Westchester New York Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Second-Hand Smoke: Marijuana Consumption in Public Places

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In 2021, New York legalized the possession of marijuana for recreational use. Similar to alcohol, the legislation also intended to keep the drug out of the hands of childre...

Use of Stun Belts by New York Corrections Officers

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Corrections officers provide a necessary service to manage those accused of or convicted of crimes who are in custody. To that end, officers may need to use various forms o...

Swatting May Become a Felony Offense in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When a false report of a crime is made, this can result in criminal charges against the reporting person. If a person makes a report intending to get a large police respons...

Use of Ballistics Evidence in Court Called Into Question

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When a firearm is used in a crime, bullets and fragments can be left at the scene. For investigators, this can be a source of potentially identifying evidence. But can poli...

When Physicians Face Charges in NY Criminal Courts

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In New York, when a person becomes a physician, they get a license through the Department of State. There are many collateral consequences of an arrest or conviction, and f...

Phantom Vehicles: When a Car Has Counterfeit License Plates

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Recently in the news, there has been a lot of talk about “phantom vehicles” and “ghost cars.” These are motor vehicles that have either counterfeit license plates, or the p...

Actually Innocent: How Common Are Wrongful Convictions?

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Blackstone’s ratio is taught in many criminal law classes. Written by English jurist William Blackstone, the idea is that it is better that ten guilty persons go free than...

NYC Says It Is “Cracking Down” on Retail Theft

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. You’ve probably read about it in the news – in recent years, there’s been a reported increase retail theft in New York. According to some, the increase can be attributed to...

When an Innocent Person Accepts a Plea Bargain

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Getting arrested and charged with a crime can be one of the scariest things to happen to a person. But what if that person is truly, factually innocent of the crime? When f...

Coercive Control: Another Form of Domestic Violence

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In 2020, Hannah Clark and her three children were murdered by Hannah’s ex-husband in Queensland Australia. The husband doused Hannah and the car in which their children wer...

Using New York’s Online Docket Search & Filing Websites

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When you have a case pending, it can be difficult to keep up with its status. Keeping track of court dates, organizing documents – the task can be overwhelming. In New York...

GPS Darts: How Police Use Them in Vehicle Pursuits

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Many of us vividly remember when OJ Simpson was being pursued by the LAPD prior to his arrest back in the 1990s. Yet this was an infamous “low speed” chase. When it comes t...