Posts Tagged ‘ Las Vegas ’

5 Reasons Why Alleged Law Student Bird Beheaders Messed Up Big-Time

October 15th, 2012. By

Want to be a lawyer when you grow up? Here’s a tip: don’t do anything stupid that will give you a criminal record. The equation is simple enough. Stupidity + criminal charges = the lawyer version of “The Scarlet Letter”.  Allegedly beheading a helmeted guineafowl that’s kept in a tourist-laden Wildlife Habitat at a hotel in Vegas would be an example of the “stupidity + criminal charges” equation in action. And, that’s just what two law students from UC Berkeley School of Law have been accused of doing.

According to an ABC News report, Eric Cuellar and Justin Teixeira, both 24 years old, were jailed on suspicion of conspiracy and willful malicious killing of wildlife as a result of their being caught on surveillance video chasing a helmeted guineafowl into some trees then emerging from those trees with the bird–but not the bird’s head–and reveling in their antics.

It’s an embarrassment to the profession all around. But here’s the top 5 reasons why the Berkeley Bird Beheaders messed up big-time with this one–assuming the allegations prove out…

1. It was STUPID. They elected to be complete morons in front of who knows how many surveillance cameras. Begs the question—what were they thinking? They’re law students. They apparently want to finish law school, pass the bar and get a job. There is absolutely nothing here that exudes tactical brilliance. (Refer to “The Scarlet Letter” equation above).

2. It lacks complete regard for #KnowTheCode. Vegas has tried hard—real hard—to upgrade its image over the years. They finally latch onto a campaign—”What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” along with the #knowthecode hashtag—that’s humorous and can appeal to a wide audience—and these two idiots not only bring Vegas behavior back down a notch–but they get caught AND their actions get more publicity than if they’d had a top NYC PR firm working on it. They deserve to be reported—and anyone who feels like doing so can report #knowthecode behavior violations at the Visit Las Vegas website here.

3. It can result in a criminal record. For both of them. Enough said.

4. It’s an example of the worst kind of animal cruelty. If the allegations turn out to be true—which, yes, they appear to be given what’s on the Flamingo-cam—then the disregard these two have shown for life is appalling. Considering those rumors about PETA throwing paint at fur-wearing pedestrians, it’s worth pondering what PETA would do with these clowns (though they’ve already done the worst to themselves).

5. It’s just not cool. A rock star—take your pick—Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper—who has rumors flying around about eating live animals onstage or throwing animals out into the audience can be cool (at least to a certain element of the population). But only because they’re RUMORS and they never actually happened (hey, even Snopes says so). Cross the line into reality, and it’s no longer cool. It’s pathetic. Ditto Cuellar and Teixeira—rock stars they’re not.

As a follow-up, the San Francisco Gate is reporting that the dean of UC Berkeley’s law school has stated he was “extremely troubled” by the arrest of the two law students. He also said he was concerned about “the students’ actions off campus, but it’s up to the Nevada legal system to examine the facts and rule in this case. It’s premature to speculate about any possible consequences. The justice system must run its course.”

Yeah, run its course it shall. The boys behind the bird beheading are due back in court on February 11th. In the interim, SF Gate reports they’ve made bail. Stay tuned.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Criminal Law, Emerging Issues, lawsuits | 4 Comments »

WhosArrested.com: Like Facebook for Criminals

April 14th, 2011. By

Who’s Arrested? Check out the “wall” posts at WhosArrested.com. It’s like Facebook’s dark twin (as opposed to the twins who’ve been suing Facebook). Well, it could be.

Think you’ve had a rough night—maybe a DUI or some drug possession charge—or maybe a bit of assault and battery—and you’re thinking as you awake the next morning—phew!—that at least the prior night is over with and who of your friends and family needs to be the wiser as to how you spent it?

Ah, but that was before you realized that your local public criminal record database is…drumroll please…online! Complete with all your vital stats, what you’ve been charged with, what bond was set at, and your mug shot if you’re lucky. Heck, if you’re a recidivist, you may even get a virtual contact sheet of your best mug shots.

Why, there’s a guy from Tampa who’s been racking up charges since 2006—27 individual counts in all, strikingly in line with his 27 years of age (though they occurre in just a 6 year period)—his contact sheet of mug shots are sort of like looking at all of someone’s uploaded Facebook profile shots—or your kid’s annual school pictures (‘my how’s he’s grown since ’06!’). Only you can’t comment on or thumbs-up these. And I can’t help but wonder how many pen pals this guy could rack up at Jailville, if it existed (note to Zynga).

Granted, the site is in a bit of a fledgling stage—it only covers 5 major metro areas right now: Las Vegas, Miami, Reno, Tampa and Phoenix—clearly hot spots (at least temperture-wise) for crime. But the information is updated with apparent frequency. Case in point—for the week March 3-9,  those five cities have racked up the following numbers of arrests: Las Vegas – 1,176; Miami – 274; Reno – 256; Tampa – 537; and Phoenix – 248.

WhosArrested does allow individuals who are profiled to remove their listing (delete post? yes!) from public view, and ultimately search engines. But before you wipe the sweat from your brow, there’s a bit of a catch: it’ll set you back $99. Some might argue that’s a bit discriminatory—ie, you can pay your way out of infamy, if you can afford it. Perhaps another form of ‘profiling’? 

Regardless, WhosArrested.com is a bit of a neighborhood watch team’s dream. With stats like the fact that domestic violence tops the list in Vegas while possession is tops in Miami, along with the individual profiles, it sure beats trying to pull together the weekly local news police blotter. Split your WhosArrested screen with your local sex offender registry (nsopw.gov) and you’ve got pretty good tabs on the hood.

While WhosArrested may not be a friend’s wall I’d like to appear on anytime soon, it’s one that might be worth an occasional visit…

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Criminal Law, Emerging Issues | 1 Comment »

Attorney Bruce Flammey: I knew HOA Situation was ‘Just Wrong’

March 15th, 2011. By

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Las Vegas attorney Bruce Flammey…

Attorney Bruce Flammey: “This…involved a colossal level of amount stupidity on a number of interlocking levels”

Bruce Flammey is definitely not a publicity hound—but several weeks ago, the straight shooting Nevada lawyer decided to jump into a local news story after heard about the Trueblood family and its dispute with a local home owners’ association (HOA) in Las Vegas.

“It offended my sense of right and wrong,” says Flammey.

In early December, just before the holidays began, the Tara Villas HOA ordered the water be cut off at Deena Trueblood’s home after she had bounced a check to a collection agency.

“I thought, this is crap,” says Flammey who once served on a HOA board and in fact now does legal work for HOA boards in Las Vegas.

Flammey immediately got in touch with the reporter working the story and offered to provide the family with free legal help. “I said if Deena Trueblood needed any help with this or wanted to talk to a lawyer about this, I would be happy to do so. And literally within hours I got a phone call back.”

The HOA had not only ordered the water cut off, it had ordered that the pipe be cut outside the Trueblood property line to discourage an attempt to have the water reconnected.

When Flammey connected with Deena Trueblood the facts of the case made him even more determined to get everything put right again. Deena and her son by this time had been weeks without water despite the fact that she made good on the bounced check way back in December.

“In fact, it was more like a clerical error than a bounced check,” explains Flammey.

“She was back on solid ground with the collection agency and as far as it was concerned everything was okay—and had been for weeks,” says Flammey.

One Call Does it All

Flammey picked up the phone and called the HOA’s lawyer. “He said he wasn’t actually their lawyer,” says Flammey, “but he would call the HOA and explain how asinine this was.”

And within 48 hours, after almost six weeks in dry-dock, the water was once again flowing in the Trueblood household.

It might seem like a small gesture, but to the family with no running water, fighting a bureaucracy—it was magic.

“This, in my opinion, involved a colossal level of amount stupidity on a number of interlocking levels,” says Flammey.

“I would have told this HOA under no conditions do we turn off the water to peoples’ homes,” says Flammey. “If I had been their lawyer they never would have ended up on the news.”

“It might have been legal, but in my view it wasn’t a good idea.”

Bruce Flammey is an attorney with a strong sense of justice. He is in solo practice at Flammey Law in Las Vegas, Nevada. He handles legal work for multi-family housing units and home owner association boards.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back | 2 Comments »

REQUEST LEGAL HELP NOW

Find us on

FacebookTwitterLinkedIn

Archive by Category