While they may be fun or seem harmless to the poster, some online pranks can harm other people. They can also use up valuable police resources until the police determine what is true and what is false. A few recent examples illustrate that youngsters, teenagers, and adults of all ages need to understand that social media, YouTube, and other internet pranks can lead to the filing of criminal charges in juvenile court and adult court. [...]

Did you know you can be arrested for a felony assault at any time here in Maryland, no matter when it occurred? The reason for this is because Maryland has no statute of limitations on felony grade assault crimes. But what is a statute of limitations? In the realm of criminal law, statutes of limitations place a time limit on when charges can be filed for a particular crime. However, it bears repeating, when it [...]

Not only Maryland, but all states should mandate recording of all interrogations. It is shocking, with the accessibility and ease of recording technology today, that such a serious legal matter as a criminal interrogation cannot be recorded for reference purposes; but this is the reality in the United States today. According to an October 2022 report, casecrackers.com notes that only 27 states (Washington D.C. included) have adopted statewide interrogation recording policies. While common sense would [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled on June 27, 2023, in a 7-2 decision, that statements that qualify as “true threats” are not protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution – unless the government can show that the defendant who made the statements had some understanding of the threatening nature of the threats. This means, in short, that there needs to be some subjective (personal) evidence of the threat’s potential for harm, as opposed [...]