Exam 11: Offenses Against Government Operations

Lying to a peace officer is a criminal offense only if the lie is intended to deceive the officer and is ________ to a criminal investigation.

Using force to prevent a police officer from making an arrest is the offense of resisting arrest.Efforts to prevent such an arrest without using force likely violate the interference with public duties statute.

Joe is standing in front of the local police station holding a sign that says,"Cops are not to be trusted!" Joe is committing the offense of interference with public duties because his comments cause disrespect for the government.

Matt,the town marshal,files a sworn affidavit to obtain a search warrant to search Chester's home for drugs.In the affidavit Matt states that an informant told him that illegal drugs are in the house.The affidavit also states that the informant has provided accurate information in three previous drug cases.In fact,Matt made up the informant and Matt is simply working on a hunch that Chester has drugs.Because of his knowing false statement,Matt has committed:

Flashing automobile headlamps to warn oncoming motorists of the presence of a police officer constitutes the offense of interference with public duties.

If Tony offers a police officer two tickets to a San Antonio Spurs game if the officer will allow Tony to park his truck in a no-parking zone,Tony has committed ________.

It is no defense to a charge of resisting arrest that the arrest was ________.

Evading arrest is a felony if the actor flees in a motor vehicle.

Citizens have a legal duty to report to the police any criminal offense they observe if the report can be made without risking harm to themselves.

The tampering with or fabricating evidence statute declares it an offense to alter,destroy,or conceal a physical item with intent to affect its evidentiary value.Court decisions treat these acts as three different forms of behavior and indicate that a charge under this statute must allege which of the three illegal acts occurred.Explain the difference between altering,destroying,or concealing an item of evidence.

Texas criminal law imposes a general duty on citizens who observe a felony involving serious bodily injury or death to report the incident to a ________.

A courtroom witness who gives testimony that is not correct commits the offense of perjury while a witness who intentionally lies commits aggravated perjury.

Texas criminal law imposes a general duty on citizens who observe a ________ involving serious bodily injury or death to report the incident to a peace officer.

Lee is a foreign exchange student.His native country is Korean.Because he is interested in how the American system of government functions,he decides to learn about elections.He goes to the courthouse and registers to vote.In filling out the voter registration form,Lee falsely notes that he is a U.S.citizen.A few weeks later,Lee receives a voter registration card in the mail.Lee has committed no offense because the election clerk has the legal duty to confirm that prospective voters meet all of the qualifications.

Last night Chuck was arrested for disorderly conduct.Today he and six other individuals are being taken to court for their initial appearances.Since all are facing minor misdemeanor charges they are not handcuffed.As a deputy sheriff escorts the group through the courthouse hallway toward the courtroom,Chuck bends over to tie his shoe.When he rises up again,the remainder of the group has disappeared around the corner of the hallway.Chuck uses the opportunity to pull a disappearing act of his own and walks out of the courthouse.Four hours later deputies show up at his door and arrest him.In addition to the original disorderly conduct charge,Chuck has committed:

An individual commits the offense of failure to identify if he refuses to provide his name after being arrested but commits no offense if he refuses to provide his name after being ________ by a peace officer.

Jillian is a pro-environment activist.She and several colleagues are protesting the cutting down of trees along the city's main boulevard.In staging their protest,Jillian and friends have sat down in the middle of the street and have refused to get up.Police officers at the scene announce that the group is under arrest because they are blocking traffic.At this point the protestors go limp,making it more difficult for the police officers to take them into custody.Jillian and friends are committing:

Rick accidentally drops his expensive new camera.The camera is damaged and the lens is destroyed.Rick cannot afford a new camera so he devises a plan to claim that the camera was stolen from his automobile.In that way,his car insurance will pay for the cost of replacing the "stolen" camera and lens.As part of the claims process,Rick must file a police report about the purported theft.If Rick files such a report and falsely states that the camera was stolen,he commits no criminal offense because the report is for insurance purposes only and the police are unlikely to conduct any investigation of the matter.

If Wesley tries to interfere with the efforts of a deputy constable who is attempting to evict Wesley's neighbor from her apartment due to non-payment of rent,Wesley commits the offense of ________ with public duties.

To commit the offense of evading arrest or detention,the offender must ________ from a peace officer he knows is attempting to lawfully detain or arrest him.