Utah prosecutors bring a large number of drug prosecutions every year. Many drug cases involve possession crimes, in which a person is caught with a controlled substance on their body. One of the least commonly understood facts about drug possession is that a person can be charged with drug possession even when they do not …
Judge William A. Thorne Jr. recently upheld the conviction of a man accused to selling crack to an undercover officer. The man was convicted of distributing or arranging to distribute a controlled substance, which is a felony. The man appealed his conviction due to various evidentiary problems in the case. Central to the man’s appeal …
Utah appeals court upholds man’s crack dealing conviction Read More »
In a surprise move earlier this month, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced that the federal government would no longer seek mandatory minimum penalties for low-level drug crimes. The move promises to drastically reduce the prison sentences handed out to first-time, nonviolent offenders. Mandatory minimum sentences are laws passed by Congress that force judges …
No more mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders Read More »
Sandy police have arrested a 24-year-old man who they allege carried on a relationship with a 13-year-old girl. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the two started a relationship on Facebook and eventually met in person and had sexual relations. The alleged underage sex crimes occurred three times in Salt Lake City. Although the sex …
Sandy man arrested for drug and underage sex crimes Read More »
The Utah Supreme Court recently affirmed a man’s conviction of methamphetamine possession by finding that a deputy did not improperly extend the duration of the man’s detention during a traffic stop. Every Utah resident has a constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. This right is implicated during traffic stops in which police officers will …
Utah Supreme Court Upholds Drug Possession Conviction Read More »
In our last post we discussed the appeal of a California man who was arrested in Utah for marijuana possession. The arrest followed a Summit County traffic stop during a saturation patrol by the Utah Highway Patrol. UHP officers heard from California officials that the marijuana crop would be harvested that November, so they decided …
Court: UHP Stop Did Not Violate Drug Trafficker’s Rights Read More »
An alleged drug trafficker recently made an interesting constitutional argument while appealing his drug trafficking charges. Utah Highway Patrol officers allegedly found 105 pounds of marijuana in the man’s car after it was stopped on a rural stretch of Interstate 80 in Summit County in November of 2008. The UHP was conducting a high volume …
Drug Trafficker Makes Constitutional Claim After Traffic Stop Read More »
A California man was recently convicted in connection with a 2012 marijuana grow in the southern Utah mountains. Authoities say that the marijuana grow was in Iron County on land controlled by the U.S. Forest Service. There were approximately 4,211 marijuana plants found in the grow area, where trees were cut down in the forest …
Man sentenced for a Southern Utah marijuana grow Read More »
A Utah court recently upheld a Salt Lake City man’s cocaine possession conviction on a constructive possession theory. The man’s case shows that you can be convicted for cocaine possession even when authorities do not find any drugs on your person. Constructive possession cases are highly fact-specific and often fall on the strength of the …
Appeals court upholds man’s cocaine possession conviction Read More »
A Salt Lake County father has been arrested after allegedly attempting to kill himself and his disabled adult son following a fight with his wife. Police say that the suicide attempt happened on Christmas Day and the man has been booked on attempted murder charges. “He was feeling overwhelmed,” the arresting police officer noted. “He …
Salt Lake County father arrested after suicide attempt Read More »