Author Archives: catelawoffice

Especially aggravated robbery is the most serious robbery offense in Tennessee, and it carries consequences that place it alongside the gravest violent crimes in the state’s code. It is not a separate crime built from scratch — it is robbery, the taking of property from a person by violence or fear, elevated by two specificContinueContinue reading “Especially Aggravated Robbery in Tennessee”

Carjacking sits among the most serious property-and-violence charges a person can face in Tennessee. It is not simply a car theft, and it is not the same as robbery, though it shares elements with both. Tennessee created carjacking as its own offense to address the taking of a vehicle directly from a person by force,ContinueContinue reading “Carjacking Charges in Tennessee: Elements and Penalties”

Prescription fraud is one of the more common drug-related charges filed in Middle Tennessee, and it reaches a wide range of people who would never think of themselves as drug offenders. A patient managing chronic pain, a person recovering from surgery, a caregiver refilling a family member’s medication — any of them can end upContinueContinue reading “Prescription Fraud and Doctor Shopping in Tennessee”

The fentanyl crisis has changed how Tennessee prosecutes overdose deaths. Where a fatal overdose was once investigated as a tragedy and, at most, charged as a drug offense against the deceased’s supplier, prosecutors across the state now treat certain overdose deaths as homicides. Under Tennessee law, a person who unlawfully distributes a Schedule I orContinueContinue reading “Drug Delivery Resulting in Death in Tennessee”

Methamphetamine remains one of the most aggressively prosecuted drugs in Tennessee. For years it drove a significant share of the state’s felony drug docket, and while the recipe and supply chain have changed — from small home labs to imported crystal meth — the law’s response has only hardened. Tennessee has built an entire clusterContinueContinue reading “Methamphetamine Charges in Tennessee: Possession, Manufacturing, and Initiating a Process”

Marijuana law in Tennessee sits at an uncomfortable crossroads. Neighboring states have legalized or decriminalized cannabis, hemp-derived products line the shelves of gas stations and vape shops, and public attitudes have shifted dramatically. Yet Tennessee has not legalized recreational or medical marijuana, and possessing it remains a criminal offense across the state. For people whoContinueContinue reading “Marijuana Laws in Tennessee: Possession, Casual Exchange, and Penalties”

Tennessee’s lakes and rivers draw thousands of boaters every summer. Percy Priest Lake, Old Hickory Lake, the Cumberland River, and Center Hill Lake sit within a short drive of Nashville, and on a warm weekend they fill with pontoon boats, ski boats, and personal watercraft. What many people on the water do not realize isContinueContinue reading “Boating Under the Influence in Tennessee: BUI Charges and Penalties”

A DUI conviction in Tennessee does more than impose fines and jail time — it takes away the driver’s license. For most people, losing the ability to drive is the consequence that reaches furthest into daily life, affecting the commute to work, the ability to take children to school, and the routine errands that keepContinueContinue reading “Restricted License and SR-22 After a Tennessee DUI”

When an officer suspects a driver of impairment during a traffic stop in Tennessee, the next step is often a request to step out of the car and perform a series of physical tasks on the side of the road. These are field sobriety tests, and the three that carry official standing — the horizontalContinueContinue reading “Field Sobriety Tests in Tennessee: The Three Standardized Tests and Their Limits”

Most people think of DUI as a misdemeanor, and in Tennessee that is true for a first, second, and third offense. But the offense does not stay a misdemeanor forever. When a driver accumulates enough prior convictions within the statutory window, a DUI crosses the line into felony territory — with the loss of civilContinueContinue reading “Third and Fourth DUI in Tennessee: When DUI Becomes a Felony”