May 23, 2013 | Criminal Defense, Uncategorized
Winthrop University police arrested a 20-year-old man after he sped down Cherry Road without a valid driver’s license. He was thereafter
charged with damaging city property after the infuriated arrestee kicked out the window of the patrol car causing almost $500 worth of damage. This occurred at around 7:00 p.m. in the evening.
The man, who could not locate insurance information, stated that he and his younger brother, who was with him were trying to get to Pineville. The police also found that the car had a revoked tag and no insurance, as the older brother screamed loud profanities at his younger brother forcing him to crawl into the back of the van to dig for the information.
Police arrested the driver after the younger brother informed the police that there was a metal pole under the driver’s seat, along with a knife. The Rock Hill police arrived and the driver began to bang his head against the police car, and eventually kicked the window out of the car while the officer was driving.
The kid was then took to the York County Detention Center by another Rock Hill police officer and he was issued a citation for damage to city property, speeding, improper vehicle license, operating an uninsured vehicle, public disorderly conduct and unlawfully carrying a weapon.
In times such as this, it is important to keep your cool. If you become enraged such as the driver illustrated above, you will only act to enhance your charges. Therefore, if you have been charged with a crime in the Rock Hill, South Carolina region, call the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP at 803-548-4444, or toll free at 877-374-5999.
May 23, 2013 | DUI & DWI, Felony DUI, Uncategorized
A Catawba, South Carolina woman was found with heroin and syringes in her purse hours before she was due to be in court. This occurred after police were called to a Rolling Ridge Road home where a 22-year-old was suffering from an overdose. The 21-year-old suspect was viewed by police attempting to help the other woman to her feet; and, thereafter she was taken to the hospital.
Police found that the woman was wanted by the state Department of Probation and Parole, and when officers searched the woman’s purse, they found a syringe filled with a clear liquid. The woman further asked officers not to arrest her because she was due in court in a few hours. She was charged with possession of heroin; vials of anabolic steroids werealso later found in the house where the incident took place.
The court proceeding was in reference to an incident where the woman and her sister were found in a Rock Hill motel room using heroin and hydrocodone after she was accused of stealing a man’s gun while they were at his house. And, if this is all is not enough, the woman also received a grand larceny charge two years ago; this is what put her on probation in the first place.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a criminal offense in North or South Carolina, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP at our Charlotte, North Carolina office at 704-499-9000, or our South Carolina office at 803-548-4444.
May 23, 2013 | DUI & DWI, Felony DUI, Uncategorized
The National Traffic Safety Board has initiated a recent program called “the Sniffer.” This recommendation has been overshadowed by 
another recent recommendation that proposes to decrease BAC levels from 0.08% to 0.05%. However, the second (“Sniffer) recommendation may also have serious implications if enacted.
“The Sniffer” relates to the high visibility enforcement of DWI laws that have been enacted recently such as well publicized media campaigns, visible enforcement efforts such as saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, and swift and certain penalties for drivers arrested for DWI. Now, none of these adequately explain the Sniffer. What is the Sniffer?
When officers employ traditional methods of determining driving impairment at a sobriety checkpoint, only about half of all drivers with BAC’s above the legal limit are identified. The NTSB has recommended that officers use passive alcohol sensors which can tip them off to the presence of alcohol. These sensors are housed within a flashlight or a clipboard and they detect alcohol vapor sampling the drivers exhaled breath, as well as the air in the car. Further, it analyzes the sample for alcohol and provides some information about the relative amount of alcohol detected.
The display on the Sniffer ranges from green to red, corresponding to BAC ranges, and they have been used by law enforcement officers across the country for years. In the past, however, law enforcement officers have been prevented from using the device to determine probable cause that a driver has committed an implied-consent offense. Now the question is whether the Sniffer, if implemented, is a violation of one’s Fourth Amendment rights.
Various techniques that are already in place to detect whether someone has been drinking such as an officer’s own personal perceptions, it may not be too difficult for the NC legislature to enact passive alcohol screening devices. However, the fact that the device is held within inches of a potential offenders face may be similar to a dog sniff of a person; and the fact that the device detects from within the car may also add some legal implications.
The constitutional inquiry may also implicate the US Supreme Court case, Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27 (2001), where law enforcement use of a thermal imaging device to detect heat within a private home implicated the Fourth Amendment. The holding stated that “obtaining sense-enhancing technology information regarding the interior of a home that could not have otherwise been obtained without physical intrusion into a constitutionally protected area is a search, at least where ‘the technology in question is not in general public use.'” Therefore, the major question is whether the heat sensing technology in Kyllo is similar to the alcohol sensing devices and thus not in general public use.
If you have been charged with a DWI in North Carolina, or a DUI in South Carolina contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP for a confidential consultation. You can contact our North Carolina office at 704-499-9000, or our Fort Mill, South Carolina office at 803-548-4444.
May 23, 2013 | DUI & DWI, Felony DUI, Uncategorized
Rock Hill police officers were led on a foot pursuit of a suspected shoplifter as he fled from the Rock Hill Dollar General last Thursday. The 
police report indicates that the man was found with soap and underwear after an employee reported that a man wearing all black went into the store on Cherry Road with a blue bag and stuffed items within before leaving.
The employee, who filed the police report, stated that the accused shoplifter became defensive as he was walking to the front door of the store. Before chase ensued, the man attempted to hand the items to a woman in the parking lot who immediately returned them to the store. Thereafter, the man bolted. The police chased the suspect through a parking lot; from the parking lot to a field; and, from the field into a residential neighborhood where the suspect was apprehended. The 25-year-old man is being charged with his third shoplifting offense, which could potentially be a felony.
If you have been charged with a shoplifting or any other criminal offense in York County, Lancaster County, or Chester County, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP at our Fort Mill, South Carolina office at 803-548-4444, or toll-free at 877-374-5999.
May 22, 2013 | Car Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A British woman is apparently bragging on Twitter about her run-in with a cyclist earlier this week. 
Accordingly, the woman “tweeted” that she hit a cyclist while in her vehicle and then drove away without so much as getting out of her car to check on the poor pedestrian. Specifically, she states that she “definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier – I have right of way, he doesn’t even pay road tax! #bloodycyclists”
The cops were not entirely thrilled to read the post. The “tweet” was getting so much traffic that the police decided to reach out to the woman and “respectfully request” that she turn herself in for the crime that she committed earlier that day.
The local news stations hyped the story up, and the police strongly urged her to turn herself in. She has still not done so.
The victim/cyclist was also found and contacted. The 29-year-old male stated that the car came “tearing around the blind corner, just missing a fellow cyclist in front of her.” He further added that the “wing mirror” of his bicycle was torn off, and he went flying into a nearby hedge. Luckily, the hedge broke his fall, and his injuries were minor.
The defendant’s employer was also contacted about the incident, and promptly notified the public by releasing a statement as follows: “We are taking the incidents very seriously, and a full and detailed investigation will be carried out and appropriate action taken. We have already spoken to Norfolk Police.”
The defendant worked for a local accounting firm but has since stayed quit about the incident at bar.
Pedestrians are often times harmed within a half a mile range from their homes. It is important for both drivers and cyclists to “share the road,” meaning that they most also share the responsibility of watching for the safety of others.
If you, or another pedestrian you know has been seriously harmed in a similar situation, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877.374.5999 or visit our home page at rjrlaw.com for more information.
May 22, 2013 | Car Accidents, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
A mother from Spartanburg, South Carolina has recently been sentenced to 13 years in prison for an accident that occurred earlier last year involving the death of her daughter.
According to the reports, the 27-year-old mother was driving her 7 year-old daughter in her Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on Interstate 85 back in August of 2012, when she crashed her car after “running from the cops.”
Her speed was reported as “extremely reckless at the time of incident,” which is why the police officers that noticed her driving attempted to pull the mother over. The mother/defendant saw the police officer’s lights; she heard the sirens; yet she still decided to refuse to pull over for the deputies.
This is what ultimately resulted in the police and mother ensuing in a high speed chase while her child in was still in the vehicle. Apparently this mother was drastically trying to avoid an arrest by the officers.
During the chase, the mother’s SUV somehow lost traction, and ended up sliding across several lanes of traffic before striking a median and flipping her vehicle multiple times. Upon impact, both the 7-year-old daughter and a bag of marijuana were thrown from the vehicle. The daughter suffered life-threatening injuries due to the accident.
When the officers and rescue crew arrived on scene, the child was transported via helicopter to the hospital, where she ultimately passed away due to the severity of the injury.
Subsequently, the mother pled guilty to the charges filed agaisnt her, and has been sentenced to 13 years of jail time. Specifically, she was charged with reckless homicide and child neglect.
If you, or a child you know has been harmed in any serious manner, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999 for more information.
charged with damaging city property after the infuriated arrestee kicked out the window of the patrol car causing almost $500 worth of damage. This occurred at around 7:00 p.m. in the evening.