If you are accused of any crime in the state of Washington, you should understand precisely what criminal penalties you may be facing, and you should also know the difference between parole and probation. Many people in Washington may not realize that, in the strictest legal sense, there is no such thing as parole in [...]
In the state of Washington, if you are charged with driving under the influence, one way to keep the charge off your record may be a "deferred prosecution." With the help of a DUI attorney in Seattle, a deferred prosecution happens when the state agrees to withhold the prosecution of a DUI defendant in return [...]
When someone is arrested by a King County law enforcement officer who does not have an arrest warrant, that person has probably committed a crime that the officer observed directly. Most arrests for driving under the influence, for example, are made without arrest warrants. In many cases, however, if no officer observes a crime being [...]
The words we use when we speak about crimes are important, and especially when we speak about sex crimes. Everyone understands, for example, what the word "rape" means, but what exactly does the term "sexual assault" mean? The phrase actually has different legal definitions in different states. Similarly, everyone knows what it means to "solicit" [...]
If you are arrested for driving under the influence in the Seattle area, it could lead to a number of very negative personal consequences. If you are convicted, you will have a criminal record. You might lose your driver's license. Some people might lose their jobs. Auto insurance rates go up for everyone convicted of [...]
Substance abuse is still a major legal and societal problem in the United States. With the emergence of drugs like crack cocaine and Oxycontin over the last several decades, everyone now should know that drug abuse can be devastating. Lawmakers have expanded the drug possession and trafficking laws, which are now quite complicated. Drug crimes [...]
In the state of Washington, the criminal court system provides two ways that crime victims can obtain reimbursement for the damages they've suffered as the result of a crime. Victims may be reimbursed through the state's crime victim compensation statutes or by a judge's order to a convicted offender to pay restitution. Precisely what is [...]
Lawyers and lawmakers use different terms to describe different levels of criminality or criminal culpability. A person who is involved in a crime might be considered a principal, an accomplice, an accessory before or after the fact, an aider, an abettor, or a conspirator. It hinges on in what way and to what extent the [...]
"Fake news" is getting plenty of attention these days. There's a lot of it circulating out there, and in California, even the police are spreading some of it. Political groups blame opposing factions for creating fake news, distributing it through both mainstream and social media, and seeking to influence or change the votes and opinions [...]
From the insurance industry’s point of view, the state of Washington has long been a hotbed for auto thieves. Seattle and Spokane are routinely listed among the nation’s top ten cities for car thefts. In October, the police in Renton told KOMO News that more than 8,800 auto thefts have been reported in King County [...]
