Virginia Beach Criminal Defense Law Blog

A recent automobile accident in Virginia Beach has led to criminal charges filed against the driver. Reports state that the 43-year-old woman was driving her truck through a residential area early in the morning. While driving through the neighborhood, she averted a school bus, which was stopped on the side of the road. She then lost control of the vehicle, however, drove into a resident's yard, and struck a father and three children who were walking down their driveway to catch the school bus. The woman has been charged with DUI, assault, and other offenses.

One of the children has been released from the hospital. The father and another of the children remain hospitalized in good condition. The third child, however, is listed in critical condition.

When most people in Virginia hear the words "child sex abuse" they may think of grown men or women praying on children, but not all cases of sexual assault are committed by adults. While juvenile sexual assaults are often not talked about, they do exist, leaving many children and teenagers facing punishment that could destroy their lives. According to the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, it is difficult to punish children who commit sexual abuse on children because "we fail to protect the public on one hand, or we ruin the lives of young people who might otherwise be headed in a healthy direction."

Of the children who are arrested and convicted on sex crimes charges, between 85 and 95 percent of them will never re-offend, but oftentimes they are punished as if they will. The federal Adam Walsh Act requires that some children who commit sex crimes are required to register with the sex-offender registry. While the federal law requires juveniles as young as 14 to register, some states have even younger children on their state sex-offender registries, including at least one 9-year-old.

Virginia law enforcement officials exert considerable effort in apprehending DUI suspects. Indeed, a favorable judicial outcome can seem difficult to achieve for those detained on a DUI arrest. However, it is important to reserve jumping to conclusions about DUI charges until the exact circumstances of an incident have been carefully examined.

A Fort Eustis-based staff sergeant was involved in a fatal crash that resulted in the deaths of two Newport University students Dec. 4. He has not yet been charged in the case, but it was recently reported that the man had been stopped on three previous occasions on charges of drunk driving. Late last month, the man was sentenced to a year in jail after being convicted of a DUI offense related to a September arrest. He subsequently sought release on bond pending an appeal, but was turned down.

Virginia residents who have lost someone due to drinking and driving will likely want to see that individual held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and rightly so. However, any person that is accused of criminal charges has the right to full trial and is considered innocent until proven otherwise.

A Virginia man is currently waiting for his day in court after being accused of drinking and driving in an accident that killed two siblings from Lynchburg.