May 2010 Archives

It's not just young teenagers that are arrested for vandalism. John Scott's case shows law enforcers that elderly people can be vandals too.

The Los Angeles Times reports that 74-year-old John Scott's no contest plea officially makes him the oldest man to be convicted of misdemeanor vandalism in Los Angeles County. The man placed orange and black bumper stickers that read "Who is John Scott?" on city buses. The stickers led people to the website WhoIsJohnScott.com, which gave a mini biography of the man behind the stickers.

In current Suge Knight news, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrested founder of Death Row Records in Gardena for alleged assault with a deadly weapon. The Los Angeles Times reports that while officers were arresting the former rap impresario, they found that the man had also been driving with a suspended license, so they arrested him on that charge as well.

Suge Knight's vehicle was stopped by officers after a man claimed that the Death Row manager had pointed a gun at him. Yet Suge Knight now has a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney that is denying the allegations. Attorney Marc Brumer went as far as saying that his client is "100 percent" innocent.

A man was acquitted of murder last week in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom because the defendant's Los Angeles criminal defense attorney argued that that his client had only opened fire as a form of self defense. This strategy proved to be successful as the jurors decided on a not guilty verdict.

The Los Angeles Times reports that 24-year-old Aubrey Berry was facing murder charges and assault charges after he was accused of killing the up-and-coming rapper Dolla, whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton. Jurors deliberated for less than two days before rejecting the charges.

A Los Angeles woman was charged with wire fraud, witness tampering, and making false statements to the FBI last January, after she was accused of hiring a man to create a fake Pablo Picasso painting, which she ended up selling for $2 million. Associated Press reports that the defendant, Tatiana Khan, could have faced up to 25 years in prison for the charges. But with her skilled Los Angeles criminal attorney, she was able to get away with doing much less time.

With this case, the Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer proved to be very helpful because the attorney was able to establish a plea deal with prosecutors. Through the plea agreement that was filed last month, Tatiana Khan pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI and witness tampering.

A recent story in the city of Long Beach shows how a typical drug raid can yield multiple drug arrests, along with some charges that are considered to be even more severe among Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys.

The Los Angeles Daily Breeze reports that five women and four men were among the people arrested during a Long Beach drug raid on Tuesday, in which Manhattan Beach police officers were investigating stolen property and drug activity. Detectives and sharpshooters from the Manhattan Beach Police Department had a narcotics-related search warrant for the location of 6273 Downey Ave, where the arrests took place.

A Los Angeles City firefighter and paramedic was stabbed in downtown Los Angeles while responding to a medical call. The firefighter was then taken to County USC Medical Center where he was treated for several stab wounds.

KTLA News reports that the paramedic stabbed was identified as Charles Anthony MacDougall, who is a nine-year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Yet the man's attacker still remains on the loose and authorities are still unsure of what motivated the attack.

Los Angeles police officers have not been able to make any arrests so far, but fortunately the firefighter is expected to make a full recovery. Charles MacDougall is a father of four and a well-known man in the Boyle Heights community. According to KTLA News, the man works at Fire Station 9, which is known to be one of the busiest stations in the city. Hospital staff will soon be honoring Charles MacDougall as the "Paramedic of the Year" for all of his hard work and his dedication.

It turns out that UFC fighter Tito Ortiz may not need a criminal defense attorney, since Orange County prosecutors have so far declined to file charges against the mixed martial arts fighter.

The Los Angeles Times reported that UFC fighter Tito Ortiz was arrested in Huntington Beach on suspicion of domestic violence last month after he allegedly hit his porn star girlfriend Jenna Jameson. The police arrested the man after Jenna Jameson's father reported a "domestic disturbance." The UFC fighter was booked, but then released after posting $25,000 bail.

Perhaps actor Sean Penn isn't known as the most friendly person in Los Angeles, but the paparazzi may not be messing with him again after he reportedly kicked a photographer and broke his camera.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Oscar winning actor was initially charged with battery and vandalism after the incident, but Sean Penn's Los Angeles criminal defense attorney was able to establish a plea deal with prosecutors and end the assault case against him.  On Wednesday, the actor pleaded no contest to a vandalism charge as part of the plea deal.

Los Angeles prosecutors saw 18-year-old Alexis Neiers as a minor player in the famous celebrity burglary ring, known as "the bling ring", but many L.A community members see her no contest plea as a great deal of progress with the case.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Alexis Neiers, member of the bling ring, pleaded no contest to felony residential burglary on Monday by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza. Through a plea deal, Alexis Neiers was sentenced to just six months in jail and three years probation. If she violates the terms of her probation, she can be sentenced to another two years in jail.

More than one dozen protesters chained themselves together, locked themselves in a circle, and blocked downtown traffic for four hours in protest of Arizona's new immigration law. This demonstration shows that SB 1070, the new Arizona law that criminalizes illegal immigrants, has already caused a string of trouble in Los Angeles.

KTLA News reports that protesters blocked the front entrance of the federal immigration detention center on Thursday to show their opposition to Arizona's new immigration law. They said that the detention center symbolizes the incarceration and internment of immigrants in this country, as well as a symbol for the separation of families.

Many residents of Huntington Beach have been waiting a long time to see 45-year-old John Patrick Rogers go to jail. The Orange County Register reports that the autistic man has 37 restraining orders against him, some of which have been granted due to videotaping of children, taunting homeowners, and sending defamatory letters to neighbors.

The man was arrested on Sunday afternoon when he was running through community common areas, which are apparently in violation of at least one of his 37 restraining orders. He was booked at the Huntington Beach city jail on $15,000 bail. Court records show that John Rogers already has an established criminal record, which includes convictions of lewd conduct, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.

Former Manson follower of the Charles Manson family, Bruce Davis, was found suitable for parole in January after a five-hour-long hearing. The man was convicted in the murders of Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald 'Shorty' Shea in 1969. KTLA News reports that Bruce Davis was sentenced to two life terms, but a two-person parole panel recently gave the approval of a supervised release from prison.

The parole of Bruce Davis still needs to be approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who now has the power to accept or reverse the parole panel's decision. According to KTLA News, Charles Manson and most of his followers in the Charles Manson family have repeatedly been denied parole. Charles Manson will actually soon be up for parole again in 2012.