Columbus OH Criminal Law Blog

According to zoo officials, there is no property damage, disorder was not reported and all 9,000 residents of the facility were unharmed. Nevertheless, two young men were arrested recently and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing for walking through the Columbus Zoo after midnight. The two, ages 21 and 19, are now faced with charges that may require a criminal defense to protect and uphold their rights.

A zoo employee called security when she saw the two men, one of them with a history of employment with the zoo, walking though the facility at 1:15 a.m. The call to security was made when the men purportedly did not respond to her calls. As a result, a search ensued for the men with multiple officers assisting from the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, including deployment of a helicopter search. The men apparently had gained access to the zoo through a utility fence. They were subsequently located and arrested.

Just over a month ago, we posted about the rise in scrap metal thefts and legislation that was going through the legislature to make it more difficult to sell scrap metal. Now, a new national study ranks Ohio as number one in the nation for scrap metal thefts. This statistic could lead to increased enforcement and possibly and increases in charges filed for theft.

According to the study conducted by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, there were 2,398 reported thefts of metal in Ohio between 2009 and 2011. This large number of thefts of often precious scrap metal could lead police to rigorously pursue prosecution of crimes related to property and metal thefts.

No matter what crime a person is charged with, accusations should always be taken seriously. Accusations of child pornography along with criminal charges in Ohio are especially serious. Last week a grand jury indicted a man on two counts of producing child pornography.

These charges could carry a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison per count. Because of the publicity surrounding this arrest and the potential punishment for a conviction, it is important to develop a solid criminal defense.

The Drug Enforcement Agency and the Ohio State Highway Patrol announced the arrest of five people for allegedly storing $1 million of marijuana inside heavy machinery in an abandoned warehouse. Drug charges in Ohio are taken very seriously and many pe ople can have their reputations ruined because of these charges. Therefore, it is important that those accused of crimes understand that they have rights.

Just because someone is arrested and the police announce their arrest to the public doesn't mean they are guilty. Many people are quick to assume that those accused of crimes are automatically guilty based on a news story. This presumption by the public can lead to pressure for police to secure a conviction, which may lead to violations of the accused person's rights.