SQ Attorneys

Social Media is all the rage and continues to grow in popularity every day. Privacy protections, as it relates to social media, are also something that must continue grow. In line with this philosophy, Washington recently became the fifth state this year to sign into law protections surrounding social-media passwords at the workplace and at job interviews. The measure bars employers from asking for Facebook, Twitter or other social-media personal passwords during job interviews or the work place. The bill only goes so far, however; the bill allows companies to request “content” of employee social-media sites during internal investigations, which can be opened if an employer has received a tip that a worker may be leaking valuable company information or otherwise committing a crime.

If you or a loved one is charged with a criminal offense in Washington State, it is imperative that you seek the assistance of a qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense attorney. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case.

North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing is not being charged for allegedly hitting his wife with a golf club. The King County Prosecutor’s Office based its decision not to file charges on: (1) the mayor’s wife’s desire not to assist in the prosecution; (2) the wife’s drunken demeanor when police officers arrived on scene; (3) inconsistencies in the mayor’s and wife’s stories; (4) and the wife’s declining health issues. The interesting fact is that in similar cases which do not involve a government official, it often seems that prosecutors generally elect to file criminal charges. This, in turn, often makes the general public feel that favoritism is at play, and has in the past bred animosity between the government and its citizens.

Mayor Hearing was arrested and booked into King County jail on March 26, 2013, after he asked the police to come to his home, saying that his drunken wife was tormenting him and he didn’t know what to do. He allegedly told police that he didn’t want to “lose it again,” as he had two days earlier when she taunted him until he “let her have it.” Allegedly the mayor struck his wife with a 5-iron golf club on March 24, 2013, and a photograph was taken of a 6 inch bruise on her thigh. Mayor Hearing later allegedly claimed that he wielded the golf club to locate a liquor bottle under the covers where his wife was laying in bed. The wife, however, allegedly claimed that the mayor had hit her while they were both standing at their front door.

In a similar “no complaint filed” decision by the King County Prosecutor’s Office, a former Snohomish County District Court Judge was recently arrested for DUI. Upon a review of the police incident report, however, the judge was curiously not charged with DUI or any other crime. Many folks may feel that, especially in the current political climate, a DUI charge would be filed if the incident did not involve a governmental agent, such as a judge. Undoubtedly prosecutors across the state would claim otherwise, and that favoritism is not at play. Therein lies the beauty of our country – we are all free to have our own opinions; the curse is that we are all exposed to the decisions of a few.

If you or a loved one is charged with a criminal offense in Washington State, it is imperative that you seek the assistance of a qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense attorney. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case.

On May 1, 2013 Washington finalized significant changes to the state’s definition of marijuana. The change came about because of a portion of the I-502 legislation that was drafted to distinguish marijuana from industrial hemp. The measure defined marijuana as having more than 0.3 percent of a certain intoxicating compound, Delta-9 THC. Scientist’s with the Washington crime lab claimed that even very potent marijuana can have less than 0.3 percent of Delta-9 THC, and that other compounds, when actually heated or burned, turn into Delta-9 THC; thus, giving pot its full potency. So, instead of just accounting for one intoxicating compound, the new measure now accounts for both components, defining marijuana as having more than 0.3 percent of the two compounds added together.

If you or a loved one is charged with a marijuana related criminal offense in Washington State it is imperative that you seek the assistance of a qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense attorney. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case.

As almost all criminal attorneys know, alcohol related crimes generally involve either a driving under the influence allegation or a domestic violence allegation. Not all allegations, however, are DUI or DV based. Just ask Oklahoma Sooner sophomore quarterback Kendal Thompson. Thompson was recently arrested in Norman Oklahoma on suspicion of public intoxication and allegedly refusing to obey a police officer’s orders. Now he is facing the prospect of jail, probation and fines. He is also facing the prospect of being suspended from the team. He’d best be served by immediately retaining an attorney who will work to minimize the impact of what he faces in Oklahoma’s criminal courts.

Like Mr. Thompson, folks in Washington who face an alcohol based criminal charge would best be served by hiring a qualified Seattle criminal attorney to help them with the meanderings of our criminal court system. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle criminal defense lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case. So, whether cited for DUI, DV, MIP, public intoxication or some other alcohol related crime, protect yourself … call SQ Attorneys immediately.