Posted by Andrew Segal | Nov 03, 2017 |
The real question is whether one witness can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that someone committed the crime.
The answer is yes.
To give an unpleasant (but true) example, when I was in the District Attorneys office we had a rape case. The evidence consisted solely of the testimony of th...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Sep 19, 2017 |
In Alabama, you can go to jail for carrying a concealed slingshot.
Thats right. Under Alabama law, f youre carrying a slingshot ” concealed about your person” you must be fined no less than $50 or more than $500 and you can be imprisoned in the county jail and sentenced to hard labor for the...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Sep 11, 2017 |
What mummified hands, the oath, and the modern jury trial have in common.
Posted by Andrew Segal | Sep 11, 2017 |
Trial by ordeal; if you ever wanted to know where the saying "you're in hot water" or "trial by fire" came from, you are in the right place.
Posted by Andrew Segal | Sep 11, 2017 |
Trial by combat: the old-school way of resolving disputes!
Posted by Andrew Segal | May 25, 2017 |
If you're a suspect in a criminal case, the police may ask you to take a polygraph test.
Ultimately, you should speak with a lawyer before you make any decision but in the meantime, there are three reasons why you might not want to take a polygraph test.
Results of a polygraph test are al...
Posted by Andrew Segal | May 25, 2017 |
The United States Supreme Court said in the case of Alabama vs. Shelton, a court cannot impose a suspended sentence that will result in a person actually going to jail unless that person was represented by an attorney when he was prosecuted for the original case.
The Supreme Court's reasoning wa...
Posted by Andrew Segal | May 01, 2017 |
In Alabama is it illegal to wear a fake beard in church?
Under Alabama law, if someone (without lawful authority) disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons they have committed the crime of disorderly conduct. A person who is convicted of this crime faces up to three months in jail and ...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Mar 28, 2017 |
III. Theft of property, Third Degree.
If you steal something with a negative value, something that's worth no money, or worth less than no money, could you go to prison?
Say I leave my Debit card on my desk. The card is worthless since I have a negative $2000 balance on it. Now, Dumb Dan co...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Feb 08, 2017 |
Everything you want to know about Sodomy in Alabama but were afraid to ask.
What is the legal definition of sodomy in Alabama?
Alabama does not independently define sodomy as a crime but defines criminal actions involving deviant sexual intercourse as sodomy crimes.
Deviant sexual intercou...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Jan 24, 2017 |
Posted by Andrew Segal | Jan 23, 2017 |
Posted by Andrew Segal | Jan 22, 2017 |
Posted by Andrew Segal | Jan 20, 2017 |
In Alabama is it a crime to offer somebody money to not press charges?
The answer is, I‘m going to give you an example, and you're going to tell me if the person is guilty or not.
Let's say I have a friend Knuckles Malone, and Knuckles gets mad and smashes his neighbor's windshield. The next da...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Nov 14, 2016 |
The Law Offices Of Segal & Segal are former prosecutors who put their experience to work defending the rights of the accused. Call us today (256) 533-4529.
Posted by Andrew Segal | Nov 02, 2016 |
Years back I had a case where a woman was with a drunken male friend. She was the driver of a car and they stopped late one night at a Wal-Mart. The man got out of the car and attempted to kidnap and rape a woman. My client was also charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted rape. I will tel...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Oct 28, 2016 |
1. What is expungement?
Expungement is the process by which an arrest record can be sealed or “wiped clean” from one's record.
2. If my records are expunged, what does it mean?
It means the information pertaining to the case, is no longer available to the public.Information maintained by the s...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Oct 21, 2016 |
Why you might go to jail if you chainsaw a Zombie in Huntsville, Alabama.
I'm shooting this video right before Halloween. Today's question is “Could you go to jail if you chainsaw a zombie in Huntsville, Alabama? Of course, we have to assume zombies are real for this question, but, if you if the...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Oct 18, 2016 |
Can you go to jail for wearing a clown mask in Huntsville, Alabama?
In light of all of these creepy clown sightings, some of you might wonder whether or not it's a crime for somebody just stand around in a clown mask. In other words, if you're just standing around wearing a clown mask in public ...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Oct 12, 2016 |
For an officer to pull you over you must either have at least reasonable suspicion that a crime has been, is being or is about to be committed.
Reasonable suspicion means that there are articulable facts or circumstances on which the officer bases his belief it can't be just a mere hunch....
Posted by Andrew Segal | Oct 12, 2016 |
After a traffic stop in Huntsville Alabama when can the police search you and your car? There are at least seven reasons the police can search you and your car after a lawful traffic stop. The first is if you give consent. This means that even if the police might not have been permitted to do so ...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Jul 18, 2016 |
Some lawyers intentionally will not ask their clients whether or not they committed the crime. To most non-lawyers, this seems strange.
Even lawyers have different opinions on whether or not to ask a client whether or not they committed the crime.
Should I tell my lawyer I committed a crime in ...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Apr 08, 2016 |
Alabama's criminal justice system divides the crime of possession of marijuana into two degrees.
I. Possession of Marijuana in the Second Degree-Misdemeanor Possession
A person who knowingly in possession of marijuana for their own personal use (and who has never been convicted of possession of...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Mar 14, 2016 |
I represented a client who had just finished serving a seven-year prison sentence for trafficking cocaine. Three weeks after his release he was trafficking again.
This time he made the mistake of hitting his girlfriend. She called the police on him. When the police came to his apartment, she sho...
Posted by Andrew Segal | Mar 03, 2016 |
Child Abuse
Alabama has two criminal child abuse laws.
The first of these is designed to punish parents, stepparents, guardians or other “responsible persons” (as defined by Alabama law) from willfully torturing, abusing, cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating any child or children...