The Legal and Headline News Blog

September 13, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

The September 12, 2008, Chatsworth Metrolink accident takes a positive turn. A least the passengers won’t have to argue over who is at fault. According to a statement by spokesperson Denise Tyrell Saturday with Metrolink taking full responsibility for the Chatsworth crash that fatally injured 18 passengers and injured at least 135.

Metrolink has determined that the train engineer did not stop for a red light and did not move to an outer track that would have kept the train out of the path of the Union Pacific train.

Metrolink has made a public apology for their part in the crash and said that this is new territory for them.

Tyrell also stated that the engineer was contracted through a company named Violia and she went on to say that Metrolink has been subcontracting with this company since 1998. Tyrell went on to say that even when one of their trains is on the main track there are signals that they must heed and they are unsure why this error occurred.

The responsibility for the Metrolink accident has taken in for the Friday afternoon crash comes before the National Transportation Safety Board has made any public announcements on their findings. Metrolink arrived at this conclusion by investigating the dispatch and signal system and made took responsibility to the public as soon as they had the information.

September 12, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

Just in, September 12, Chatsworth train accident. Breaking story for today by a California train injury law firm in Los Angeles. According to incoming reports by Chatsworth train accident attorneys, there was an accident today at approximately 4:32 a.m. between a freight train and a Metrolink commuter train.

According to Inspector Ron Haralson of the Los Angeles Fire Department, one of the passenger cars of the commuter train rolled on its side during the collision and firefighters had to battle a fire under some of the wreckage.

Haralson went on to say that he is certain there are injuries, many injuries and firemen extracted passengers through one of the cars that were torn open in the crash.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of Heatherlee Lane and Endora Avenue in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley. If you were injured in this most recent metro rail accident, contact Chatsworth train accident attorneys with experience at 888-400-9721. Protect your legal rights. newspersonal injury attorney los angeles

   According to reports the former drummer of Guns N’ Roses was arrested in Hollywood on alleged drug possession, along with being under the influence and an outstanding warrant.

   Adler was arrested when police were called to a home in the 2200 block of Canyon Drive according to a statement by Los Angeles Police Officer April Harding, when Adler refused to leave the home.

     According to reports the outstanding warrant was for a case that he was charged in 2005 for driving under the influence and driving with a suspended drivers license and missing an April 2006 court date for the incident.

   Adler was arrested, taken to jail and where bail was set at $45,000. According to reports the incident occurred at approximately 4:00 a.m. By the way if you live in the state of Colorado and you require competent Denver Wrongful death lawyers then by all means take a look at the Law offices of Larry D. Lee. His firm features some of the best Denver wrongful Death lawyers in the city and he can help you out right awy. Call his office for a consultation.

   This is not the first incident in relation to drugs, during a 1995 incident residents in a Sherman Oaks neighborhood called police when Adler appeared to be ill in his vehicle. Adler was suffering from a heroin overdose and was later charged in the incident.

   Adler with his lawyers filed a suit that challenged his dismissal from the Guns N’ Roses band in 1989 as being wrongful, the manager of the band testified that his drug addiction was the reason he was dismissed from the band.

   It is reported that Adler was expected to be a part of a new reality program named Sober Living for his detoxification and treatment he under went last month.

  Adler is claiming he is innocent of the alleged charges. Yeah, I am sure he was innocent all those may other times as well. I remember back when Axel Rose said that “someone has been dancing with mr. brownstone” in an apparent reference to Adlers drug use. Wrongful termination my foot. It does not matter much though since. It almost seems like death will occur before they release another album…

According to various media reports a man identified as Troy Tyrone Thomas III age 43 has pleaded guilty to the crime of murdering his college instructor. In the courtroom he plead guilty to first-degree murder in the murder of John Alfred Dennis Jr.

    Dennis was a 59-year-old teacher at St. Mary’s College and the City College of San Francisco.

   Thomas had met Dennis as a teenager and according to reports he murdered Dennis in the attempt to assume his identity, including his name, assets, house and vehicle. The night of February 9^th a sheriff’s deputy found Thomas in a vehicle with Dennis’ corpse covered in the back seat. Thomas later told the authorities that he fatally shot Dennis that day and with the body in the victims car drove to

Oakland police were then sent to the victims’ house where they found signs of a struggle and blood evidence. Also if you happen to live in the state of hawaii a look at the Injury Law Group of Daniel T. Pagliarini.He is simply one of the leading Hawaii Personal Injury Lawyer working in the Hawaiian islands. I highly recommend that you give him a call for a free consultation. Alright back to the story….Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5^th to life behind bars without the possibility of parole in a deal, which prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the death of Dennis.

  Thomas who was on parole at the time of the murder has an extensive criminal history and was released from prison prior to the murder for felony auto theft and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He has also been convicted of murder in 1981 and several vehicle thefts.  It sounds like this guy probably should not have been walking the street in the first place, in my opinion.

According to Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys, man who was about to be convicted of sexual assault left the Orange County courthouse just before the jury announced the guilty verdict. Dante Arnaud, a Garden Grove Hospital blood technician, left during jury deliberations and is now missing. He was found guilty of molesting six pregnant women or women who had just given birth at the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said a search is underway for Arnaud.

The jury deliberations lasted about 35 minutes and they were ready to announce the guilty verdict on six counts of sexual battery by fraud. Apparently Arnaud fled while deliberations were underway because he was missing when it was time to hear the verdict. The verdict was read in his absence and according to reports a no-bail warrant was then issued for his arrest.

Arnaud had been accused of molesting six women when he entered their rooms to take blood samples. He had told them he had to do breast and vaginal exams also.

The District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman has also stated that Mr. Arnaud turn himself into authorities.

More criminal justice news from the west coast . An individual identified as Edwin Ramos,21, of El Sobrante has been taken into custody for the apparent killing of a father and his two sons over what is said to be a mere traffic incident.

  The individual who was killed has been identified as Tony Bologna along with his son Michael and son Mathew.

  These killings happened when Bologna with his two son’s in his vehicle were on their way home on Congdon Street at approximately 3:00 p.m. when he blocked another vehicle from making a left turn. When Bologna realized this he backed up to allow the car to make its turn. This is when the shooting took place. Both Tony Bologna and his son Michael were pronounced dead at the scene and son Mathew was transported to San Francisco General Hospital where he died several days later from his gun shot wounds. All in all, this case sort of reminds me about the meth crimes commited by Sam Lincoln recently as reported on merlins news and editorials blog.

  It has been stated that the authorities believe Ramos to be an active member of the MS-13 gang.

This gang, based in latin America but now spread across much of the nation, is considered by many experts to be possibly the most dangerous of all gangs operating in the city which is responsible for a plethera of murders nationwide. During his arrest that occurred at his home police issued a warrant and searched the home in the 4300 block of Hilltop Drive. They found a machete, assault pistol and knives but they did not find the gun used in the shootings. At the time of the arrest Ramos was charged with murder, information in the shootings was given to police by another man who was arrested and named Ramos as being involved in the Bologna shootings.

   Ramos who is being represented by attorney O’Sullivan stated that Ramos is a family man with an 11 month old child and a construction worker. He went on to state that the MS-13 gang is a soccer club and Ramos had no involvement in the shootings. Of course most family men I know are prpeared to blast away an entire family over a minor traffic altercation.

   When an individuals is arrested for a felony charge it is obviously very serious and will be stressful but it should be noted that there will be certain key things which will be the same for every person arrested. They will be handcuffed, read their rights and taken into custody where they will wait to have a hearing to have their bail set. But prior to the time that they are charged with a felony offense the police will wish to question the suspect. This is when you may want to keep your words to yourself and ask for a criminal attorney to be present. They will also be given the clothing which is worn during lock up.

    The charges will be stated to the person clearly during this period and they could be asked to be in a lineup or perhaps asked for a hair/blood sample. You will also be fingerprinted plus photographed 9the famous mug shot). Anything that is said when a person is taken into custody can be used against them in court so obviously they should not speak to law enforcement officials when they are asked questions but should instead ask for an attorney to be present. There will be an arraignment where the charges will be clearly and officially read and the person will then either plead guilty vs. not guilty. By pleading not guilty a trial date will be set to show the evidence against them and for their attorney to defend them.When the charge is a felony it takes an experienced  attorney that will be through in preparing the case and will also be aggressive in defending their client in court. In these particular types of serious cases you really should retain an experienced attorney such as the Portland felony defense Attorney if at all possible. it should be noted that a Portland criminal defense attorney will make certain that you are given all of your constitutional rights Anything less than an experienced attorney can place them in a position where their sentence is much harsher than if they hired just the right attorney.

  A man who remains in jail with a $250,000 bail has been identified as 39 year old Darrell Tyrone Guice. He has been charged with allegedly burglarizing a home in the 770 block of South Harrison Street where he confronted the homeowner and forced her back into her home. Then he proceeded to rummage through the home, after which he left the home in the homeowners’ vehicle. The charges that have been filed against Guice are aggravated robbery, kidnapping, first-degree burglary, along with theft of a motor vehicle. I live much of the year in San Francisco myself and have never head of anything quite like this.Guice is also a suspect in another home invasion that occurred on May 28, 2008 this home is located in the 1000 block of Locust Street. There was a similar tactic used in this home invasion where the homeowner was a 57 year old woman. The thief left the home with some of the owner’s possessions. However, he has not been charged in this home invasion as of this date.

This alleged burglar also has a criminal record as reported by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations that dates at least to 1990 when he was found guilty of aggravated robbery (which could have caused major personal injury)and given an 18 year sentence. He has also been arrested for possession of a weapon as an ex-offender. He also has a record for shoplifting as well as making false reports.

These are all criminal offenses that when a person is charged requires the retaining of an experienced San Francisco Personal Injury Attorney He is ideal if you live in San Francisco and need to obtain a superlative San Francisco Personal Injury Attorney, because they can lead to many years in prison if not represented by a criminal attorney who will build an expert case and fight aggressively in court for their client. Including filing appeals when it is necessary to prove their clients innocence’s or receive the best sentence possible for their client.

Criminal Defense lawyers, whether in Miami, Tucson or San Diego,  have a lot of experience in dealing with White Collar Crimes. Any crime involving fraud is considered a white-collar crime. These types of crimes are non violent and usually have some economic aspect to it. The trusted school secretary or a bank employee, accountants. These types of jobs can lead to opportunity for one to commit embezzlement. Embezzlement is a white-collar crime. .

  The opportunity for fraud, embezzlement, bribery, computer crimes, forgery and insider trading is readily available to the white-collar employee. These types of crimes do not include bodily harm to a person. The damage is monetary. The bank employee who makes false statements on loan documents or the business employee who files false information with a government agency is guilty of white-collar crime. Misuse of the mail or wireless communication to defraud someone is another example. The traffic court clerk or employee who accepts a bribe to have a traffic ticket altered or cleared improperly is also guilty of white-collar crime. 

FBI statistics show that the United States losses to white-collar crime are more than $300 billion yearly. State and local law enforcement agencies may both be involved in white-collar crime cases. Federal agencies such as the FBI, United States Customs, Internal Revenue Service, the Secret Service, EPA or the SEC will usually have these cases presented. Incidentially if you are in the Miami area and when you or a family member is charged with a criminal offense it takes the expertise of Miami criminal attorney to ensure the case is prepared to your advantage because it can mean your very freedom. David Garvin is simply one of the best miami criminal attorney out there. In fact a good Miami criminal attorney may prepare your case and represent you if you are arrested for a white-collar crime. When prosecuting the white-collar criminal, law enforcement agencies sometimes make errors which may violate various rights. A competent criminal attorney will know how to protect those particular rights.Penalties for such crimes may range from fines to even jail time. If you have been arrested for or are under investigation for such a violation, it may be best to speak to an attorney prior to answering any questions.  In addition, if you are a business owner being investigated, and are tried and convicted of white-collar crime, you may also lose your business. Many of these cases can be settled out of court and public embarrassment and the loss of business may be avoided with the help of a competent criminal attorney.

Hiring a defense lawyerduring the pre-file stage of your case will give you the most advantage. The pre-file stage is when you are under investigation but have not been arrested yet. You will not have had any Miranda rights read to you and this is when you are endangering of saying things that can be used against you in a court of law. It is common practice for law enforcement to use this time to try to destroy your legal defense.
Many people that are arrested are thrown into such panic that they cannot think straight and in an effort to defend themselves will say things they should not. It is always wise to stop, take a deep breath, and think of what you should do before you say anything. Take advantage of your right to talk to a criminal defense attorney before you unwittingly make any statements that could be used against you. This pre-file stage is the most crucial and a good Portland Criminal Defense lawyer can make all the difference to a good outcome in your case. The criminal defense attorney will make sure you are given all your constitutional rights. He or she will be your mediator between you and the police and the District Attorney’s office if you are ultimately arrested.

Being suspected of a crime and knowing that you are under investigation can be a very stressful and frightening experience to go thru. If you just ignore what is going on and try to avoid or hide from your situation thinking and hoping it will just go away will not make it go away. Criminal investigations and charges are very serious. If you do not have a good defense you may find yourself in jail or prison. If you act fast, your lawyer could help get the charges dropped or enter into the plea bargain process.