CRIMINAL DEFENSE INVESTIGATIONS…
During the year of 2000, Gradoni and Associates are proud of our efforts in the Criminal Defense arena. We feel that the use of our
investigative services have gone a long way in proving the “Truth Makes A Difference”
Some of our successes over the past year are documented…
GRAND JURY NO BILL...
A Webb County man, represented by George Parnham, was charged with fondling his girlfriend’s niece. Gradoni & Associates Investigators obtained affidavits from four witnesses who placed the defendant in another city at the time of the alleged offense. A motive for the victim’s mother to want the defendant placed in jail was also developed.
GRAND JURY NO BILL...
A salesman, represented by Mike Ramsey and Chip Lewis, was charged with raping an 18-year old female at his residence. Witness
statements from adults who were present contradicted the victim’s version of events. Statements were obtained from individuals who
had knowledge about the victim’s history of sexual promiscuity.
POLICE OFFICER ACQUITTED...
A Houston Police Department officer, represented by Aaron Sutter and Brett Ligon, was charged with official oppression for striking a
suspect after a dangerous car and foot chase. Measurement and videotape analysis of the scene proved that the state’s only witness, a Houston Police Department sergeant, was not able to see the entire scope of the incident. The jury acquitted the officer after deliberating for only five minutes.
PATHOLOGIST ACQUITTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD...
A local pathologist, represented by Mike Ramsey and George Tyson, was accused by his daughter of sexual abuse from the age of three to age 16. Witnesses were developed that disputed a number of the victim’s claims. This information combined with expert testimony and the tenacity of the trial lawyers cross examining the State’s witnesses resulted in a “Not Guilty” verdict.
INTOXICATED ASSAULT CHARGES DISMISSED...
A high school senior, represented by Alan Cohen, was charged with intoxicated assault. The complainant claimed serious bodily injury
and also filed a civil injury lawsuit against the defendant. Videotape surveillance of the complainant proved he had no serious injuries.
The felony was reduced to a DWI.
HUNG JURY FOR BABYSITTER...
A babysitter, represented by “Racehorse” Haynes, was charged with causing an injury to a child in her care that caused the child’s death. Gradoni & Associates Investigators determined that the Harris County Sheriff's Department actually believed the child’s mother, who failed a polygraph examination, was the prime suspect.
School records, analysis of telephone calls, and driven routes established
that the child was not at the babysitter’s residence for more than a few minutes, disputing the testimony of the mother.
A witness developed by Investigators provided insight about the baby’s 16 year old brother who offered a graphic description revealing
how the baby sustained the injuries. The brother was alone with the baby for 20-30 minutes that morning.
A background investigation on the State’s medical expert from California allowed Haynes to erode the witness’ credibility on the stand.
HUNG JURY FOR BOXING COACH…
A local boxing coach, represented by Stanley Schneider, was charged with sexual abuse of his girlfriend’s three children. Videotape and analytical analysis of the gym where some of the alleged incidents took place disputed the victim’s testimony.
Twenty-five character witnesses were developed that testified that the coach had been involved in the development of hundreds of youths without ever having a single complaint.
A motive was developed as to why the children’s mother would want to see her former lover sent to jail.
DELIVERY OF CRACK CASE DISMISSED...
A homeless male, represented by Robert Fickman, was charged as being a middleman in an undercover street buy of crack cocaine. Witnesses provided affidavits that the defendant was not involved in the transaction. The District Attorney agreed to drop charges when presented with the witness information.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ACQUITTED OF MURDER CHARGE...
An 18-year old high school student, represented by Stanley Schneider, was charged with a robbery and shooting that occurred in the driveway of a club two blocks from his house.
The State’s only witness gave police three different versions of what she observed. The witness’ description of a blue Toyota with chrome wheels led to the defendant’s identification and arrest.
Gradoni & Associates Investigators were able to prove that the defendant’s mother had possession of the vehicle at the time of the shooting at her place of employment. The vehicle never had chrome wheels.
Additionally, a scene investigation and the development of witnesses at the scene provided Investigators with information that raised issue with the police investigation.
BARTENDER ACQUITTED OF ATTEMPTED CAPITAL MURDER...
A bartender, represented by Emily Munoz, was charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer when police officers ran
into his bar to execute a narcotics search warrant. The bartender was in a backroom at the time and felt the bar was being robbed.
Documentation was found that verified the bartender had been robbed on two previous incidents and had actually been shot on one occasion. Videotape and scene measurements proved that the bartender could not see the police officers when they entered the bar, supporting his story that he shot into the ceiling of the storeroom to scare off what he believed were robbers.
WRECKER DRIVER ACQUITTED OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER...
A Houston wrecker driver, represented by George Parnham, was charged with involuntary manslaughter for hitting a pedestrian standing in the middle of the roadway.
Witnesses to the accident were interviewed, who had actually seen the victim standing on the middle stripe pretending to be a bullfighter.
Videotape and scene measurements verified the poor lighting conditions at the time of the accident. All the information verified that the
wrecker driver could not have seen the victim in time to avoid striking him.
GOLFER NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY...
A golfer, represented by Robert Fickman, was charged with choking a juvenile who had gone onto the course and stolen his golf ball. The victim’s mother admitted to a Gradoni & Associates Investigator that her child had suffered no injuries as a result of the incident. Witnesses were also developed that testified that the child and his friends were trespassing all over the course.
GAMBLING CHARGE ACQUITTAL…
A Longview businessman and restaurant owner was charged with five misdemeanor counts related to his possession of four “8-liner” devices. The defense attorneys in the case were Stephen Fenoglio of Austin and Odis Hill of Longview.
The trial lasted 5 days and was prosecuted by the District Attorney and the Attorney Generals office. Kevin Templeton provided crucial
expert witness testimony about the devices and the problems with the affiant’s search warrant affidavit.
The jury deliberated for 90 minutes and returned a verdict of not guilty on each of the misdemeanor counts. As a result, other pending
cases on co-defendants were dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office.
ASSAULT CHARGE ACQUITTAL...
A male, represented by Mike DeGeurin and Heather Peterson, was charged with assault as a result of an incident that occurred at an Oriental restaurant. Information was developed that proved the co-defendant actually was guilty of the assault. Our defendant was actually an assault victim himself as verified by hospital records.
INTOXICATED HOMICIDE ACQUITTAL...
A female, represented by George Tyson, allegedly had cocaine in her system when she hit a stalled car on the shoulder of Interstate 10, killing the occupant.
Accident scene inspection, measurements and videotape proved that the victim’s vehicle was parked in a position that was very difficult to see because of the poor lighting conditions and rise in the freeway.
Gradoni & Associates Investigators were able to prove that the defendant did not have cocaine in her system at the time of the accident as a result of obtaining chemical analysis of the defendant’s hair.
750 KILOS OF COCAINE SUPPRESSED...
The defendant, represented by Robert Fickman, was one of several co-defendants charged with possession of 750 kilograms of cocaine as a result of surveillance on a business warehouse.
Kevin Templeton’s evaluation of the search warrant pointed out a number of non-specific details and unsupported statements by the affiant. The motion to suppress was granted and the charges resulting in the seizure were dismissed.
CRACK COCAINE SUPPRESSED….
The defendant, represented by Robert Fickman, was charged with possession of crack cocaine as a result of a search warrant executed at his hotel room.
Analysis of the search warrant and independent investigation by Gradoni & Associates identified a number of statements that could not be supported by proof or factual knowledge of the affiant.
GRAND JURY NO BILL...
A young man on his way to church, represented by Randy Schaffer and Cindy Henley, was involved in a traffic accident on the Beltway. The defendant struck a vehicle parked near a tollbooth, killing the driver who was changing his tire. The defendant was charged with negligent homicide because he had crossed the solid white lines in order to get to the far left EZ tag lanes.
Videotape was taken of the scene for one hour at the same evening and time that the accident occurred. The videotape captured 14 vehicles crossing the solid white line during the 60 minutes proceeding to the far left EZ tag lanes, making the defendant’s action more “normal than negligent.”
POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA CASE DISMISSED…
A young female, represented by Alan Tanner, had traveled to Houston with her boyfriend. The boyfriend had rented a car in the defendant’s name, leaving her alone in a hotel room. The Houston police, who found 65 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the vehicle, subsequently stopped the pair.
Information was developed that led to affidavits proving that the defendant had no knowledge of her boyfriend’s criminal activities.
|
