Advertising Materials Ventura County Wiretaps Successfully Challenged – Case Dismissed Note:  This article does not constitute legal advice.  The materials should be used for information purposes only.  Wiretap litigation is extremely complex.  You should contact a competent criminal defense lawyer immediately if you are arrested following an investigation built upon wiretap evidence. Attorney William Haney…

Penal Code Section 171b – Unauthorized Possession of Weapons in Public Buildings and Meetings Penal Code Section 171b punishes individuals who bring specified weapons into public buildings and meetings open to the public. This blog post is for information purposes only.   In the author’s opinion, a person should always refrain from carrying anything even closely…

Penal Code Section 148.4 – Malicious Tampering with Fire Alarm1 Penal Code Section 148.4(a) Violations (Misdemeanor) The prosecution must prove the following beyond a reasonable doubt: The Defendant “willfully” and “maliciously” tampered with fire protection equipment; OR The Defendant “willfully” and “maliciously” transmitted a false message indicating the presence of a fire by any electronic…

Penal Code Section 148.2 – Interfering with Firemen and Rescue Personnel Pursuant to Section 148.2, it is a misdemeanor to “willfully” obstruct firemen or other emergency rescue personnel form discharging to attempting to discharge their official duties under any of the following circumstances: By resisting or interfering with the lawful effort of a fireman or…

Simulating Official Inquiries – Penal Code Section 146b Penal Code Section 146b provides misdemeanor-level punishment for any person who makes a demand for information by posing as a member of a government agency. You are guilty of a misdemeanor if you ask for, or demand information from a person while misrepresenting that you are part of…

Drug Treatment – Not Jail, by Bill Haney, Ventura County Criminal Defense Attorney Today, I had the privilege of representing a woman charged with child endangerment in the Ventura County Superior Court. The District Attorney demanded a 270-day jail sentence as punishment. We submitted letters, a detailed sentencing brief and life history information to the…

Inducing the Testimony of a Witness Through Force, Threat of Force or Fraud – Penal Code Section 137(b) California law offers harsh punishment to any person who attempts to undermine the integrity of the criminal justice system by using force, threat of force or fraud to influence a person who is about to give information…

Witness Intimidation – Penal Code Section 136.1 California law harshly punishes anyone who interferes with the legal system through an act of witness intimidation. The crime is broadly defined and heavily used in some jurisdictions like Ventura County. Elements of the Offense: There are several forms of witness intimidation under California law: Witness Intimidation Defined…

Willfully Causing the Execution of an Innocent Person – Penal Code Section 128 Penal Code Section 128 was passed by the Legislature to deter witnesses from offering untruthful testimony to unjustly cause the execution of someone facing the death penalty.1 Under California law, every person who, by means of perjury or subornation of perjury, causes…

Subornation of Perjury – Penal Code Section 127 The crime of subornation of perjury occurs whenever a person solicits someone else to commit perjury. A person commits perjury when he knowingly and intentionally lies about a material fact in any legal proceeding.1 Elements of the Offense: To prove the crime of subornation of perjury, the…