If you’ve been charged with statutory rape in Murrieta, Temecula, or anywhere in Southwest Riverside County, your case will be handled in the Riverside County courts at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta — and the information you find about the charge online tends to be either alarming or misleading. The charge — known in…
If you’re facing a felony hit and run charge in Murrieta, Temecula, or anywhere in Southwest Riverside County, the case will be handled at the Southwest Justice Center and prosecuted by the Riverside County District Attorney’s office — and the most important thing to understand is what actually has to be proven. A felony hit…
In this age of helicopter-parenting, the term “child endangerment” is bandied about all the time. The media is full of stories of parents who have to battle child protective services and law enforcement because they allow their children to walk home from the park alone or tell their five-year-old there is no school on Saturday…
In my experience, young people who are sexually active are savvy about important issues. They are aware that it is important to take precautions against pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and to obtain valid consent between partners. But if either member of the couple is under 18, then a night together can turn into a life-shattering…
Uttering criminal threats in California can have serious legal repercussions. The state of California handles criminal threats as either a misdemeanor or felony. But what constitutes a criminal threat? California Penal Code Section 422, reveals that simply telling someone you will kill them (or cause bodily harm) is not enough to constitute a criminal threat….
When police investigate a suspected burglary, they carefully comb the scene for evidence that a suspect might have left behind. In extreme cases, suspects might leave themselves behind (as with this recent alleged break-in involving a suspect who fell asleep on the victim’s couch). But more often, the evidence is subtle. It can also remain…
The Internet has changed the world in big, important ways. It’s allowed people from different countries and cultures to exchange ideas in ways that would never before have been possible, and it’s altered the way social movements, politics, and even big business works in the modern age. It has, in a real sense, revolutionized how…
Under California Vehicle Codes 20001 and 20002, a hit-and-run charge can result from leaving the scene of a car accident without first making your identifying information known to anyone else involved. The accident in question needs to result in another person’s property getting damaged (misdemeanor hit-and-run) or another person sustaining injuries (felony hit-and-run). The following…
Under California Penal Codes 451 and 452, there are two main types of arson charges. One of them involves deliberately and maliciously setting a fire; this is the criminal act called ‘arson’ and is a felony. The second is called “reckless arson” or “reckless burning” which also involves setting a fire to property or forest…
Often, folks don’t fully realize they’ve committed sexual battery. They believe they haven’t had contact with another in a way not allowed by law. The Law Office of Nic Cocis understands this, and we want to make sure our clients get authoritative representation according to the way California looks at Sexual Battery. California Penal Code…
Two high-profile arson cases made the national news in California recently. One of them involved a huge blaze that caused millions of dollars in damage to an apartment complex currently under construction in LA; as reported in the news, police found accelerant in the midst of the destruction, and they have footage of two unidentified…
When you were a teenager, did you ever do something that was, quite frankly, not very smart? Most of us did. As we mature into adulthood, a lot of us make mistakes in judgment because our decision-making process isn’t yet as refined as it should be. One 16-year-old girl seems to have made a rather…
If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges in Southwest Riverside County, time is critical. Contact the Law Office of Nic Cocis today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
