Let’s assume that a police officer spots someone with a bag full of pills. The pills are of different shapes, colors, and sizes. But, based on various information – maybe a confidential tip – the police officer concludes they are controlled substances (drugs) and that the person ought to be arrested for drug possession. A…
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Author Archives: Damon Chetson
Raleigh traffic lawyer
Since our founding, The Chetson Firm has focused on representing people in Wake County who face serious state and federal felonies – including drug and sex offense cases – and misdemeanors, including drug possession, driving while impaired, and larceny and theft charges. We’ve been able to help hundreds of people throughout Wake County charged with…
Top 10 iPad 2 Apps for the Lawyer
Last year I wrote about the 10 essential iPad apps for the lawyer and lots of people read and reviewed that list. Over the course of the year, I frequently used my iPad not just to pass the time while waiting in court, but to do real work. During one bench trial, I used my…
How do I secure my WiFi Network?
Child pornography is a very unpleasant topic. But even more unpleasant is facing criminal charges for possession of child pornography. Certainly the abuse of children is something that should never be tolerated. But in the effort to end child pornography (which will never be truly be ended so long as there are humans on the…
Handling a Felony Larceny or Misdemeanor Larceny Case in Raleigh
Shoplifting can be charged in one of two ways in North Carolina, either as a misdemeanor larceny case (especially where the value is under $1,000) or as a felony larceny case (where the value exceeds $1,000 or where the person has removed the security device from the item). In certain cases, a person charged with…
The Wire: Drug Trafficking Charge for Felicia Pearson
One of my favorite characters from the HBO show The Wire was Snoop, the enforcer for Marlo’s drug organization. Now it’s turned out that Snoop was picked up in a drug raid in Baltimore and is now being charged with trafficking in heroin: Felicia Pearson, an ex-con who played a drug gangster named Snoop on…
Minnesota Judge Rules Intoxilyzer Results Invalid
North Carolina no longer uses the Intoxilyzer 5000. It uses the Intox EC/IR II. But a Minnesota judge recently ruled that the Intoxilyzer results are invalid, which puts into jeopardy some 4,000 cases. The reason comes down the source code – the computer code that powers the machine. Since the manufacturer, CMI of Kentucky, has…
Recent Developments in Confrontation Clause Law
The confrontation clause of the United States Constitution provides every defendant to question – in court – his accusers. Accusers is a broad term, including not just the victim, but also anyone who may have said something incriminating about the defendant outside of court. The confrontation clause is a protection for the defendant, allowing the…
Facially Unconstitutional? Prosecutorial Control of North Carolina’s Criminal Calendars
One of the curious facts about North Carolina’s criminal system is that prosecutors have exclusive control of the docket. This means that, in order to appear before a judge on nearly all kinds of significant motions, a defense attorney or the defendant must first get the prosecutor to agree to place the case on a…
How do I Hire a Gay Friendly Raleigh Criminal Lawyer?
One of the questions I sometimes get is whether I am a gay friendly Raleigh lawyer. And the answer to that is, “By all means.” I treat all people equally, whether they are gay or straight. If someone needs professional and effective criminal defense help, the last thing they need to worry about is whether…
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