Guns? Check. Ski Masks? Check? Bar Filled with Cops? Wait–

Imagine you and your buddy decide you’re gonna hold up a bar, like a pair of old-timey crooks. You put on your masks, walk into Monaghan’s Pub on Gwynn Oak, and demand money from the carryout register. You and your friend take off running, thinking you’ve finally made it, only to be caught by the…

Read More

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 More

Game 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 More

When 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 More

Dunkirk, 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 More

5 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 More

Maryland 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 More