Not a crime? Yes, it is.
This gem from today's arrest reports: Police arrested a 20-year-old Victoria man at the Crossroads Apartments for using a laser pointer. The man aimed a pointer at one of the officer's chests, then ran after they saw him. My first ...

Want to read the full IPOT report?
If you're interested in the scent lineup evidence I've been reporting on for the past few months, you might like to read the full report released by the Innocence Project of Texas on Monday. The report details what the group ...

All about snitches
This via Texas legal-system blog, Grits for Breakfast: The Snitching Blog covers legal cases, news and issues involving confidential informants. Law professor Alexandra Natapoff of Loyola Law School in L.A. runs the site. Looks like it could have some interesting ...

Case-tracking tool
That's not a new nickname. Last week, while chatting about a recent appellate decision, I learned anyone can use case tracker on the Texas Appellate Court website. You select the case, and the case tracker sends an e-mail every time ...

The ick factor: You know it when you see it?
Is it possible most Supreme Court justices don't understand the near-constant awkwardness and embarrassment being a middle-school girl causes? This story on Slate certainly suggests it is. http://www.slate.com/id/2216608 The court heard arguments in a well-publicized case in which school officials ...

Testimony starts today!
Barring the unexpected - and there's an itchy rash of that going around right now - testimony in Bruce Ure's aggravated perjury trial starts today. Follow me on twitter (username LeslieWilber) if you want periodic updates. I'm alone in the ...

Want to know more about shield laws?
If you're interested in learning more about the proposed shield law, the Austin American Statesman offers this site (see clarification below). The idea behind the Free Flow of Information Act is to give journalists a concrete tool to protect confidential sources ...

Bud. Why, sir?
I don't want to besmirch a brand of beer, but I've noticed a common thread in crime photos from recent trials I've covered. Two cases in as many months -  the Bryan Brown trial and the Jorge Reyes Rowe trial ...

If this court room's a-rocking
Oh, just try to ignore it. It's the construction. Judge Robert Cheshire moved from his fancy, if accurately uncomfortable, courtroom in the historic courthouse to a grayer room on the third floor of the newer building for Jorge Rowe Reyes' murder ...

More records tips
So here's another question e-mailed from a reader: How do you look up criminal records? Here are some tips for getting started:  Checking the district or county clerks' offices will show you what crimes a person has been formally charged with, ...