Maryland Law Blog

Investigators expect to file charges against the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in a light rail crash that occurred March 23, 2010 in Cockeysville, Maryland. According to The Baltimore Sun, the 53-year-old driver was traveling in a 2007 Volvo cab pulling a Wabash trailer filled with plastic bottles. The driver allegedly crossed Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) train tracks at a traffic signal, causing the collision.

The southbound light rail MTA train hit the truck and pushed it down the tracks, splitting the trailer and causing plastic bottles to scatter all over the area. The detached trailer then collided with a 2009 Honda Civic that had been behind the Volvo.

As of March 24, the driver of the MTA train operator remained in Maryland Shock Trauma Center in serious, but stable, condition. Both the Honda and tractor-trailer drivers refused medical treatment on the scene. Investigation into the train collision in Maryland is ongoing.

Continue reading " Charges Expected For Truck Driver in Light Rail Crash " »

According to The Daily Times, the Maryland House of Delegates unanimously passed two more bills regarding sex offenders. The bills were passed in the House on March 23, 2010 and will now await Senate approval.

The House Bill 1046 mandates that a judge determines the pre-trial release of sex offenders arrested for any crime. This role was formerly allocated to the district court commissioner. The new bill also requires that the courts have access to an individual's pre-trial RAP sheet (criminal record) so that the judge is informed of past sex offenses and other crimes.

The second bill, House Bill 936, brings Maryland law into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act, which establishes a comprehensive national system for the registration of convicted sex offenders. House Bill 936 adds its own provisions to require homeless sex offenders, offenders convicted of indecent exposure and child pornography and offenders who repeatedly abuse children under the age of 14 to register on the Maryland registry. In addition, the bill expands the required information given on the sex offender registry to include places of employment, other residences and a clear description of their past crime.

If you have been charged with a sex crime in Maryland, you still have rights and are entitled to a legal defense. Because of these new bills and others like them, the laws circling sex offenders can be a complicated matter. The skilled and knowledgeable Maryland sex crime attorneys at Meng & Alpert LLC can help you understand your rights and build an aggressive defense for your case. Call our aggressive lawyers today at 866-444-6363 for a free legal consultation.

According to an article on Baynet, a federal grand jury issued an indictment against a 41-year-old man, who works for a Maryland trucking company, for allegedly transporting an eleven-year-old girl across state lines so that he could have sex with her. Based on the article, the girl was recovered hours after an AMBER alert was issued.

The parents of the young girl reported her missing on February 13, 2010. Law enforcement authorities then issued an AMBER alert for an orange tractor-trailer, in which the child was thought to be traveling. Later that day, a Tennessee highway trooper identified the orange tractor-trailer as it was pulling into a rest stop. The trooper arrested the suspect and found the missing girl in the truck. The suspect is being charged with intent to rape a minor and is being detained pending a trial. He faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison with a maximum sentence of life if convicted.

Continue reading " Trucker Indicted for Abduction and Attempted Rape of a Minor " »

A man from Newark, Maryland allegedly caused a rollover collision in Salisbury, Maryland while driving under the influence of alcohol on Monday, March 22, 2010. It was reported that the man fled the scene of the accident and proceeded to ram into the side of a police car. According to the The Daily Times, the suspect is being charged with attempted murder, assault and driving under the influence of alcohol.

A concerned citizen reported the collision to local police and said that the driver was probably intoxicated and fleeing the accident. This bystander followed the suspect’s vehicle, while remaining in contact with the police. The police then located the suspect’s vehicle at a stop sign and positioned their patrol cars around his car in order to stop him from fleeing. The suspect proceeded to accelerate his vehicle and struck the passenger side of one of the patrol vehicles. After attempting to flee a second time, the man was arrested and taken into custody.

The incident was captured on vehicle cameras and is being investigated by the Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation. Police say the man was under the influence of alcohol and in possession of marijuana. He faces charges of second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, malicious destruction of property, DUI and possession of a controlled substance. He was taken to the County Detention center. No injuries were sustained as a result of the collision.

Continue reading " Hit and Run Accident Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder " »

Motorists convicted on a first-time drunk driving offense in Maryland may face the potential of having to install ignition interlock devices in their vehicles. According to a recent report from The State Column, the Maryland state Senate voted for the bill in a 44 to 0 vote on March 26, 2010. However, based on amendments to the bill, those who are given probation before judgment are excused from the required use of ignition interlock devices. Before this bill, only repeat DUI offenders in Maryland were required to use ignition interlock devices, which operate to detect alcohol consumption on an individual’s breath before he or she is able to start their vehicle.

Based on the report, an analogous bill is also being considered by a House committee in which convicted DUI offenders may be required to use “ignition interlock systems” for a certain amount of time. The senate approved bill now moves to the House of Delegates, where, if it is passed, Governor Martin O’Malley is expected to approve and sign it. As these new efforts to increase the consequences of drunk driving in Maryland receive support from government officials, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is behind five bills to make drunk driving laws more strict in Louisiana.

A first-time Maryland DUI conviction may entail:

• A license suspension or revocation.


• Fines amounting up to $1,000 for DUI and up to $500 for DWI.


• A jail sentence of up to one year for DUI and up to 60 days for DWI.


• Twelve points added to your license for DUI and eight points for DWI.

Continue reading " Maryland Senate Approves Bill to Require Ignition Interlock Devices for First-Time DUI Offenders " »

As one of the most affluent counties in the United States, Montgomery County is located in Maryland, southwest of Baltimore and just north of Washington, D.C. As a major part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, it is no surprise that Montgomery County has approximately 950,680 inhabitants as of July 2008. The county seat and largest municipality of Montgomery County is Rockville and most of the county’s residents live in unincorporated locales. As a result of being such a heavily populated and well-traveled region, visitors and inhabitants passing through Montgomery County may experience their share of DUI (driving under the influence) and DWI (driving while impaired) arrests.

In order to be charged with DWI in Maryland, a person must have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.07. To be arrested for the more serious charge of DUI in Maryland, a motorist must have a BAC of 0.08. Even so, being charged with DUI or DWI does not mean that an individual will be convicted. Although being accused of driving while impaired or under the influence is often a confusing and overwhelming experience, accused individuals have important legal rights that should be defended. With an aggressive and skilled Montgomery County DWI defense lawyer on your side, you can trust that a strong defense can be made on your behalf.

The experienced Montgomery County DUI attorneys at Meng & Alpert, LLC have dedicated many years to assisting those accused of DUI or DWI in Maryland. Your Constitutional rights do not vanish as the result of a DWI or DUI arrest. If law enforcement did not follow proper procedures during your arrest, interrogation, or in the gathering of evidence against you, your charges may be reduced or even dismissed altogether. It is important to us that you receive quality legal counsel and representation during such a challenging time. Please call Meng & Alpert, LLC today at 866-444-6363 for a free and confidential consultation.

Stretching 6.9 square miles in size, La Plata, Maryland is the county seat of Charles County and houses a population of approximately 8,879 residents as of July 2008 estimates. Many La Plata residents commute to other areas, such as Washington, D.C. and Waldorf, for work. However, as of late, the city of La Plata has undergone a transformation into a business center, thanks largely in part to the recent development of office buildings and other area-wide construction.

Consequently, with the advent of new business comes an increase in traffic and local law enforcement patrols of La Plata city roads and highways. Couple that with the fact that La Plata has experienced population growth of more than 35% since the year 2000, and you are left with a large number of people who are potential victims of false arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) and driving while intoxicated (DWI). When facing DUI charges, a good course of action is to retain the services of an experienced La Plata DUI defense attorney that will examine the circumstances under which an individual was arrested, and mount a strong defense on behalf of that individual.

It is important to remember that all people are innocent until proven guilty, and that an arrest for DUI and/or a DWI does not necessarily mean that the individual is in fact guilty of any sort of crime. Arrest procedure and the validity of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test results certainly need to be questioned, particularly since procedure is only as correct as the officer administering it and BAC devices are not always properly calibrated to deliver accurate results. A La Plata DWI defense attorney can fight to ensure that the rights of the accused are not infringed upon in a court of law.

If you have been accused of DUI or DWI in Maryland, please don’t hesitate to contact the La Plata DUI and DWI defense attorneys at Meng & Alpert, LLC for more information that can aid you with your La Plate defense case. Call 866-444-6363 today for a free and confidential consultation of your case.