Criminal Defense Blog

 

Get legal tips and answers to your common defense questions from experienced criminal defense lawyer Christopher T. Braddock.

When your future is on the line contact Christopher T. Braddock at 303-675-0100 or email him at [email protected].

Ways To Avoid a Domestic Violence Suit If You Choose To Spank Your Children

Avoid a domestic violence suit “Rossini would have been a great composer if his teacher had spanked him enough on his backside.” Ludwig Van Beethoven Times have changed since you and I were children. For generations parents and kids alike saw the value of parents providing love through the vehicle of discipline.  Here’s what the American … Continued

What Does The Right To A Fair Trial Mean?

Right to a Fair Trial State, federal, and even international law all purport to enforce every individual’s right to a fair trial. The United States Bill of Rights outlines our rights in any criminal prosecution through the Sixth Amendment.  It says: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public … Continued

Your rights on Drug Charges

If you or someone you know has been accused of drug possession, it's important to know your rights and build a strong defense.

The Facts and Figures Behind Internet Luring

The facts and figures behind internet luring Internet luring is described as using electronic devices such as the Internet or a cell phone to communicate with a child for the purpose of describing explicit sexual conduct or inviting a child to meet for any purpose. Use of technology for Internet luring in Denver and throughout … Continued

Juveniles Tried as Adults

Factors that Can Lead to a Juvenile Tried as an Adult At times, a judge may feel it is necessary to issue a waiver to move a child or young teen’s case to the adult court system. In most of these cases, the crimes involved with the charges are of the more serious nature or … Continued

Is Sexting a Crime?

Sexting Crime Over the last decade, a significant number of minors have been prosecuted for distribution of child pornography. These children were not abusing other children or producing child pornography for commercial purposes; instead, they simply took nude photos of themselves and sent them to others. Outdated Laws and the Rise of Smartphones Child pornography laws … Continued

Is Making Hash Oil Among the Denver Drug Crimes?

Is Hash Oil a Drug Crime Hash oil is an extract of marijuana leaves, essentially made to concentrate the THC component of the plant to create a more potent high. While the Attorney General of Colorado has declared that the production of hash oil is still illegal, there is a lot of confusion as to … Continued

How to Prepare for Your DUI Case

DUI Case Preparations Even if you believe you are innocent, and there is no way you will be found guilty of a DUI charge made against you, you may find that proving your innocence is not as simple as you hoped it to be. Christopher T. Braddock will show you how to prepare for your DUI case will … Continued

Finding The Best Criminal Defense Attorney in Denver – Part 2

Finding a criminal defense attorney Being charged with a crime in Denver, whether it’s a simple assault or something more serious such as a drug crime, can be one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. Finding the right Denver attorney to help beat that assault charge, or help find you innocent in … Continued

How to find the right criminal defense attorney in Denver – Part 1

Choosing the right attorney There are many capable defense attorneys in Denver who can assist people accused of a variety of crimes, ranging from burglary and petty theft to more serious crimes. Because any criminal charge against you is serious, it is in your own best interest to find the best possible attorney for your … Continued

Internet Exploitation of a Minor Explained

What is Internet Exploitation of a Minor? There are several charges that may be levied against a person who connects with a minor online for sex-related purposes.  A person may face an internet exploitation charge in Denver if (1) they are communicating with a child, who they know or believe, is under the age of … Continued

Don’t Let Prosecutors Bully You Into Pleading Guilty

  Have you been accused of racketeering? Are law enforcement officers making it sound like your only way out is to plead guilty to offenses for which you are innocent? The Burden Of Proof In order to adequately prove that you are guilty of racketeering or some organized crime offense, the prosecution will have to clearly establish … Continued

Does What I Wear to Court Really Matter?

Does What I Wear to Court Really Matter? Surprisingly, many people ask, “Does What I Wear to Court Really Matter?”  The best answer is, “Yes, it definitely matters.”  Regardless of whether you find that response ridiculous or offensive, your main concern should be ensuring that you are giving yourself the best possible opportunity to have a judge, … Continued

How is My Privacy Protected in a Pornography Case?

What are my privacy protections? Regardless of the type of pornography charges you face, you have a Constitutional right to privacy for your computer files on all your owned electronic devices. Police have been known to use highly technical forensic tools to search computers, phone records and handheld electronics for evidence in pornography cases. The … Continued

The Epidemic of Child Pornography​

Child Pornography is an Epidemic Time after time, Denver media has the unwelcome task of reporting cases of people accused of various forms of child pornography.  Nationwide, the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than one million children have been abused for the purposes of child pornography.  Despite FBI programs such as Operation Rescue … Continued

Arapahoe County Criminal Defense Lawyer

Arapahoe County Criminal Defense Lawyer It takes one mistake to alter your life irreversibly. Only one moment of misjudgment to potentially lose everything that you hold dear: your family, your freedom, and your livelihood. Although the United States legal system promoted the notion that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, Arapahoe County courts will … Continued

Criminal Defense Attorney Denver

Criminal Defense Attorney in Denver Without a doubt, being charged with a criminal offense can be life-altering. You are dealing with unhealthy amounts of stress all while trying to keep your life and your family together. What are your options? What are the next steps to take? In order to have success in your trial, … Continued

Criminal conspiracy can take on many forms

The many forms of criminal conspiracy   In U.S. criminal law, conspiracy is an umbrella term used to describe an agreement between two or more parties to commit an act at some point in the future that leads to a criminal outcome.  The act itself does not need to be a criminal act, but to … Continued

Convicted Denver sex offenders must register with a national database

Convicted sex offenders must register Aside from jail time and penalties, one of the consequences of being convicted of a sex crime in Denver is that an offender will be added to a national Sex Offender Registration database. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 created a national sex offender registration system.  … Continued

What It Means to be on Probation in Colorado

Probation Defined If you have been charged with and convicted of a felony or misdemeanor you may be eligible for probation after a risk assessment evaluation to determine the level of supervision you will need to prevent your becoming a repeat offender. The Court will set specific conditions and terms depending upon the type of offense committed … Continued

Colorado Sex Assault Laws: Does One Size Fit All?

One size fits all? If you take a look at the long list of various Colorado sex assault sex offense laws (available here), you’ll see that they range from high-level misdemeanors all the way up to high-level felonies — sentences range from a mere 6 months up to 24 years. But what you might easily miss … Continued

Colorado Internet Luring Laws Are Deeply Flawed

Flawed Laws Here in Colorado, ‘Internet Luring’ is defined as “communicating with a child under 15 and more than four years younger than yourself about anything sexually explicit, then subsequently as part of the same communication, inviting or persuading the child to meet with you in person for any purpose.” That sounds pretty comprehensive, and in … Continued

Colorado Child Pornography Laws: Sexting

Pornography Sexting Laws Sexting or the act of sending nude or semi-nude pictures intended to provoke an illicit thrill via any instant messaging system is presenting legislators, litigants, and lawyers with a painful grey area within the law. On the one side, sexual exploration is a perfectly normal part of teenage behavior. The ability to … Continued

The Law in Colorado: Sex Assault Includes Revenge Porn?

Revenge Porn The phenomenon of ‘revenge porn’ is one of the many Internet-related fads causing chaos in American legal circles. In essence, revenge porn is when you take the illicit material given to you by a boy- or girl-friend during the course of your relationship and make them publicly available to their detriment. Of course, … Continued

Better Defining the Crime of Child Enticement​

Child Enticement On the surface, the term “child enticement” is a vague term that, outside of legal circles, is not easily understood.  In past years, child enticement meant engaging children for the purpose of luring them into sexual activities. As technology has broadened, this kind of criminal activity in Denver has taken on added importance … Continued

An attorney is an integral part of helping you stop domestic violence

How an attorney can help you stop domestic violence While many citizens of Denver think of domestic abuse as confrontations between spouses, in reality, domestic violence can take place between all kinds of family members, including: Parent abuse Child abuse Spousal abuse Elder abuse Sibling violence No matter who it is directed at, domestic violence … Continued

Allowances For Colorado Residents Removal From Sex Offender Registry

Sex Offender Registry If you are convicted of sexual assault or any sex offense in the state of Colorado you could not only face strict immediate penalties if convicted, but after you are finished fulfilling your punishment there will be enduring consequences to work through. Colorado, like most states, requires any resident that has a … Continued

Accused Of ID Theft? What’s Next? | Denver Defense Attorney

Accused Of ID Theft? What’s Next? “Too often, those convicted (of identity theft) have been sentenced to little or no time in prison. This changes today. This new law establishes… the offense of aggravated identity theft. Someone convicted of that crime can expect to go to jail…” President George W. Bush In 2004, President George … Continued

A Primer on Sexual Assault Charges in Colorado

Primer on Sexual Assault Charges In Denver and throughout Colorado, being accused of a sexual assault crime is a serious matter that can result in life-changing incarceration.  Even the stigma of being accused without a conviction can be one of the most difficult things a person may ever face. Criminal courts in Colorado deal with … Continued

A Denver Sex Attorney On 'Sextortion' in the Mile High City

What is Sextortion ‘Sextortion’ is widely known as an act in which one person uses sexually explicit material containing images of another person in order to force that other person into obedience, using the threat of publicizing the explicit materials as leverage. Quite often, the ‘obedience’ in question is assumed to be sexual in nature: … Continued

A Denver Colorado Domestic Violence Attorney Talks About DV

Domestic violence The phrase has been used and abused by TV crime dramas to the point of having almost nothing to do with its actual legal meaning and purpose. Domestic violence calls to mind a wide range of stereotypes, few of which approach anything like reality. This misperception is important because being accused — much … Continued

A Denver Assault Attorney On What 'Assault' Means, Part 2

What Assault Means In Part 1, we introduced Denver assault attorney Christopher T. Braddock, who gave us everything we needed to understand what we’re about to see below. So, on with the details: Assault in the First Degree is a Class 3 Felony, and Assault in the First Degree in the Heat of Passion is a … Continued

A Denver Assault Attorney On What 'Assault' Means, Part 1

Defining Assault in Legal Terms There’s a lot of confusion with the word ‘assault’ among non-lawyers. It’s amplified by the constant connection in the media to the terms ‘sexual’ and ‘…and battery.’ Here, Denver assault attorney Christopher T. Braddock gets down to the nitty-gritty. ‘Assault’ in legal terms — at least, the State of Colorado’s legal terms — comes in … Continued

A Colorado Criminal Defense Attorney on Cell Phone Searches

Colorado Rules on Cell Phone Searches So you’ve been placed under arrest, and right there on the spot, the police snatch up your phone and start perusing it, looking at your call history for evidence they can use against you. Is that legal? What if they search your text message history? What if they wait until you’re en route … Continued