Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers Blog

Sex Crimes – Georgia man charged with child molestation of teen

Published on: September 24, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Sex Crimes – A grand jury recently indicted a 22-year-old man. The man was accused of child molestation of a 15-year-old girl. Nevertheless, all Georgia defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty of the crimes of which they have been accused.

The man was charged with a number of sex crimes, including rape. According to reports, the man allegedly molested a teenage girl back in December of last year. The sexual contact between him and the teen reportedly happened when he was 21 years of age.

Please see our blog for other entries on this topic.

Criminal Defense: Couple faces criminal charges in infant’s death

Published on: September 11, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Criminal Defense: A 1-month-old infant was found dead in a home over the summer. A Georgia couple is now faced with state criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter, after authorities reportedly determined the baby suffocated while in their care. They have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, both serious criminal charges.

Authorities were dispatched to the home back in June after the infant was found unconscious. According to reports, the baby died while sharing a bed with the couple. Upon further investigation, authorities allegedly discovered that both of them were high on meth and waited over half an hour to call for emergency help. An autopsy was performed and it was revealed that the infant died from asphyxia as a result of the sleep environment. A criminal defense attorney will have to be secured in order to combat these charges.

Please see this blog for additional information on criminal defense.

Criminal Defense: Arrested? Dan Conaway’s book is on Amazon!

Published on: September 1, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Criminal Defense:

Dan Conaway has written a very useful book that is now available on Amazon.com. Please click here!

One review of his book:

Cyber Crime and Privacy

Published on: September 1, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

The rise of “big data” has been one of the most important developments in the internet era. What exactly is big data? It has been defined as a “term describing the storage and analysis of large and or complex data sets using a series of techniques”. And big data is infiltrating every aspect of our lives. The number of things now connected to the internet has reached at least 8.7 billion in 2012.

One result of the vast reach of the Internet is that law enforcement is now attempting to combat cyber crime globally. Law enforcement agencies in many countries hope to utilize a coordinated and collaborative cross-border approach in order to respond to growing cyber threats. This means that multi-national corporations and law enforcement are attepting to cooperate with one another on a greater basis to achieve this goal.

With the increased cooperation between the corporate world and law enforcement, privacy rights are being eroded, especially by United States corporations as recent revelations by Edward J. Snowden show. How can the benefits derived from cooperation between corporations and government be balanced with the individual’s interest in keeping their personal and financial lives private? Where is the line between cyber security and individual privacy and what role do governments and corporations play in maintaining this delicate balance? The United States is not taking into account the far-reaching negative impact the changing definition of privacy is having on other states around the globe. Some countries are responding by considering data localization laws, and there is also a movement to give control of the Internet to the United Nations or to individual governments. There are also calls for reform to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). T

Sex crimes: High school staff member charged

Published on: August 29, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

A suspect was arrested after working at a new job as a band director for just two weeks. Georgia authorities charged the man with multiple sex crimes after he was accused of engaging in sexual behavior with high school students in another state. It is important for readers to remember that just because someone is charged with a crime, does not necessarily mean they are guilty.

Authorities received complaints from former students at a previous high school about alleged sexual encounters with the suspect. The allegations included sexual activity on school property and at the suspect’s home. The sexual activity was reported to have happened during a three-year period and involved at least eight girls. Multiple girls claimed that they were gagged and tied up by the band director. According to reports, authorities placed him under arrest at Thomas County Central High School where he recently began working.

Please see our sex crimes blog

White Collar Crimes: Learning center owner charged with fraud

Published on: August 13, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Medicaid fraud, one of many white collar crimes, is a serious issue, and prosecutors will typically waste no time in seeking convictions. A Georgia woman, who is the owner of the Brighter Futures Learning Center, has been arrested for insurance fraud. Authorities believe that she illegally billed over $300,000 in services that were never rendered.

Brighter Futures Learning Center provides mental health services for children and is registered with the state Medicaid program. According to reports, the owner submitted fraudulent Medicaid claims between Oct. 2010 and March 2014 resulting in white collar crimes charges. Reports suggest that she forged signatures of two contractors on falsified documents in an effort to hide her illegal activity. In addition, she reportedly obtained and used four Medicaid numbers of several contractors to send in false claims without their knowledge or consent.

The purported amount the owner claimed for and received was $355,232 for services that were never performed. The owner was charged with Medicaid fraud and forgery, as well as identity theft. She was also charged with false writings and violating the state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Criminal defense: Movie producers face charges involving death

Published on: August 2, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Criminal defense: It’s hard to imagine that filming a movie could be dangerous and deadly for a film crew. However, dangerous instances do happen and many Georgia residents may be aware that a camera assistant was killed after being hit by a train. The Georgia camera assistant was working on a film, “Midnight Rider,” when tragedy struck. Two filmmakers are facing state criminal charges in connection with her death.

The movie that was being filmed was reportedly about a recording artist named Gregg Allman. The crew was in the middle of filming a dream sequence on the railroad tracks when a train careened into the film crew, killing the camera assistant and injuring 7 other crew members. Authorities believe that the filmmakers should be held liable and charged them with criminal trespassing and manslaughter. Since the charges were filed, the defendants turned themselves into the county jail. They are now in need of good criminal defense lawyers.

Within just 30 minutes, the pair was released on $25,000 bonds. Reportedly, the defendants are pleading not guilty; however, if they are convicted of manslaughter, they could face 10 years in prison. No other details surrounding this case have been released.

Criminal Defense: Fatal hot car case leads to criminal charges

Published on: July 15, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Criminal defense: In the summer months, there are often many tragic deaths that are reported after parents forget their children in hot cars. This may be true for one case in which a 22-month-old boy was recently discovered by his father, Ross Harris, in a hot car after being left there for several hours. The Georgia father claims that he forgot his son in the car when he went to work and now, he is facing state criminal charges for murder.

A probable cause hearing is expected to be held for prosecutors to state their reasons to charge him with murder. According to reports, the man was supposed to drop his son off at a childcare center, but he forgot and went to work. When he arrived at his place of employment, he went about his usual day, but failed to remember that his infant was in the car where he remained for hours. Prosecutors stated that the man went out to his vehicle around lunch time, where he placed an unknown object, and then left the boy in the vehicle.

Later on, the man drove home from work, and then pulled over at a shopping plaza where he was reportedly observed to be distraught. The boy’s cause of death was from overheating and hyperthermia. In addition, authorities reportedly discovered that the man, along with his wife, previously searched the internet for child heatstroke. Since the formal charges were made, the man has pleaded not guilty and the wife was not charged.

Over 70 sex crimes arrests

Published on: July 4, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

An operation was launched in an effort to track down and arrest those who participate in child sex trafficking. So far, 71 individuals were arrested and charged with a number of sex crimes throughout Georgia. The FBI’s goal is to rescue children who are being exploited and arrest those who are encouraging child prostitution. Although arrests have been made, the defendants have not been convicted of any criminal conduct.

On the national level, authorities rescued 168 victims who were minors and also apprehended 281 alleged pimps. In our own state, 11 minors were reportedly forced into prostitution and exploited through the computer. This particular investigation led to the arrest of 71 people in Georgia who face a variety of charges. Their charges include criminal attempt of child molestation and enticement of a minor.

Other charges include solicitation and prostitution, along with pimping. So far, over 3,000 children have been rescued by authorities. The Innocence Lost National Initiative started back in 2003 and performs these operations across the country. Agencies who are affiliated with the operation are the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Criminal defense: Semi driver faces charges for fatal crash

Published on: June 21, 2014 | By Conaway & Strickler, P.C.

Criminal defense: A 40-year-old man who apparently caused an accident has been criminally charged. The man faces state criminal charges for allegedly being responsible for a crash that took the life of a 29-year-old man on our Georgia roadways. He was charged with vehicular homicide in addition to following too closely to another vehicle.

According to reports, the suspect, who was driving a tractor-trailer, was headed in the westbound direction when a mower was observed straddling the right lane. The driver of a Dodge pickup was unable to pass the mower, which prompted him to come to a stop. The driver of the Dodge 3500 tractor-trailer, who was driving behind the Dodge pickup, slammed into the back of the truck. Both of the vehicles turned over, causing injuries to the driver of the Dodge 3500.

Unfortunately, the other driver reportedly died at the scene. Authorities conducted an initial investigation and determined that the driver of the tractor-trailer was the person responsible. The driver of the trailer was arrested and booked into a county jail, but no bond has been set. A criminal defense attorney will have to file a motion to set bond in the coming days.