Law Office of James D. Owen, LLC

There are updates about a Cleveland police officer shot and killed in the line of duty on September 3, 2020. The officer killed was Det. James Skernivitz. He was 53 years old and a 25 year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office stated that the cause of death was a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead around 10:30 that Thursday night. According to information from the police department, the shooting occurred around 10:00 p.m. near Storer Avenue and West 65th Street. Another man was shot and killed at the same time. He has been identified as 50-year-old Scott Dingess. Three Individuals Arrested and Charged…

Columbus police responded to a shooting on North Monroe Avenue on August 12, 2020, just before 8:00 p.m. A 14-year-old male had been babysitting his two-year-old nephew and 1-year-old niece. A gun went off and killed the two-year-old boy. According to the prosecutor during a court hearing the next morning, the teenager had twirled the gun and fired it four times. A bullet struck the toddler and killed him. The teenager has been charged with tampering with evidence and reckless homicide. Gun Safety in the Home The news report does not detail how the teenager got the gun. However, since he was at home babysitting his niece and nephew, the…

Last week the Columbus police investigated multiple shootings that occurred in the city within five hours. These shoots are just a continuation of the increase in gun violence the city has experienced in 2020. On August 4, 2020, police officers responded to a call about gunshots at a business on Westerville Road near Thornapple Drive around 10:00 p.m. No one was shot in the incident, but gunfire struck a building and five vehicles. A one-year-old child in one of the vehicles sustained injuries by shattered glass. Just about an hour later, police officers responded to a deadly shooting just after 11:00 p.m. The shooting occurred on Seymour Avenue, just north…

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four other individuals were arrested and accused of being involved in a bribery scheme. Two lobbyists, Juan Cespedes and Neil Clark were also arrested. Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth and former Chairman of the Ohio Republic Party Matt Borges were also arrested. Getting Larry Householder Elected as House Speaker According to the criminal complaint, the parties took part in a $60 million bribery scheme that lasted for several years. The scheme began with having Householder elected as House Speaker.  From March 2017 through March 2020, entities related to Company A paid $60 million to Generation Now. FirstEnergy Solutions is thought to be Company A. Generation…

Restaurants throughout Ohio began to open their doors for dine-in customers after lengthy shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside dining on restaurant patios began May 15, and inside dining followed closely on May 21. Before reopening to on-site and dine-in service, Ohio eateries had been limited to carryout and home delivery service only. The reopening comes with strict rules, though, to limit the possibility of a second wave of infections. While many restaurants are following the rules, others are not. Because of that, some Columbus police officers are helping to ensure Ohio eating spots follow the rules. What Are the Rules for Restaurants to Re-Open for Dine-In Service? The…

Criminal Defense News Of The Week Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Prison for Nationwide Drug Ring The kingpin of a criminal drug ring was sentenced to five years in prison on August 24th (Business Insider). Residing in Las Vegas, John Bowen, 68, led an illegal drug franchise that distributed a product known as ‘Spice.’ A drug imitating marijuana’s effects, Spice was imported from China and sprayed on green vegetables before heading to buyers nationwide. Bowen’s sentence concludes a two-year investigation, involving victims ranging from 12 to 70 years old. Drug laws can be tricky to navigate, and these kinds of investigations do not make the process any simpler. In Ohio, however,…

Wired Magazine published an article last week detailing how prosecutors misuse PowerPoint slide presentations to improperly influence a jury.  Can lawyers who fight against prosecutor misconduct make a difference? Unfair and inflammatory argument is common tactic used by prosecutors across the nation, even by prosecutors here in Columbus, Ohio.  However, the use of unfair computer-generated visual aids in argument is a fairly new twist on the decades old tactic. Prosecutor Misconduct Through The Use Of Improper Visual Advocacy Over the past two years, on at least 10 occasions, appellate courts have reversed convictions in criminal cases due to prosecutor misconduct.   These include improper argument presented by prosecutors in PowerPoint presentations.  Much…

Billionaire Charles Koch says he’s concerned about the effectiveness of your Columbus criminal defense lawyer. Charles and his brother David Koch have a combined net worth of more than $100 Billion.  The net worth of each brother is tied as the fourth richest in the world.  And they are well known for funding ultra conservative right-wing political causes.  So why do they care about who your hire to defend yourself in a Columbus criminal case? In an interview with The Wichita Eagle, Koch said his own experience with the cost of defending and ultimately settling a 97-count criminal indictment against his company prompted him to study the fairness of the…

By  Randy Ludlow The Columbus Dispatch, Thursday November 1, 2012.  (The same story also ran on October 31, 2012 under the heading “Man who served on Death Row declared wrongfully imprisoned”). After spending seven years on Death Row for a pair of now-three-decade-old murders that he didn’t commit, Dale Johnston feels he finally has pocketed a piece of long-denied justice. A judge ruled yesterday that the 79-year-old man was wrongfully imprisoned for the dismemberment slayings of his stepdaughter and her fiance, clearing the way for Johnston to seek compensation from the state. The ruling by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard A. Frye came in Johnston’s third attempt to win…