San Diego Criminal Attorney Blog

A decision was reached on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, that Raymond Lewis Firth, 38, a former teacher at Pacific Rim Elementary School in Carlsbad, California will stand trial on January 12, 2010 to face multiple charges of committing lewd acts with three minors younger than 14 during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years.

In a statement given to the San Diego Union Tribune by Torrie Norton, the Assistant Superintendent for personnel at the Carlsbad Unified School District, Firth was placed on paid administrative leave on September 7, 2007, when allegations first surfaced. He officially resigned his teaching position with the District on October 19, 2007.

According to Deputy District Attorney Kelly Mok, Firth was called to Vista Superior Court on Tuesday where he submitted a plea of not guilty and posted bail of $450,000. He is currently at liberty until his trial date in January 2010.

If Firth is found guilty on all counts, he could face up to 18 years in state prison stated DDA Mok. Firth is currently represented by Criminal Attorney Robert Boyce.

Continue reading "Child Molestation Trial set for Former Carlsbad Teacher" »

Stephanie Crowe, 12, was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her Escondido home in January 1998. Her brother and two of his friends were arrested. The case collapsed on the eve of trail after drops of the girl's blood were found on clothes worn by a transient seen in the neighborhood the night of the slaying.

The transient was eventually charged in the case and convicted of voluntary manslaughter. An attorney representing the Crowe family brought a false-arrest lawsuit against the San Diego authorities after hiring one of America's most famous and controversial forensic pathologists, Dr. Cyril Wecht.

In Dr. Wecht's latest book, "A Question of Murder" he openly challenges the conduct of the police and prosecutors in the Crowe case. Dr. Wecht said he was disturbed by "the way the cops zeroed in on the victims brother and the two others without conducting a meaningful, encompassing investigation." He further stated, "That case cries out to anybody who is interested in ethical conduct in our criminal-justice system. Police and prosecutorial bias, incompetence - those kinds of things happen with greater frequency than most of us want to acknowledge."

Continue reading "San Diego Homicide Case Exposed in New Book " »

Defendants Jordan Arnold, Christopher Black, and Jessica King pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking of Children, and one count of Coercion and Enticement of a Juvenile into Prostitution. In their pleas, the defendants admitted to being members of a 2007 conspiracy by recruiting, persuading, and employing juveniles to perform acts of prostitution.

Two of the defendants admitted that they took photographs of the juveniles wearing lingerie and in provocative poses, which were then placed in ads posted on the "Craigslist" website. Defendants admitted that they drove the juveniles to and from hotels in the Mission Valley and Sports Arena areas of San Diego, where the juveniles performed the pre-arranged acts of prostitution.

Continue reading "Prostitution of Children in San Diego Hotels " »

Police have charged two U.S. sailors for allegedly attacking two prostitutes in Tijuana. The men rented rooms at a Zona Norte Hotel where they met the prostitutes. One woman was stabbed, the other was choked and a hotel employee was stabbed.

Both men are being held at the La Mesa prison and they will not be offered bail. One of the men worked for the U.S. Navy and the other was training to be a Navy SEAL.

Continue reading "San Diego Men Charged for Attacking Prostitutes " »

Mark Kaczmarczyk, 57, was arrested in Taipei at the request of the FBI. San Diego authorities have worked with the Taiwanese government to bring Kaczmarczyk back to the United States to face child-molestation charges. Kaczmarczyk and his wife, who operated a day-care business in San Diego, are accused of molesting 6 children.

In 2007, San Diego police were notified when parents from the day care brought their 2-year-old daughter to the hospital and learned she had been sexually assaulted. San Diego police conducting the investigation found five other children from the day care suffered physical injuries. The couple's two children were placed in protective custody with a foster family.

False accusations of sex assault or sexual abuse are quite common, particularly in domestic disputes and custody battles. A false accusation of sexual assault can be devastating. Penalties frequently include prison time and sex offender registration. If you have been accused of sexual abuse or forced touching, it is essential to contact a criminal defense attorney right away. An experienced sex crimes attorney like those at Pro Law Partners may be able to help you avoid conviction of an offense that requires sex offender registration.

Four defendants charged with kidnapping for extortion charges will be tried for less serious crimes relating to the alleged abduction of a 14-year-old girl in San Diego who was driven to an Oceanside motel where she posed for nude photographs that were posted on the Internet.

The Vista Superior Court Judge said the evidence did not support the extortion charges because the girl willingly went with the defendants and left when the defendants were asleep. Addtionally, he said, a major element of the kidnapping for extortion charge - that it be done to gain reward or ransom - did not appear to apply to the case. 

The defendants were bound over for trial at the conclusion of a three-day preliminary hearing on other felony charges, including human trafficking of a victim under the age of 16, pandering of a victim under 16, employment of a minor to perform prohibited acts and robbery. The defendants could face at least 10 years in prison if convicted of all the remaining counts.

Continue reading "Charges Reduced in San Diego Abduction Case " »