Tax Attorney Sanctioned For Violent Crimes
The Georgia Supreme Court accepted the voluntary license surrender – tantamount to disbarment – of a convicted attorney
In his petition, Howell who has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2010, admitted that in June 2016, he pled guilty in South Carolina to one felony count of Pointing/Presenting a Firearm, in violation of SC Code §16-23-410; one misdemeanor count of Unlawful Carrying of a Pistol, in violation of SC Code §16-23-20; and one misdemeanor count of Possession of Cocaine, in violation of SC Code § 44-53-370 (d) (3). Howell admitted that, by virtue of his felony conviction, he violated Rule 8.4 (a) (2) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct. See Bar Rule 4-102. Thus, he requested acceptance of the voluntary surrender of his license to practice law, which he acknowledged was tantamount to disbarment.
We reported on the charges and disciplinary sanctions imposed elsewhere
An attorney disbarred in North Carolina has filed a motion consenting to the same sanction in Illinois.
The criminal charges that formed the basis of the consent
On June 10, 2015, Movant was involved in an argument with his paramour while at Hudson’s Market at the Wild Dunes resort in Isle of Palms, Charleston County, South Carolina. During the argument, Movant pointed a black Ruger LCP .380 firearm at his paramour and others. Witnesses called the police, and officers arrested Movant outside Hudson’s Market. Upon arrest, officers found Movant to be in possession of less than one gram of cocaine.
On June 1, 2016, Movant entered pleas of guilty to one felony count of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, one misdemeanor count of unlawful carrying of a pistol, and one misdemeanor count of possession of cocaine in Charleston County, South Carolina…and judgments of conviction were entered against him the same day. Movant was sentenced to a total of one year in the State Department of Corrections (with credit for time served) and five years of probation. Movant is currently on probation.
We had the story of his interim suspension in North Carolina linking to a report by WRAL.com
A 39-year-old Cary man, who has worked as a tax attorney in Raleigh, is accused of holding his ex-girlfriend hostage at a South Carolina grocery store.
The Isle of Palms Police Department has charged Robert Howell with attempted murder, kidnapping and first-degree burglary in the incident, which happened Wednesday.
Investigators said Robert Howell followed Autumn Yee, 29, of Cary, to Isle of Palms, where she was vacationing. Howell allegedly took Yee to Hudson’s Market, where she alerted one of the clerks by silently mouthing “call police.”
In a 911 recording, the woman can be heard speaking to an emergency operator about the situation.
Isle of Palms police Capt. Kimberly Usry said Yee tried to keep herself and her assailant in public places so someone could see them. At some point, she jumped over the counter to try to get away. Howell grabbed her, ran out of the store toward the beach and was arrested, Usry said.
Police said Yee, who suffered minor scratches in the incident, had gone to Isle of Palms to flee from Howell a day after he allegedly assaulted and threatened her in her Cary home.
“Officers responded and found that a subject and been harassing the victim there,” Cary police Capt. Randall Rhyne said.
In a 911 call that day, Yee told dispatchers she arrived home and found him pacing back and forth in the road, staring at her. She said she was frightened and asked the call-taker to stay on the line until help arrived.
“I’m just afraid to get out of the car,” she said in the recording released Monday. “I just want a cop to escort me to my door and ask him to leave.”
Robert Howell and his estranged wife, Sarah Howell, are locked in a contentious custody battle over their three children. According to court documents, Sarah Howell had subpoenaed Yee in the custody case.
A day after Yee was held hostage, Sarah Howell sought a protective custody order against her husband, citing the kidnapping as proof that he posed a danger to her and her children.
Cary police said they are now working with South Carolina authorities to serve Robert Howell with additional warrants.
By my count, Georgia either disbarred or accepted the voluntary license surrender of seven attorneys.
Busy day. (Mike Frisch)