convinced, the last few days has proven that winter has officially arrived in New England. As you probably realize, sub-freezing temperatures, along with the ice and snow that typically accompany them, can present a variety of dangers. Icy roads make car accidents more likely, and snow-covered walkways can lead to serious slip-and-fall injuries. Sometimes, snow can contribute to an accident by hiding other hazards, such broken sidewalk slabs or black ice. Such was allegedly the case for a former Vernon resident who recently settled an injury claim against the apartment complex where he once lived.
According to court records, the incident took place in January 2015 after a snowfall. A 41-year-old man fell on the walkway of his apartment complex on West Main Street in Vernon. The man claimed that the walkway was cracked and uneven, but that snow and ice covered up the walkway’s poor condition. He reportedly suffered injuries to his left leg, knee, and hip, and surgery was required to put hardware in his leg.
50 Founders Plaza
