Two Teenage Girls Arrested After Drugging ParentsPosted on: January 5, 2013 at 5:40 a.m.Two teenage girls in Northern California were arrested this week after allegedly drugging one of the girls’ parents in order to use the internet past curfew. According to reports, two unnamed girls in Rocklin, which is 20 miles southwest of Sacramento, purchased milkshakes from a nearby fast food restaurant on December 28th, then crushed several prescription sleeping pills into each drink. Of the two girls, one is 16 years old while the other is just 15. The girls gave the drug-laced milkshakes to the 16-year-olds parents, who fell asleep about an hour later. Both the mother and father woke up in the middle of the night and reportedly felt extremely groggy and had hangover-like symptoms, though neither had consumed any alcoholic beverages that evening. The following morning both parents were still said to have been feeling “really odd,” so they went to a nearby police station and purchased $5 drug screening kits. The tests, which are usually used by parents to test their children for drug use, showed traces of drugs. It was at that point that the parents contacted local police and eventually brought their daughter into the police station. Investigators later that the girls had schemed to put the 16-year-old’s parents to sleep in order to have access to the internet after the 10 p.m. curfew. Both girls were booked into the Placer County Juvenile Hall on December 31st on suspicion of conspiracy and willfully mingling a pharmaceutical into food. It is still unclear whether or not prosecutors will formally charge the girls with a crime. Investigators involved in the case also did not know what websites the two girls had accessed on the night in question. As a spokesman for the Rocklin police said, “Kids are crazy these days.” While not all kids may be certifiably crazy, many kids find themselves in real legal trouble all the time. Minors committing crimes are very often dealt with in very different ways from their adult counterparts. Many crimes committed by juveniles are handled through the juvenile court system, which differs in several important ways from the criminal justice system that adults may be familiar with. First, the juvenile court system aims more to correct criminal behavior in children instead of simply punishing it. Several laws in the state of California, however, make juvenile punishments for criminal activity just as harsh as those for adults. Depending on the severity of the crime and the age of the child, their case may be handed over to the adult criminal justice system anyway. Whatever the age of your child, if they have committed a crime, they need an experienced attorney to handle their case right away. Tagged as: juvenile crime, juvenile law 16-Year-Old Arrested for Murder In DowntownPosted on: November 13, 2011 at 6:36 a.m.A 16-year-old high school student was arrested for murder after gunning down a classmate near the 3rd Street Tunnel in downtown Los Angeles. The young man, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, had reportedly had a dispute with another 16-year-old classmate during the day at Central High School, a continuation school both boys were attending. The two boys were reportedly members of rival gangs and met after school was done for the day in mid-October at the 3rd Street Tunnel to resolve their dispute. The victim was shot multiple times in the torso and taken to nearby Los Angeles County U.S.C. medical center where he died of his wounds. The shooter was arrested while still armed at the scene of the crime by a local policeman who happened to be passing by and saw the incident. The defendant was taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall and is still awaiting trial. As any experienced Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney can attest, murder is a very serious crime, even for someone who is still a minor. The same Attorney can also tell you that crimes committed by minors are often treated very differently from crimes committed by adults. Children even have a completely different court system to deal with their criminal behavior and the appropriate punishments. An experienced lawyer knows that the criminal justice system that deal with children typically approaches them more with an eye to rehabilitate rather than simply punish. In recent times, however, many politicians gain favor with constituents by enacting "tough on crime" laws that still affect minors profoundly. For example, the experienced Attorney knows that the state of California's tough "Three Strikes" laws have been applied to minors. Under Three Strikes laws, a person who commits three eligible felony criminal offenses can be sent to a state prison for life. These sentences can be applied to crimes as serious as murder or assault, as well as seemingly smaller crimes such as theft, vandalism or drug possession crimes. If your child has been arrested for a criminal offense, call the offices of Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to a Defense Attorney about your son or daughter's case. Our attorneys have decades of experience in defending children and teenagers against criminal charges of all types and we know how to provide you and your child with the aggressive, experienced legal counsel you need at an important juncture in your lives. Tagged as: juvenile crime, juvenile law, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Juvenile Crime StatsPosted on: November 25, 2009 at 11:26 p.m.Juvenile crime is a serious issue in Los Angeles, with many gangs utlizing young people who may have lost their way. Our Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys actively represent all minors accused of Juvenile crime. Many of our attorneys have worked in Los Angeles district attorney's offices, which gives us a unique instight into Juvenile crime criminal trials, law enforcement tactics and much more. A new report by the County of San Diego revealed that arrests rates in the county have actually risen slightly over last year, in large part due to increasing numbers of minors being arrested for Juvenile crime. Unlike San Diego County, most other large counties in California, including Los Angeles, have seen a slight decrease in the number of arrests made over the last year. According to the San Diego Association of governments, adult arrests in the county rose just 1% while the number of minors being arrested jumped by 9%. Many parents are under the impression that children under the age of 18 either do not commit or are generally not arrested for criminal acts. This viewpoint could hardly be farther from reality. While it is true that crimes committed by minors in Los Angeles are taken very seriously indeed by law enforcement agencies, it is also true that courts tend to focus on more rehabilitative punishments. In Los Angeles, minors are even subject to a completely different judicial system when they commit a crime, the Juvenile Court System. In some states this same court system may also be called Family Court or Probate Court. The focus of many punishments for juveniles convicted of a crime is reforming or reshaping the child’s behavior. Many people believe that with the proper counseling, younger criminal offenders are more likely to “straighten up," and go on to lead normal, law-abiding lives. Minors who commit more serious Juvenile crimes may actually be tried in the regular, adult court system depending on the nature of their crime and their age. Because minors can and do commit crimes ranging from shoplifting and vandalism to assault, sex crimes and even murder, punishments also vary widely. Probation, counseling, community service, and fines are frequently given in the case of a conviction. For more serious crimes, juvenile offenders may find themselves sentenced to time in a juvenile detention center or even an adult jail. If your son or daughter has been charged with a Juvenile crime, call the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today. Our attorneys are experienced in dealing with juvenile crimes of all types and can help you navigate the often confusing Juvenile Court System. You would not give up on your child, and neither will we. Tagged as: juvenile crime, los angeles criminal defense attorney Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin LLP has been recognized as one of the best U.S. law firms, based on the experience, professionalism, and ethics of its criminal defense lawyers and attorneys. We aggressively defend clients in all Southern California courtrooms on state and federal charges, including DUI, DMV, misdemeanor, felony, juvenile cases, in the following communities and courthouses. |
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