Parents should provide financial support to their children. Unfortunately, many non-custodial parents fall behind on their child support obligations. According to a report published by the United States Census Bureau, only half of all parents who are receiving child support are getting the full amount that they are owed. Alarmingly, nearly one quarter of custodial…

We often hear about the dangers of distracted driving, but can distracted walking also result in serious pedestrian accidents and motor vehicle collisions? A recent article in Curbed discusses a new study on distracted walking conducted by researchers at Northern Arizona University. While the study focused on pedestrian behaviors in New York City and Flagstaff,…

Can divorce actually make people happier than they would be if they were married? While previous studies, such as an article published in the journal Addiction, suggest that getting divorced is linked to higher unhappiness rates and more problems with substance abuse, new research is starting to suggest that such trends may be shifting. Indeed,…

When a child or teen commits a crime, many people assume that they will not face serious consequences due to their young age. However, in our state, juvenile crime is taken very seriously by both school and state officials. A young person could face a juvenile criminal offense with severe consequences that affect them well…

When someone steals another person’s identity for the purpose of committing fraud, they may be charged and convicted of identity theft. Under Virginia Code, Section 18.2-186.3, identity theft is a crime and could result in misdemeanor or felony charges, depending on the severity of the crime. Generally, an identity theft crime will be classified as a misdemeanor…

Downloading, possessing, or transmitting sexually explicit images or videos involving minors may result in child pornography charges in the state of Virginia. Nowadays, most pornography charges involve the internet in some capacity, but some stem from sharing printed photos via mail. A 47-year-old school janitor in Virginia was recently arrested and is now facing Class…

A 35-year-old Virginia Beach woman was recently arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and damaging state property after officers allegedly observed her driving recklessly on I-264. State police reported that the woman was driving the wrong-way on the interstate, and almost collided with an officer as the unit attempted to stop her vehicle. Police…

Whenever an adult over the age of 18 is sexually involved with someone under the age of consent, they could face charges of statutory rape. Rape and date rape generally refer to forcing someone to engage in sexual activity without their consent. In statutory rape cases, force is generally not a requirement. In Virginia, there…

Nowadays, many young people feel like they can hide behind their computer screens or phones and say anything they want to without consequences. In Virginia, making threats can result in criminal charges, even if the person making the threats did not act on them. Under Virginia law, issuing a threat of harm in writing or…

Friday night high school football is a popular pastime for many families across Virginia. However, players can sometimes let their emotions get the best of them and end up in a physical altercation (aka a brawl). According to police, at least 20 high school football players ended up in a violent brawl after a football…