North Carolina Criminal Lawyers

When someone is killed by a drunk driver, it’s a tragedy. Preventing such deaths should be of major concern. The Charlotte Observer published an editorial this week suggesting the best way to do this is by strengthening laws to more harshly penalize drunk drivers. [read more...]

The Charlotte Observer published an interesting article this week exposing a little known fact about North Carolina treatment courts: that they cannot use the ankle bracelets designed to detect alcohol in the body. Due to a committee decision in 2007 judges in these treatment courts aren’t allowed to utilize what some other state’s see as a useful tool in alcohol offense control. [read more...]

The Winston-Salem area is looking to streamline DWI cases as Forsyth County adds a DWI specific court, and works to get through the backlog of DWI cases that have piled up. [read more...]

The US Supreme Court’s Recent Melendez-Diaz decision changing the rules of allowed forensic and scientific evidence, is not expected to be a significant factor in the prosecution of cases that previously used documentary evidence. [read more...]

The North Carolina General Assembly is proposing a mandatory ignition interlock law on any first offense DWI conviction. House Bill 1489 has been passed signed off on by the House Science and Technology Committee, and currently sits in the Committee on Judiciary for further action. [read more...]

An afternoon wedding at the Council Baptist Church this past weekend didn’t happened as planned. The church was decorated, the bride was dressed, and they were just waiting on the groom. Brandon Tedder, age 23, was on his way to his big day with his best man and his little brother when tragedy struck. The Prelude Tedder was driving was hit head on and all three died instantly.

A horrific interruption to the day this couple had waited nearly 8 years for. The other vehicle involved was a Sebring Convertible driven by John Daniel Kelley of Whiteville.   He also had a passenger, his 17 year old son Michael. Upon arriving on the scene troopers found several empty alcoholic containers in the Sebring according to this report from WRAL.

Kelley’s blood was drawn and he was immediately charged with DWI. He could face additional charges for the deaths that occurred although the prosecutor has failed to disclose that as of yet. Kelley is currently hospitalized and listed in serious condition. [read more...]