The trial court incorrectly denied two separate motions to suppress brought by two brothers charged with drug offenses arising out of the same search of their shared residence. In both cases the State did not meet its burden to show that exigent circumstances justified the officers' proceeding down the hallway in the defendants' home and conducting a protective sweep of the premises while searching for a runaway minor who was allegedly in the house. There was no evidence that the officers believed they were in danger, only that they were concerned about the runaway who was

March 13, 2010 

by Gary Kent
Beeville Bee-Picayune

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has confirmed that prison inmates could soon be released in Beeville and other regional sites around the state after they have served their time.

Jason Clark, public information officer for the TDCJ in Huntsville, said the state prison agency is assessing a mandate from the Texas Legislature which requires that inmates be released from centers in each of the agency's six regions across the state.

Monday, March 15, 2010
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas police want to join a growing national trend by making all suspected drunken drivers take a blood test, but the price tag for such a program may be too high for now.

Under a proposed policy, the Breathalyzer would become a thing of the past. And police would seek a search warrant to get blood from any suspected DWI driver who refused to take the blood test.

March 15, 2010

by Brandi Grissom
The Texas Tribune

The tales told by Texas drivers are eerily similar. A traffic ticket for a relatively minor infraction leads to fines of hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. They can't afford to pay or, worse, don't even know they've been fined. They lose their licenses, lose their insurance, lose their jobs. Some even land in jail.

Idea could save money but carries security concerns.

By Mike Ward
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Years ago, when Texas looked for ways to ease prison crowding, lawmakers had a master stroke: Deport the few thousand foreign citizens who were in Texas prisons most of them from Mexico and free up those bunks for the growing number of Lone Star felons.

More recently, proposals were floated to build or lease prisons in Mexico, or even on a Caribbean island, for the same purpose.

March 14, 2010 5:58 PM
Laura B. Martinez
The Brownsville Herald

By MATT GOURAS
The Associated Press

Updated: 3:51 p.m. Sunday, March 14, 2010

HELENA, Mont. — Inmate Michael Murphy usually started by seeking a small favor. That would often lead to a kiss or love letters. And in at least five cases, he convinced female prison employees to have sex with him or do other illegal favors.