Indianapolis Criminal Defense Law Blog

Marijuana is still illegal in Indiana, both for medical and recreational states. So far, Indiana has not joined the growing number of states that are decriminalizing pot. However, some prosecutors are changing the way they approach marijuana cases.

Marion County's top prosecutor, Ryan Mears, recently announced that his department would no longer prosecute certain simple marijuana possession charges. Effectively immediately, the county will not prosecute possession charges against defendants who are found in possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. Mears said his office will continue to prosecute in cases involving larger amounts.

Police shows on television have made most of us familiar with the phrase "You have the right to remain silent," but unless you have experience with the criminal justice system, you have probably not given much thought to what the phrase means.

The right to remain silent is the first of four rights police must read to you before they interrogate you: You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law; you have the right to an attorney; if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. These are known as Miranda rights, after Miranda v. Arizona, an important Supreme Court case.

The growth of the internet has been accompanied by a similar growth in the use of the internet to commit various kinds of crimes, including fraud and theft. Some internet crimes involve the theft of personal information, while others depend on the use of the internet for various kinds of fraud. For example, a local man has recently been arrested and charged with several crimes in the latter category.

According to the probable cause affidavit submitted by police, the man knew how to alter the bar codes on merchandise in big box stores, such as Target and Walmart. The scheme involved altering the bar codes to lower the price of an item as the bar code was scanned at the checkout counter. The suspect then allegedly sold the items on an eBay account for the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

Sometimes mistakes are made. Mistakes can be relatively minor and not harm anyone except perhaps, the person who made the mistake. However, mistakes may be made that lead to the death of another person. If a person causes the death of another person, but had no intention of doing so, can they be charged with a crime?

In certain circumstances, a person in Indiana who did not intend to kill anyone could still be charged with involuntary manslaughter. One of these situations is if a person kills someone on accident because of another person's criminal negligence.