Law and Crime

1 week ago | lawandcrime.com | Jamie Frevele

A New York judge has ruled that dogs can be treated as members of someone's "immediate family" and a dog's family can sue for emotional damages if they witness the dog being harmed. In a ruling issued by Judge Aaron Maslow of the Kings Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, the family members of a 4-year-old dachshund named Duke can ask for emotional damages in their lawsuit against the driver who killed him.

1 week ago | lawandcrime.com | Jamie Frevele

A Wisconsin couple accused of allegedly attempting to poison the man's ex-girlfriends with cyanide is at the center of a multiagency investigation that landed several agents in the hospital. Paul Van Duyne, 43, and Andrea Whitaker, 41, are both in custody at the Dane County Jail after prosecutors charged them with several felonies related to multiple hazmat investigations throughout Wisconsin.

1 week ago | lawandcrime.com | Chris Perez

Lawyers for Hannah Dugan, the Wisconsin judge indicted on federal charges for allegedly impeding government agents during an immigration bust, says she "wants a trial date" as soon as possible — revealing Wednesday that her obstruction case is reportedly "hanging over her head" — as she's continues to be "out of a job right now." Dugan's cries apparently fell on deaf ears as U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman chose to delay the Milwaukee County judge's July 21 jury trial date indefinitely at a...

1 week ago | lawandcrime.com | Chris Perez

A Missouri couple is accused of endangering their 5-month-old child, resulting in his death, and then Googling what to do next — with searches that included inquiries on "shaken baby syndrome," lawyers, and what countries "expedite," according to cops. "How do I know if my baby is OK after a fall?" wrote Roshonda Hagens, 34, in one of the alleged Google searches after her child's death in December 2022, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Springfield Police Department.

1 week ago | lawandcrime.com | Chris Perez

A former U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump in social media posts — writing that "When he dies, the party is going to be yuge" — is no longer behind bars and is now at home, despite objections from the Justice Department to keep him in custody. "The weight of the evidence, on a scale from one to 10, let's just say it's not on the side of 10," U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D.