Posted on October 21, 2018 in Criminal Defense

Having a criminal defense lawyer by your side during your drug crime proceedings is essential. However, for those who have never been through a criminal litigation process, they may not understand how much a lawyer can help. They might even make the mistake of trying to defend themselves pro se, i.e., navigate their legal proceedings without legal representation. When it comes to a drug-related trial, a pro se defendant might find him or herself unintentionally digging into a deeper and deeper hole.

If you're on the fence about hiring a lawyer in your case, you might want to consider some of the potential benefits of contacting a criminal defense attorney:

Reduction of criminal charges

The severity of your punishment depends on the severity of your criminal charges. For example, if you're convicted of speeding instead of drunk driving, your criminal consequences and potential punishments will be significantly less. Sometimes, a criminal attorney can succeed in getting his or her client's criminal charges reduced, which ultimately serves to make the punishments less in the event of a conviction.

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 Posted on October 19, 2018 in OWI/DUI

Implied consent laws require all drivers to submit to chemical testing when police accuse them of driving while intoxicated. Of course, they still have the right to refuse such tests. However, as a result of implied consent laws, the driver will likely be immediately arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Implied consent laws function by assuming that when a driver gets a driver's license and enjoys the privilege of driving, they automatically consent to being tested for drugs or alcohol when police suspect them of driving while intoxicated. Such chemical tests could include urine, blood and breath tests.

When a driver refuses to take a chemical test, they will usually endure a mandatory driver's license suspension that could last up to a year. Interestingly, it's common for the license revocation to be longer after a driver refuses a test than if they take the test and fails. In some cases, a driver could even face harsher punishments if convicted of DUI after refusing to take a test.

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 Posted on October 19, 2018 in Drug Charges

Whether a defendant was growing marijuana in the basement or maintaining a chemical lab to manufacture designer drugs, the charge of drug manufacturing relates to the creation of illicit drugs. Some of the most common drugs that people are accused of manufacturing are methamphetamine, marijuana and ecstasy.

The crime of drug manufacturing does not have to involve the complete manufacturing process. An individual could be involved in only one small part of the illicit drug creation process, and a court could still construe the action to be "drug manufacturing." For example, individuals who knowingly sell drug manufacturing equipment, precursor chemicals or only make an offer to manufacture and produce controlled substances could be convicted of this crime.

Usually, drug manufacturing is a felony-level offense, which means that those who are convicted could face high fines, prison time and probation. If the drug manufacturing activities happen close to a playground or school, these punishments could be more severe in certain cases.

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 Posted on September 26, 2018 in Criminal Defense

We all make mistakes, but not all of us make profound and positive contributions to our communities. But what happens if you make lots of big mistakes and lots of big contributions to the community? Perhaps, community leaders will come to your aid and support you by speaking in favor of your good name and past good works.

Normally, when someone gets arrested on a sixth offense DUI charge, the person is described by news media and public officials as if he or she were the dirge of the community. However, that's not what happened in the case of a 56-year-old bar owner who was arrested and later convicted of a sixth operating while intoxicated charge in August.

Officers said that they received reports of the drunk man trying to get into his truck at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 11. When police arrived, they found him urinating on his feet and on the ground, and they told him not to drive. Next, police saw the man get in his truck and drive away, so they pulled him over and arrested him on intoxicated driving charges after he failed his Breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. He pleaded "no contest" in court and accepted the felony sixth OWI offense conviction.

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 Posted on September 24, 2018 in Criminal Defense

Police arrested two men in Madison, Wisconsin last week on drug and weapons-related charges. Allegedly, the apprehended men were associated with a north Madison home, where authorities seized thousands of dollars of cash, narcotics and firearms.

The arrests happened in the wake of a long-term drug investigation that resulted in three searches of two north Madison residences and a storage locker last Tuesday. Police claim that they seized cocaine, heroin, $12,500 in cash and five guns as a result of their searches. Allegedly, the guns that police found during the search included an AR-15, an SKS 7.62 rifle, two .44-caliber handguns and a .22-caliber assault rifle.

The men were not in either of the residences at the time of the search and seizure operations. However, police later found the men and arrested them after chasing each on foot. The arrested men included a 38-year-old man from Madison and a 34-year-old man from Chicago. The 38-year-old was charged with cocaine delivery, heroin delivery and resisting arrest. The 34-year-old was charged with party to the crime of heroin delivery and resisting arrest.

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 Posted on September 14, 2018 in Drug Charges

Police throughout Wisconsin are diligent in their efforts to enforce state and federal drug laws. In some cases, police operatives even go undercover to arrange drug deals that may lead to an arrest.

In a recent case like this, four women were taken into custody on meth charges in Arcadia. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Office, the women have been accused of selling methamphetamine. The arrests took place as a part of an undercover operation on Sept. 10. The arrested women were 38, 41, 47 and 50 years of age.

The Trempealeau County Sheriff's Office conducted the covert operation, which involved an undercover operative who allegedly purchased meth from one of the women. Three additional women who were in the first woman's care were also arrested.

After the sale, police carried out an investigation of the woman's car with a K-9 unit on scene. The K-9 unit alleged discovered 50 milligrams of illegal meth in the car. Next, police conducted another search of a hotel room that was connected to the women.

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 Posted on August 26, 2018 in Gun & Weapons Crimes

Sometimes people accused of crimes find themselves in trouble with the law because they actually committed a criminal act. Other times, they get arrested because they were spending time with the wrong group of friends at the wrong time. Still, in other cases, police are completely misguided and arrest someone who is completely uninvolved in the alleged crimes.

In a recent drug bust, we can't know whether the people the authorities arrested are guilty of their alleged crimes until the conclusion of their criminal cases. Until they confess to the crimes by pleading guilty, or until a criminal court finds them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, these individuals remain innocent in the eyes of the law.

The arrests and alleged drug bust happened in Fitchburg on a recent Monday. Police apprehended four young men, two 19-year-olds, a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old. Police carried out the arrests at approximately 10 a.m. Three of the men were arrested for violating probation. One was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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 Posted on August 19, 2018 in Gun & Weapons Crimes

In the state of Wisconsin, if you're a gun owner, it's important that you understand the legal distinction between various terms, like "carry" and "possession," for example. Understanding the meaning of these and other gun law terminology is important for deciding whether a particular defendant has broken Wisconsin gun laws.

Here are some important terms you should know:

Carry: The terms "carry" and "carrying" in the context of firearms in Wisconsin means "to go armed with," which -- in turn -- means that the firearm is on the person's body, being carried by the person or within his or her reach. It also means that the person is aware that the firearm is there.

Possession: In many cases, courts generally will not deem that a person is "carrying" a firearm if it is unloaded and encased. In these situations, the person is usually in "possession" of the firearm. The term "possession" describes someone who has a firearm -- and it could be on his or her person -- but the person is not "going armed with" the weapon.

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 Posted on August 17, 2018 in Criminal Defense

A robbery charge is a serious criminal accusation, and the punishments associated with a conviction for this offense become even more severe when a firearm was involved. That said, all individuals accused of this crime will have the opportunity to defend themselves against the allegations.

In all criminal cases, including robbery crimes, the burden of proof lies on the prosecution. If the prosecution cannot prove the following facts are true beyond a reasonable doubt in a robbery case, then a conviction cannot occur:

• The accused person took or stole property.
• The stolen property belonged to someone.
• The property was stolen from the owner's person or it was stolen while in the presence of the owner.
• The property was taken against the owner's will.
• The accused person committed the unlawful taking through intimidation, violence or brute force.

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 Posted on August 17, 2018 in OWI/DUI

Police arrest countless individuals on drunk driving charges every evening. However, police and the protocol they use to identify and charge people with intoxicated vehicle operation are not fool-proof. It's very possible for law enforcement officials to make a mistake and arrest someone intoxicated driving, when the accused was completely and undoubtedly sober. For this reason, every person accused of drunk driving will have the right to defend him or herself against the charges – no matter the facts and circumstances surrounding the arrest.

There will be numerous legal strategies available to defendants as they navigate their criminal charges. Such strategies may include:

1. Challenge evidence presented by the prosecution

The prosecution may provide evidence relating to the results of your field sobriety test and the results of Breathalyzer, urine or blood tests that measure alcohol content. The prosecution may also present witnesses who allegedly witnessed the driver's state of inebriation. Camera footage from bars and restaurants and from the street before and during the drunk driving stop may also be used as evidence.

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