Category Archives: Uncategorized

http://www.klif.com/2017/10/18/zekes-suspension-blocked-through-oct-30th/

NEW YORK (WBAP/KLIF) — Ezekiel Elliott will be allowed to suit up for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, after a federal judge once again blocked a six game suspension by the NFL.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty granted a Temporary Restraining Order in the case.

That means Zeke won’t immediately serve a six game suspension for sexual assault allegations.

Elliott and the player’s union have appealed that suspension since the beginning. They argue that because the Cowboys running back was never indicted or charged in the incident back in 2016, he should not be punished by the league.

What sounds like a clear-cut legal issue has turned into weeks of court cases and rulings in Federal Court.

So, to try and understand it all, Dave & Amy called in Sports Attorney Graham Blake.

Dave Williams & Amy Chodroff, KLIF/WBAP, Copyright © 2017

The head of the security detail for the mayor of Fort Worth was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated. The officer, Sgt. William Paine, was pulled over for speeding in Westworth Village about 12:20 a.m. Saturday morning.

The officer refused to submit to a field sobriety test and was taken to the hospital to have his blood drawn. Police report that the investigation is ongoing and that they are awaiting the results of the blood alcohol test. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s report on the arrest notes that the Fort Worth Police Department instituted a zero tolerance policy for DWI convictions in 2013. Chief Jeffrey Halstead instituted this policy following the arrest of over a dozen Fort Worth Police Department officers for suspicion of DWI between 2008 and 2013.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/tarrant-county/head-of-fort-worth-mayors-protection-detail-arrested-on-dwi-charge/486726530

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article181391466.html

If you have been arrested on suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated, you need a Texas DWI Defense Attorney to protect your rights. DWI is a serious charge, and even a first DWI carries substantial penalties. In addition, being convicted of DWI can have collateral effects on your employment. Call Blake & Blake LLP at (817) 440-4444 for a free consultation about your case. We are experienced Fort Worth DWI Lawyers and are ready to help you defend your rights.

On Friday, I spoke with Dave Williams on KLIF’s News and Information in the Morning about Ezekiel Elliott’s options following the Fifth Circuit’s order vacating his preliminary injunction. You can listen to the interview at the link.

http://www.klif.com/2017/10/13/attorney-cowboys-rb-should-work-to-clear-name/

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) — Will he? Or won’t he? On Thursday, a court in New Orleans ruled that Ezekiel Elliott must start serving as six game suspension for a domestic violence investigation.

This after months of legal wrangling and the filing of briefs.

If he does start serving it now, it would begin Sunday, October 22nd against the 49ers.

But Zeke has other options.

On Friday, Sports and Entertainment Attorney Graham Blake checked in to break it all down.

Dave Williams & Amy Chodroff, KLIF/WBAP, Copyright © 2017

From the Miami Herald, an article about business interruption insurance. As we have noted before, this type of insurance is intended to reimburse a business for its lost profits due to a covered cause. The item from the Miami Herald goes into more detail about some issues involving these types of policies. If you have a business interruption insurance issue, give us a call at 817-440-4444 or you can email at graham@blakelawdfw.com. At Blake & Blake LLP, we are insurance coverage attorneys who can assist you with your insurance coverage and claims issues, including business insurance policies such as CGL policies and business interruption policies.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173462091.html

While most news coverage of the Cowboys has understandably focused on the Ezekiel Elliott situation, there are several other Cowboys players facing discipline by the NFL. One of those players is cornerback Nolan Carroll, an off-season addition formerly with the Philadelphia Eagles. Carroll was arrested by Dallas police in May on suspicion of driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop. Carroll’s blood alcohol content (BAC) is alleged to have been 0.08.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Carroll “belie[ves] that the case will never be heard by the NFL because he plans to beat it in court.” Carroll says that prosecutors with the Dallas district attorney’s office has offered to reduce the DWI charge to a traffic violation with community service as punishment. Carroll and his attorney have apparently rejected this offer and believe that they will be able to show the traffic stop was improper. According to the Star-Telegram, “[t]he initial report indicated Carroll was driving on the wrong side of the road, prompting the officer to pull him over. But a dash cam video shows that Carroll was on the correct side of the road.” In addition to the improper traffic stop, Carroll’s attorney claim there were mistakes made in the administration of the field sobriety tests.

Based on prior news reports, if Carroll were convicted of DWI he would face either a one- or two-game suspension by the League.

If you are facing DWI charges, it is imperative that you hire the best DWI defense attorney to protect your rights. Blake & Blake LLP provides clients throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area with top quality criminal defense. If you are facing criminal charges in the DFW area, we are ready to help protect your rights. Call us at 817-440-4444.

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article171654167.html

A city councilman for the town of Tom Bean, Texas who was released by police despite appearing “heavily intoxicated” during a traffic stop was involved in a head-on collision a few days later. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

[C]ity councilman, Benjamin Vincent, was arrested after the vehicle he was driving crashed into one driven by a Tom Bean ISD school official, according to both the Sherman Herald Democrat and Sherman TV station KXII.

Vincent was booked into the Grayson County Jail on a charge of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Days earlier, on Saturday, July 22, 2017, a Whitewright, Texas police officer observed a car driven by Vincent cross into the oncoming lane. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram report continues: “During the course of the traffic stop, the driver was found to be heavily intoxicated and admitted to consuming an entire bottle of wine in the three-hour period preceding the stop,” the news release said. “[The officer] made a decision to allow someone to come pick up the individual in lieu of making an arrest for Driving While Intoxicated.”

The Whitewright police officer had already submitted his resignation to that police department and was seeking employment with a different department. According to the news reports, the officer made statements at the scene that indicated he would have arrested councilman Vincent were he not about to leave the police department. Upon learning of the incident, the Whitewright police chief sped up the officer’s departure plans by firing him.

Stories of police officers doing favors for fellow officers or elected officials who have been pulled over for driving while intoxicated are not common. There is no doubt that in years past this behavior was more common, but today with omnipresent cameras, this kind of thing is less common. Still, it is troubling to see this kind of favoritism by law enforcement officers.

If you have been arrested for suspicion of DWI in north Texas, you need to talk to an experienced Texas DWI attorney. At Blake & Blake LLP, we are Fort Worth DWI Lawyers who are ready to help you get the best outcome possible. Call us at 817-440-4444 or email us to see what we can do for you.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article163924844.html

Just in time for training camp, the Dallas Cowboys received troubling news regarding one of their linebackers. Damien Wilson, who played in approximately 27% of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps in 2016, was expected to be an important part of the Cowboys’ 2017 defense. He may yet be a big contributor this year, but he is now facing criminal charges and a possibly lengthy suspension by the NFL.

Wilson was arrested on July 4, 2017 in a Frisco, Texas parking lot after he was alleged to have backed his SUV into a woman who was attempting to save the space for her friend. Wilson is also alleged to have brandished a rifle, but the accounts are conflicting. Wilson himself has blamed “road rage” for the incident.

The Dallas Morning News reports: “Wilson, 24, has posted bond and been released, police spokesman Ryan Chandler said. Each charge carried a $10,000 bond. The charges are second-degree felonies and, if convicted, Wilson could face two to 20 years in state prison and up to a $10,000 fine.”

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article159693399.html

If you are charged with aggravated assault or any other crime, you need the Best Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorneys to fight for you. At Blake & Blake LLP, we are experienced Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorneys.

According to a report in the Dallas Morning News, a driver suspected of DWI has crashed into a home featured on the popular HGTV home-improvement program. The house is known as the “Three Little Pigs House.” The owners of the home were asleep at the time of the accident and were not injured, but their home has suffered “considerable” damage.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/07/09/suspected-drunken-driver-smashes-waco-fixer-upper-house

If you or a loved one is arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, you need an experienced Texas DWI Attorney to fight for you. At Blake & Blake LLP, we are experienced Fort Worth DWI Defense Attorneys and are ready to assist you in your time of need. Give us a call at 817-440-4444 or email us at graham@blakelawdfw.com.

From the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal comes a report of Texas criminal defense attorneys celebrating Independence Day by reading the document that started it all: the Declaration of Independence.

Quoting from the article:

Members of the Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association took turns Friday morning on the courthouse lawn reading the grievances against the British King that American colonists listed in a document that became the foundation of a country of people governed and protected by the rule of law.

Chuck Lanehart, a Lubbock attorney, told the dozens of people in the audience that the reading the association members did was similar to how colonists first heard the Declaration of Independence.

“There was no television, there was no radio, there were no telephones, no Twitter, no Facebook,” said Lanehart, one of the organizers of the event. “There were newspapers, but 50 percent of the population could not read. And so broadsides were prepared and brought all across the colonies to places like this, town halls, courthouses, and the Declaration of Independence was read just as we have done today.”

The criminal defense attorneys also read the Bill of Rights, the name given to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Mr. Lanehart provides a perfect summary of the importance of the two documents:

“Both documents target absolute tyranny,” Lanehart said. “Both documents are designed to protect the people from government excesses. Both documents identify people void of class or privilege, yet demanding righteous human treatment. The Bill of Rights contains the rules, the tools that we as lawyers use every day in this courthouse and in courthouses across the country.”

http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/local-news/news/2017-06-30/lubbock-criminal-defense-attorneys-hold-annual-reading

If you have been charged with a crime in Tarrant county, or anywhere in North Texas, you need a Texas criminal defense attorney to protect your rights. At Blake & Blake LLP we are experienced Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorneys ready to help you fight for the best possible outcome to your case.