Thursday, September 20, 2012

That's Against the Law?

The criminal justice system is meant to protect people from others and themselves. Most people remain law abiding citizens their entire life, but hopefully they do not throw this in the face of people who have been charged with crimes. This is because there are several crazy things in America that a person can be arrested for. Everyone knows about insane laws like the one stating that a person can’t tie their alligator to a fire hydrant, but there are actually other activities that everyone probably engages in that can lead to an arrest.

Dancing on the Subway

A couple was returning home after attending a dance party in July 2012 in New York City. While waiting on the subway platform, a musician livened up the area by starting to play a metal drum. This of course led the aforementioned couple to start dancing the ‘Charleston’. A police officer approached them and informed them that they could not dance on the platform. When the female of the couple couldn’t produce her ID, the officer arrested both for ‘impeding the flow of traffic’, but charges were later dropped.

Opening Christmas Presents Early

December of 2006 brought a whole new type of Christmas spirit to the state of South Carolina. A twenty-seven year old mother called the police and had her twelve year old son arrested. Most people would ask what he was arrested for. The answer is petty larceny. Many would go on to inquire as to what he stole. The answer is nothing. The boy went into his great-grandmother’s home and got his Christmas presents weeks before Christmas morning. The lesson? Santa doesn’t like sneaks.

Dag Blasted Kids

October of 2008 was a dark time for elderly citizens who don’t get along well with the neighborhood kids. An eighty-eight year old grandmother became frustrated when neighborhood kids kept allowing their football to land on her property, so the elderly woman did what any grumpy senior citizen would do: she kept the ball. The boy’s mother called the cops, who informed the grandmother that she would go to jail if she didn’t give back the ball. She didn’t, so she was arrested for petty theft… her only arrest in an eighty-eight year life. Our Charlotte criminal lawyer tells us that the charges were later dropped and the grandmother decided to file a lawsuit against the neighbor.

You Don’t Say

Most people are at least knowledgeable about the fact that they can be arrested if they decide to curse out a cop, but certain non-vocal hand gestures can also land a person in jail. A man was arrested for these non-vocal hand gestures, but it wasn’t because he was flipping police officers the bird. The man was actually deaf and was cussing the police out in sign language. Once a sign language translator informed the officers of what the man was saying, he was immediately arrested.

Pull my Finger

Flatulence is just an improper thing to do in mixed company. Some people go years without ever letting their significant other hear them pass gas. A thirteen-year-old Florida student may end up going longer than that. The young boy inappropriately decided to let a few rip while sitting in class. The police abruptly showed up and arrested the child for being a disruption to a school function. This would be great toilet humor if it wasn’t so scary.

There are a number of things that people should legitimately be arrested for. After all, the majority of citizens don’t want serial killers hosting their neighborhood barbecue. Unfortunately, in the passing of several laws, the government failed to fully incorporate their common sense. This means that people have to be especially careful when they decide to do anything other than standing and looking straight ahead, but honestly, that’s probably illegal in some areas too.

Shelby Warden is a legal researcher and contributing author for the North Carolina Law Firm of Powers McCartan. All criminal charges should be taken very seriously. The experienced Charlotte criminal lawyer team at Powers McCartan represents clients charged with all sorts of crimes throughout North Carolina. If you are arrested for a crime in the area, they will aggressively fight to protect your rights.

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