Posts by Drew Cochran
WHEN DOES A DUI BECOME A DWI?
Probably, the only time you ever get convicted of a DWI is if you refuse the take the breath test at the station. Let’s say for example that you’ve been pulled over in the middle of the night. The officer subjects you to field sobriety tests – which you should refuse. However, following a failed…
Read MoreGame of Thrones, Not Game of Bones
Let’s set the scene. You’ve got the popcorn, a box of candy, your favorite blanket and a beverage, and you’re all set to finally start your GoT marathon. You curl up on the chair, connect the laptop to the TV, and hit “play.” And then you think, Gee, there’s an AWFUL lot of direwolf sex…
Read MoreWhen You Hide from the Cops, Tuck Your Legs In
I’ve talked about some silly crimes in my blog, but they’re usually committed by dopey Americans. Today, I’m going across the pond because this whole story is ridiculous, and I can’t not share it. The West Yorkshire Police recently posted a picture of guy, wanted for questioning for some reason or another, trying to hide…
Read MoreDon’t Get on That Segway After You’ve Been Drinking (and Other Weird DUI-Related Things)
DUI – driving under the influence – is a crime in Maryland. If you get caught behind the wheel after having a few drinks, you can get arrested for driving under the influence. A DUI conviction costs you time, money and freedom. The law says that you can’t drive, or attempt to drive, any vehicle…
Read MoreWHAT’S THE LEGAL LIMIT IN MARYLAND FOR DRINKING AND DRIVING?
The legal limit for drinking and driving is commonly believed to be .08, but in the State of Maryland, the legal limit is actually .07. A DWI (Driving While Impaired) is .07. A DUI (Driving Under the Influence) is .08. Both are punishable by jail, and both are subject to points against your license. Generally…
Read MoreDunkirk, Hacksaw Ridge, and the Many Faces of PTSD
If you haven’t seen Dunkirk or Hacksaw Ridge yet, bookmark this blog and watch both movies. Both films deal with decisive events during WWII – the Battle of Dunkirk, long considered an Allied defeat, and the battle to take “Hacksaw Ridge,” a stronghold of the Japanese in Okinawa. Both movies depict the bloody realities of…
Read More5 Legal Mistakes that Make Movies Look Super Dumb
From buddy cop flicks to Law and Order, you can find evidence of a healthy respect for the law all over the big and small screens. When you’re watching a movie, you have to suspend belief, just for a few hours, to get the full effect. Movies often stretch both reality and the limits of…
Read MoreMaryland Has Some Weird Laws, You Guys
Nobody, including me, likes to follow “dumb” rules. Unfortunately, Maryland’s legal code is chock-full of some pretty bizarre laws and regulations. In my spare time, I read Maryland’s legal codes — mostly so I can clean up in pub trivia, but also because it might some day help me at my job. And I have…
Read MoreSelling “Baked” Goods at a School Baseball Game = Illegal
Into every like, they say, a little rain must fall. Unless you’re in Florida, where the rains come every day (both literally and figuratively). Today’s gem is care of the New York Post: “Robert Johnson, 38, is charged with making [pot brownies] and giving them to his teenage daughter to peddle at a [baseball] game.”…
Read MoreVOP – VIOLATION OF PROBATION
If you’ve been to court, and the judge gave you probation before judgement, or gave you a suspended sentence, then you’ll be placed into probation. Probation is a special set of rules that apply just to you that are set by the judge. Generally it’s a year, 18 months, or in Circuit Court it could…
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