South Carolina Criminal Lawyer Blog

It seems like celebrities get special treatment when they commit crimes and normal people get in more serious trouble. Crimes that range from something minor such as public intoxication to more serious offenses like DUI, celebrities often get released from jail early and receive lighter sentences. It must be that they have endless amounts of money to bail themselves out, or that they have a great criminal attorney.

For instance, Matthew McConaughey was arrested in his home for possession of marijuana and violating a noise ordinance. His drug charges were eventually dropped and he was ordered to pay a measly $50 fine. Another example is Lindsay Lohan, who was arrested for possession of cocaine and driving under the influence. Lohan served only one day in jail and 10 days of community service. Paris Hilton was also arrested for driving under the influence. Just when we thought she would be the celebrity that would get a tough sentence and serve it, she only served 22 days of her 45-day jail sentence. Apparently, she was released because the jail was overcrowded.

In the real world, a person arrested for driving under the influence would probably get their license suspended or revoked and serve jail time. Not to mention spend a ton of money on fines and hiring a criminal attorney. According to DrivingLaws.org, "whether or not your DUI case was the cause of injuries or death to another will play a big part in [deciding your sentence]. The judge will also take into consideration your personal economic and social circumstances, and whether or not you express any regret or remorse for your conduct." No matter how easy celebrities get off on criminal charges, we cannot expect to be treated the same.

If you or someone you know has been charged with a federal drug crime, state drug crime, or any other criminal offense, contact a South Carolina federal lawyer or state criminal lawyer at The Mace Firm today.

Continue reading "Celebrity Criminals" »

An Horry County Police officer was arrested for Driving Under the Influence near Glenns Bay Road just South of Myrtle Beach. DUI arrests are common place in the Myrtle Beach area, along with many other alcohol related violations. Public intoxication is a very common case for Myrtle Beach Lawyers to defend. Many good lawyers in Myrtle Beach specialize in these types of cases in municipal and city courts. The need for an attorney in this type of criminal case depends on the value it may have for the particular defendant. Many people do not care about having a conviction on their record, but many cannot afford the increase in the insurance and possible court fines for being found guilty of a DUI.
This particular Horry County officer (Parker) would do well to hire a reputable attorney to represent him in this case. He is now suspended without pay most likely and will need to get the case resolved as soon as possible. A good Myrtle Beach criminal lawyer could handle the case quickly for him.

Continue reading "Police Officer Arrested" »

In recent news, the Myrtle Beach police announced that they issued over 45 citations and made seven arrests at a checkpoint set up on 17 business near highway 15 in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday morning. Five cars were towed from the scene, and the citations ranged from insurance violations, to driving under suspension, and vehicle registration violations.

The Myrtle Beach and Horry County police have also been setting up additional checkpoints and roadblocks at night to conduct sobriety tests as well as other illegal activity in an attempt to enforce South Carolina's DUI laws. Myrtle Beach attorneys have learned from the local police that an effort is being made across the state to crack on on drunk drivers as a result of the number of deaths associated with drinking and driving in the state last year.

The local police have also cracked down on other offenses related to drugs and alcohol by conducting checkpoints near popular nightclubs in the area. This has resulted in many arrests of tourists, students and locals for disorderly conduct, minors in possession of alcohol, resisting arrest, drug possession, simple assault and battery.

When charged with a crime, including a misdemeanor, it is important to consult with a Myrtle Beach lawyer or a criminal attorney in the area to discuss your options. By pleading guilty to one of these offenses, it could impact your future employment. Additionally, if you are student and you are convicted of a criminal offense, you could be expelled from school.

Continue reading "Myrtle Beach Checkpoints" »

In local news, Myrtle Beach police recently arrested a young woman who was found dangling from a motel balcony. Police safely rescued her, but she was arrested for intoxication charges. She will most likely be charged with public intoxication, a misdemeanor, and will have to appear for a bond hearing and subsequent court hearings at the Myrtle Beach Municipal Court on Oak Street in Myrtle Beach. She should hire a myrtle beach criminal defense lawyer to assist her with her defense.

Municipal Courts are located in Myrtle beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside, Green Sea and Loris. If you are arrested for an offense that is not a felony in Horry County, you will most likely have to appear for court at one of these locations.
In this case, if the young woman is charged with a felony, she will have to appear in General Sessions Court in Conway, South Carolina.

A more serious crime relating to alcohol is a DUI, driving under the influence of alcohol. If you are charged with a DUI, you will not only be arrested but you may also loose your driver' license. Additionally, receiving a DUI in South Carolina may make your insurance premiums increase, therefore, it is important to hire an attorney with experience handling DUI's in Myrtle Beach.

South Carolina has made several amendments to its' driving under the influence law. The new law will take effect in February of 2009. The new law is much more strict and opens up the possibility of jail time for the first offense. South Carolina has been a very lenient state when it comes to DUI law. This new law will have a dramatic effect on DUI litigation.
A DUI in North Myrtle Beach will be prosecuted by the City of North Myrtle Beach. The City Attorney for North Myrtle Beach will be the attorney representing the government. It is important to hire a South Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney to represent you in any defense.
A DUI in Myrtle Beach will be prosecuted by the City of Myrtle Beach. The new DUI law will put more pressure on the Myrtle Beach DUI attorney to prevent the client from facing jail time.
There obviously are no statistics on how the new law will affect drunk driving violations in South Carolina. One big factor in determine the real outcome for the new law will be DUI related deaths in 2008.

Continue reading "New South Carolina DUI Law to Start in 2009" »

http://www.criminal-trial-lawyer.org/lawyer-attorney-1293152.htmlAn Atlantic Beach council woman was found guility of 2 seperate traffic ticket violations last week. Councilwoman Retha Pierce still faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. Mrs Pierce proceeded to trial before an Horry County Magistrate and was found guilty of the traffic violations. All traffic tickets in Mrytle Beach and Horry County are heard before a magistrate judge. Many misdemeanors are also heard before a magistrate judge. South Carolina is one of the only states were a defendant has a right to a jury trial for a traffic violation. It is unclear if Ms. Pierce requested a jury trial or had an attorney as her statement about the case did not match the information released by the solicitor's office. Hopefully she will now go hire a defense attorney if she did not have one.

The traffic tickets Ms. Pierce was found guilty of violating did not cause her to lose her drivers license. She did however have to pay a fine and was most likely given points on her license. Ms. Pierce will face jail time if she is found guilty of resisting arrest. The arresting agency was the Horry County Sheriff's Department.

Continue reading "Atlantic Beach Council Woman Still Faces Trial" »

Myrtle Beach has begun to stop allowing the reduction of points for certain tickets. Speeding tickets which carry 4 points will continue to stay at 4 points. This policy was started in the past several months. The reduction of points on many moving violations in Myrtle Beach are now eliminiated. Previously, many individuals with tickets could go to court and speak with the city attorney or the officer to get a reduction on the points. That is now over and you will most likely need an attorney to handle the ticket if you are to have any hope of a reduction of points or no points. Our office is experienced in handling many types of traffic tickets in mytle beach.
Types of traffic tickets in Myrtle Beach:

Speeding Tickets
Reckless Driving
DUI
Disobeying a Traffic Control Device
Improper Turning
Open Container
Seat Belt Violations

Many of these violations can carry 0-6 points on your drivers license. With the change in the ability to lower the points, there will be a significant impact on your insurance if you are assessed the points. You will need a traffic ticket attorney in Myrtle Beach to help reduce or eliminate any points.

Continue reading "Mytle Beach Traffic Tickets" »

Myrtle Beach bike week began in full on Friday, May 9th, 2008. Unfortunately it was only 24 hours into Bike Week before the a motorcycle death occurred. There are usually several motorcycle related accidents during Bike Week. Many of the accidents are caused by local drivers who are not adapted to motorcycles being on many of the local roads around Myrtle Beach.
This accident was on Kings Highway near The Dunes Country Club where a motorcycle rider hit the side of a truck. The driver of the motorcycle was killed on the scene and a passenger is still in critical condition. The driver of the truck was cited for DUI and will most likely be indicted for DUI Manslaughter. The names of the individuals have not been released as of this afternoon.
Two distinct cases will come from this death. There will be a felony indictment for the DUI Manslaughter and a wrongful death case. A good defense lawyer must be aware of the two cases and the possible ramifications of closing one or the other without considering its effect on the entire situation. I have defended clients for DUIs and DUI manslaughter charges many times. The main theories of defense for these types of case are few and very technical. The first defense is an incorrect reading on the breath machine or blood draw. The breath test is a key piece of evidence in these cases. The next key piece of evidence is any improper driving actions. You must be able to defend your clients driving pattern and any traffic violation that occurred prior to the accident.
I have also represent families of individuals killed by DUI drivers. This wrongful death action is brought on behalf of the estate of the deceased. It is important to have a good investigator research the activities of the defendant driver before the accident occurred. Credit card bills, cellular phone calls, and any evidence showing the defendant's actions before the accident will be critical. The defendant's prior arrests, drinking problems, local bartenders will need to be investigated. Our office has handled DUI Manslaughters from both the Plaintiff and the Defense lawyer position.