On Dec. 22, it was reported that authorities took a 27-year-old West Virginia woman into custody after she was accused of being involved in a marijuana drug deal. The woman was accused of dealing with a man who was believed to be involved in a murder that occurred in the same area where the alleged deal went down.
West Virginia DOT spokesman faces drunk driving charge
News sources report that a man associated with an agency that works to reduce the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents on West Virginia roadways is now facing a drunk driving charge. According to a criminal complaint filed by law enforcement officials in Charleston, the Department of Transportation's director of communications was charged with DUI after allegedly failing a series of breath tests on Dec. 6. The complaint indicates that the 50-year-old man was pulled over by police at approximately 11:40 p.m.
Grounds for criminal appeals
If a West Virginia resident is convicted on a crime but there is evidence that court made an error during the trial, the convicted person may be eligible to seek a criminal appeal from an appellate court. However, there are certain requirements that the case must meet before an appellate court considers an appeal.
Work with an experienced trial attorney to preserve issues for appeal
When a criminal defendant decides to take a case to trial, his or her defense attorney knows it is possible that substantive or procedural issues may come up along the way that are not properly resolved and that an appeal may eventually be necessary. Whether or not the defense attorney who handles the trial goes on to handle a potential appeal of the case, it is important that at trial care is taken to preserve issues for appeal. This is because issues which are not preserved in the record usually cannot be brought up on appeal.
