Richard Ballard Attorney at Law, lawyers in Knox, IN, Indiana

CONCURRENT & CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES

A trial court generally has the power to determine whether a defendant's sentences for multiple offenses will be concurrent or whether they will be consecutive or cumulative. However, there are limitations on the trial court's power. Such limitations include whether the offenses arose from the same criminal episode, the type of the offenses, and whether the defendant committed the offenses while he or she was incarcerated. More...

Judicial Notice

Judicial notice is the knowledge or recognition that a fact is true without evidence to support its truth. An example of a fact that a court may take judicial notice of is that the sky is blue. Most people know and understand that the sky is blue and no proof is needed to establish that the sky is blue. More...

JURY VERDICTS

A verdict is a declaration by a jury that states whether a defendant is guilty or not guilty of the offense with which the defendant was charged. The verdict may also state whether any special pleas of the defendant, such as the defendant's affirmative defenses, are true or false. The jury must render its verdict in writing.More...

SPEEDING

A person commits the offense of speeding when he or she operates a motor vehicle at a speed that is in excess of the speed that is permitted under state statutes, local ordinances, or highway or traffic regulations. More...

JURISDICTION OVER OFFENSES THAT ARE COMMITTED ON NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS

When a criminal offense is committed in "Indian Country," jurisdiction over the offense may be assumed by either the federal government, by a state, or by a tribal court. The entity that will assume jurisdiction over the offense depends upon the nature of the offense, whether any jurisdiction has been conferred on a state, and whether the perpetrator or the victim of the offense is a Native American. More...