Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

What Does It Mean to Be Charged With Abandonment in Georgia? Being charged with abandonment in Georgia means something serious. The state claims you willfully and voluntarily deserted a person you had a legal duty to care for. In most cases, that person is a dependent child. The state alleges you left the child alone…

What A1 and A5 Mean on a Georgia DUI Citation A DUI combination of A1 and A5 means the driver was charged under two subsections of Georgia's DUI statute. Subsection (a)(1), known as "DUI less safe," and subsection (a)(5), known as "DUI per se," describe two ways to break the same law during a single…

What Counts as Cruelty to Animals in Georgia? Under Georgia law, cruelty to animals means willfully causing an animal's death or unjustifiable physical pain. It also covers failing to provide food, water, sanitary conditions, ventilation, or humane care. The main statute is cruelty to animals. Georgia's Animal Protection Act sets care and impoundment standards that…

Are Breath Test Results Allowed as Evidence in a Georgia DUI Case? Yes, breath test results are generally admissible in a Georgia DUI case. The State must first prove the test ran on an approved device. The operator must have a valid permit. All required procedures must have been followed. Judges exclude breath results regularly…

What Is a Violation of Privacy in Georgia? A violation of privacy is conduct that intrudes on another person's reasonable expectation of privacy. That includes secretly recording, watching, photographing, or exposing someone in a place or situation where they expect to be left alone. Georgia treats these intrusions two different ways. Some are civil wrongs,…

Sexual battery in Georgia means touching another person's intimate parts without consent. A first conviction is a high and aggravated misdemeanor, not a felony. Still, the charge brings jail time, heavy fines, and consequences that can follow a person for years. What Is Sexual Battery Under Georgia Law? Georgia's law defines sexual battery as touching…

What Is a Failure to Appear on a Traffic Ticket? When you sign a Georgia traffic citation, you make a legal promise to appear in court on a specific date. If you do not show up, the court treats it as a failure to appear (FTA). A failure to appear traffic ticket triggers a separate…

What Is a Breath Lock Device? A breath lock device – formally called an ignition interlock device (IID) – is a small breathalyzer wired into a vehicle's ignition system. It stops the engine from starting if it detects alcohol on the driver's breath. Courts and the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) order these devices…

Is it illegal to drive uninsured in Georgia? Yes, the state bars it. Is driving without insurance a crime? Yes, and the offense is a misdemeanor rather than a civil ticket. A conviction can bring a fine of $200 to $1,000. A license suspension is mandatory. Jail exposure runs up to 12 months. Whether an…

Few civil filings move as fast – or carry as much criminal exposure – as a Georgia temporary protective order. One sworn petition, signed by a Superior Court judge after an ex parte hearing, can force a respondent out of the family residence, suspend firearm rights, dictate child custody and visitation, and create a paper…