Total Criminal Defense Blog

With the recent reports of buttered microwave popcorn linked to certain lung illnesses, it seems that junk food is becoming dangerous, and not just because it adds pounds to your hips.

When it comes to the cheesy snack puff Cheetos, apparently “Dangerously Cheesy” isn’t just a slogan, but a warning…

A Des Moines, Iowa man was arrested for domestic assault after he threw a bag of Cheetos at his father. 22-year-old Patrick Hamman threw the bag and hit his father, Michael Hamman, in the face, causing his glasses to cut into the bridge of his nose and also causing an explosion of Cheeto dust over his father’s clothes and body.

The younger Hamman admitted to being high on methamphetimines at the time of the incident.

Republican Senator Lary Craig from Idaho says that the only thing that he did wrong was to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of lewd conduct without consulting a lawyer.

Craig was arrested in a sex sting in an airport men’s room after he allegedly used foot and hand signals to gesture that he was interested in a sexual encounter with an undercover police officer in the bathroom stall next to him.

The officer and Craig disagree about almost everything that happened in the incident and Craig says that he only pled guilty to try to make the situation go away.  He has publicly denied being gay.

There has been virtually no public support for Craig, even among his own party.

Craig has served in Congress as an Iowa Senator for more than 25 years.  He was up for re-election next year but is expected to resign tomorrow as a result of the bathroom sex scandal.

A bankruptcy court, in Florida, awarded 90 percent of any proceeds from O.J. Simpson’s controversial book “If I Did It” to relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman. The Washington Post reported that a lawyer for the Goldmans said they would seek to capitalize on the book by arranging publishing, film, and television deals.

In 1997, in a wrongful death action against Simpson, the Goldmans were a awarded $33.5 million. In June of this year, the Bankruptcy Judge ruled that Lorriane Brooke Associates was formed as a shell company to conceal Simpson’s book earnings from the Goldmans. The company, set up in the name of Simpson’s children, had declared bankruptcy.

The Goldmans obtained all rights to the book, and to Simpson’s name and likeness in connection with it. They did agree to pay the first ten percent of the first $4 million in gross profits, and a percentage of all further proceeds, to Lorraine Brooks Associates.

The Goldmans’ lawyer says they may change the name of the book to “Confessions of a Double Murderer.”

A federal grand jury indicted quarterback Michael Vick for allegedly participating in an enterprise that trained pit bulls for death matches in which spectators bet on the outcome. CNN.com says Vick and three associates were indicted on a count of conspiracy alleging they bought and sponsored dogs in an animal fighting venture and traveled across state lines to participate in illegal activity, including gambling.

Allegedly, dogs that did show enough fighting spirit were executed by a variety of methods, including shooting, drowning, hanging, and electrocution. Prosecutors say Vick participated in killing eight dogs.

Vick faces up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine. The National Football League will also review Vick’s indictment. This year, the NFL has instigated a get tough policy. Several players have already been for suspended for a portion of the season, with at least one player suspended for the entire year.

The Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department has launched an internal investigation into whether it failed to meet its promise to treat Paris Hilton like any other inmate. The Los Angeles Times reports that L.A. County jail officials at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California may have given Hilton perks not given to other prisoners.

Officers have complained Hilton had free access to a cell phone, while other inmates have to wait for scheduled time at a pay phone. She was given a new prison uniform, while other inmates got recycled ones. She even received daily visits from a captain who hand-delivered her mail.

A Times study did show that Paris spent more time in jail than most inmates confined for the same charges.

The President of the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff’s Association said L.A. County Sherriff, Lee Baca, is “beholden to the Hollywood set.”

Al Gore III was arrested in Laguna Niguel, California on suspicion of possession of marijuana and prescription drugs after police pulled him over for speeding in a Toyota Prius hybrid car. His father is probably proud of him for protecting the environment, but not so much for his second arrest for drug possession.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Gore was stopped for driving 100 mph on the San Diego Freeway. Deputies say they smelled marijuana. A search of the car found less than an ounce of marijuana along with Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, and Adderall. A Sherriff’s Department spokesman said Gore does not have a prescription for any of these drugs.

Gore was arrested in Bethesda, Maryland in 2003 on suspicion of possession of marijuana. The LA Times reported he completed substance abuse counseling as part of a pretrial diversion program to settle those charges.

Although he’s no Paris Hilton, former child star Brad Renfro may be in the same boat, well almost.  He may face jail time for a probation violation because he has failed to enroll in a drug treatment program.

Renfro, now 24, was discovered at the age of 10 and starred in movies such as “The Cure” and “The Client” when he was a pre-teen.  He has worked as an actor pretty steadily ever since.

In 2005 he was busted for trying to buy heroin and was convicted of attempted heroin possession.  As a term of his probation the judge ordered Renfro to enroll in an 18 month to 3 year drug treatment program.  Reportedly he has failed to do so and could face jail time unless he does.

Chicago Bears Tackle Tank Johnson found out how much he has to lose today. The Bears waived him after he was arrested in Gilbert, Arizona on the criminal charge of being impaired to the slightest degree.

Following last season’s Super Bowl, Johnson served 60 days in the Cook County jail for possession of a firearm, a violation of his probation for a previous weapons charge. The NFL, in a crackdown on bad off-the-field behavior, suspended Johnson for the first eight games of the upcoming season.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears had set a “no room for error” policy for Johnson. His arrest, even for a minor infraction, violated that policy and the Bears have let him go.

For more information on Johnson’s release, check out The DUI Blog.

In an interview about her friend Paris Hilton and her own impending jail sentence, Nicole Richie told chat show host David Letterman that “everyone goes to jail.” Letterman had asked Richie “what’s wrong with young Hollywood?” Richie responded with her unfortunate view of the world.

In reality, very few of us go to jail. Unfortunately, many young Americans, enamored by thug culture, believe that time in jail is an honorable rite of passage.

Hilton and Richie face prison sentences due to repeat offenses. Many Americans, however, simply face jail because do not have quality attorneys to protect them.

Tabloids have offered $500,000 for the first pictures of Paris Hilton in jail. Currently, Paris is in an elite California jail, serving a 45 day sentence stemming from a plea deal on a DUI charge. A mug shot of prisoner #9818783 has already been published in papers across the globe, but some publications are desperate for a shot of the celebrity on the inside.