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Law Changes in North Carolina

This year has brought about a lot of additions and amendments to criminal law legislation in North Carolina.  Here is a list of some of the most notable changes to the criminal law scheme in North Carolina. 1.)  Cyber bullying of a school employee by a student is now...

Odor of alcohol in DWI cases

The odor of alcohol alone is not enough to support a conviction of DWI and is not enough by itself to justify probable cause to arrest.  It is not illegal to drive after drinking, it is just illegal to drive while impaired which in North Carolina impairment is a BAC...

Burden of Proof in DWI

During a trial for DWI the State does have the burden of proving all the essential elements of the crime including that the defendant was intoxicated.  This element can be proven in a variety of different ways and does not necessarily mean the State has to show the...

Officer testimony in DWI cases

The majority of DWI cases that are heard in court are dependent on the arresting officer’s testimony.  It is the officer’s testimony that will often establish the defendant was impaired at the time he or she was operating a motor vehicle.  Generally the officer must...

Anonymous Tips

This can be a tricky area of the law because the answer is likely going to vary in each individual case.  Ultimately police may be justified in stopping a vehicle based on a tip from someone else.  Generally the information police receive from the tip must be specific...