Criminal Lawyers in San Antonio

By: Dr Michael Eades

October 2008

Criminal Lawyers in San Antonio : I’m putting this post up today and leaving it throughout the weekend because I believe it is so important that everyone watch the videos at the bottom.

These long must-watch videos are in two parts: the first part is by a defense attorney discussing the unbelievable complexity of the law, especially federal law, and the difficulty of simply going through life without knowingly or unknowingly breaking some kind of law.  And he discusses the dangers of talking to the police without a lawyer present.  The second part is a talk by a police detective confirming everything the attorney says and, fascinatingly, discussing his own tricks, learned in over 25 years of police work, to get people to talk to him and even to confess to crimes.

I’ll probably alienate any readers who are involved in law enforcement, which isn’t my intention.  I’m sure that if any law enforcement officials were suddenly under investigation, they wouldn’t say a word without their lawyer present.  The rest of us need these same protections.

I’m not presenting these videos for any criminals who may be reading, but for the average citizen who happens to get crosswise with the police.  Every single police officer I know (and I know a half dozen or so) are hard working, dedicated, responsible, and even kind-hearted folks, but they can make mistakes.  I make mistakes, so I figure they can too.  The officer speaking on the last part of this video says that he doesn’t really interrogate people that he doesn’t think are already guilty.  So, you are basically assumed guilty if you’re under investigation for whatever.  And if the officer is mistaken, you can be in real trouble.  You can’t talk your way out of it; you can only make it worse.  When you watch these videos, you’ll see what I mean.

Martha Stewart spent six months in a federal prison not because she did anything wrong during her alleged insider trading, but because she lied to a federal official.  And it’s easy to lie unintentionally.  Let me give you an example.

When MD and I lived in Little Rock after we had gone into practice, we lived in two different houses.  In the first house, I played a practical joke on her brother out on the front porch that we’ve all laughed about for years.  The joke involved a wallet MD’s dad had left at our house that her brother was coming by to pickup to take back to her father. (The joke involved inside family information and wouldn’t make sense if I described it.  But it was hilarious – to me anyway.  I’m sure her brother may not have felt the same way about it.  Come to think of it, he never came around much after that.)  MD’s father died a couple of years later, and a year or two after that, MD and I moved into the house we lived in for the last 15 years we were in Little Rock.  Not long ago, MD was telling someone visiting from Little Rock about this joke.  As I listened, it dawned on me that MD was telling this story as if it had happened at the last house we lived in.  Later I asked her about where she thought we lived when this happened.  She said ‘on Riverview Point’ (the last house, #2 Riverview Point).  I told her that it had happened in the previous house.  She told me that I was crazy and that I should know better by now than to question her memory.  (She’s right.  She has a unbelievably phenomenal memory.  Probably the best I’ve ever been around.  Whenever I question it, I am almost invariably wrong.  So I seldom question it any longer.)  She said she remembered her brother coming to the door, the joke, and us laughing about it in the Riverview Point kitchen.  I then told her that it couldn’t have happened in the Riverview Point house because her dad had died before we ever moved there.  After a long pause, she said, I know you have to be right, but I remember so clearly that all happening on Riverview Point.

The above story is a benign example of the kind of misremembering that we all have done.  But what if MD were being questioned by the police about the incident and she swore it happened on Riverview Point?  When she would be found to be wrong, it would look like she were intentionally lying.  And if she did so to a federal investigator, she could go to prison.  Remembering incorrectly and lying are two different things, but it’s easy for law enforcement officials trying to make a case to believe that a flaw of memory is an intentional lie. Especially if spoken with authority.

The tragic Jon Benet Ramsey murder took place right after MD and I had moved to Boulder, CO, so we were keenly aware of all that went on with that. Living in Boulder, you couldn’t avoid it. I’ve driven a hundred guests by the Ramsey house, which, by the way, isn’t a mansion as was reported by virtually all the national media, as in ‘the Ramsey mansion.’  It’s smaller than our house, which certainly isn’t a mansion.  The Ramsey house is an upper middle-class house in an upper middle-class neighborhood that sits cheek by jowl with all the other such houses on the street.  There isn’t 30 feet between adjacent houses on the Ramsey’s street, which is certainly not the case for mansions, at least not as I think of mansions.

As I’m sure everyone remembers from the constant media exposure, the Ramsey family wouldn’t speak to the police without their attorney present.  Everyone (including yours truly) figured that one of the Ramsey’s (probably the son) had committed the murder, and that the Ramsey’s were protecting the guilty family member.  Why else wouldn’t they speak with the police?  They were smart.  They did just what the lawyer in this video recommends for all the reasons he recommends.  And it saved their bacon.  I believe that the Boulder police believed that one of the Ramsey’s were guilty, and the Boulder police were under huge pressure to solve the crime.  But the police could never get any traction in the case because of the Ramsey’s attorney.  Had the Ramsey’s spoken freely with the police, one of them may well have been charged with the crime simply because of a slip of the tongue.  A misremembrance that the police categorized as a lie.  As it turns out, DNA evidence has recently exculpated the Ramseys.  But at the time, they were in peril because public opinion had it that one of them was guilty.  And I’m sure the police were predisposed to charge them.

Most clever career criminals know to never speak to the police without an attorney.  The stupid criminals don’t make it long as criminals before they’re locked up.  It’s the non-criminals, the category into which I hope most readers of this blog fall, who need the protections these videos describe.  Don’t think your smart enough or clever enough to intellectually steamroll over an investigator.  They are very, very good at what they do.  It’s their world, and you are totally a fish out of water in that world.

Watch and learn.  I hope you never need the lessons from these videos, but if you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to watch.  Plus, it’s entertaining.  Both speakers are excellent in completely different ways.

In Part I of the 2 video series, Mr. James Duane, a professor at Regent Law School and a former defense attorney, tells you why you should never agree to be interviewed by the police.

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/tutorials/never-talk-to-the-police-without-an-attorney/#

Criminal Defense Lawyers in San Antonio

Criminal Defense Lawyers in San Antonio and DWI: Getting a DWI in San Antonio, Texas carries severe penalties and with new Texas laws, your rights as a DWI suspect have decreased.  If you have been charged with a DWI you should immediately consult an experienced Criminal Lawyer in San Antonio.

Prior to September 2009, a police officer could not forcibly get breath or blood sample from a suspect without first obtaining a warrant. However, that changed when MADD successfully helped to get a new law passed that gives law enforcement officials much broader power in obtaining breath and blood samples.

This new law is not all encompassing and certain conditions must be met before a police officer can act without a warrant.  You are not in the position to determine if the law was correctly applied and need the advice of a criminal lawyer that is experienced with DWIs in San Antonio. Test results might be inaccurate if a sample was not correctly obtained or stored. This and other important issues need to be examined on your behalf by a Criminal Lawyer.

A DWI conviction can to the loss or restriction of your driving privileges, increased insurance rates and possibly even imprisonment. Only you can assure that your defense is adequate by contacting a San Antonio Criminal lawyer.

San Antonio Criminal Lawyer

San Antonio Criminal Lawyer: San Antonio, like most cities, has its share of Lawyers. Not all of the lawyers in San Antonio are Criminal Lawyers. There are many reasons for consulting an attorney. Your issue may be civil and not involve the Criminal System at all. In this case you do not need a San Antonio Criminal Lawyer.

If however, you have or are, going to be charged with a Criminal offense, you must have a Lawyer in San Antonio that specialized in Criminal Law.  San Antonio Criminal Lawyers are experts in the criminal codes of both your local city and county codes as well as the laws of the State of Texas.  A  San Antonio Criminal Lawyer will also be familiar with the prosecutors and judges that work with San Antonio’s Criminal cases. This is a very important distinction in San Antonio Criminal Lawyers as opposed to a lawyer in San Antonio that practices general law.

Getting the right defense when you are facing the Criminal Justice system is paramount. The outcome of your case as well as the quality of your future depends on calling a San Antonio Criminal Lawyer immediately.

San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyer

San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyer: For some reason, the general public in San Antonio and all over the US, seem to think that if you have been charged with a crime that you believe you are not guilty of, you do not need a Criminal Lawyer. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, The Criminal Lawyers are there to defend all of San Antonio’s citizens. Criminal complaints can arise in a number of ways. A police officer may witness what he/she believes to be a crime. A complaint may come from another person in San Antonio or the potential charge may be the result of an ongoing investigation.  Innocence or guilt must not be the determining factor when calling on the assistance of a San Antonio Criminal Lawyer.

If you have been charged with a crime or believe that you are about to be charged, you should call a San Antonio Criminal Lawyer immediately. The expertise of a San Antonio Criminal lawyer is very specific and vital to the outcome of your case. The sooner you get your Criminal Lawyer on your side and mounting your defense, the better off you will be.  Remember, laws can be very complicated. Even if there is a possibility of guilt, it may be that your charge is incorrect and can be reduced or done away with altogether. Without a San Antonio Criminal Lawyer, you will most certainly be in a very weak position with an issue that can affect the rest of your life.