Posted on June 26, 2017 in Theft

Wisconsin residents who charged with theft crimes face the threat of spending quite a bit of time in prison or jail if they are convicted. The severity of the punishments will increase dramatically based on the value of the property that was allegedly stolen. However, those accused of theft or larceny will have the ability to defend themselves in court.

Here are three common defenses used in theft crime trials:

-- You are the owner of the property: Perhaps you didn't steal the property at all, and you're the owner. If this is the case for you, then all you have to do is prove that you are the owner of the property and/or you have a valid claim to the property.

-- You were drunk: It might seem like a strange defense, but when people are intoxicated, they are not in their right minds, and they might confuse someone else's property with their own. For example, maybe you picked up someone else's cellphone or jacket at a bar because you were intoxicated and confused it with your own.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 22, 2017 in Criminal Defense

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is here, with plenty of entertainment and celebrations taking place in and around Waukesha. Inevitably, however, the holiday also brings a marked increase in police presence on the highways.

If you see the dreaded blue lights behind you in your rear-view mirror, do you know what to do to avoid incriminating yourself in the traffic stop?

Assert your right to remain silent

Cops have a favorite fishing tactic they use on unsuspecting motorists they've just stopped. They ask an innocent-sounding question that is anything but: "Do you know why I stopped you?"

If ever there was a loaded question designed to get a motorist to begin incriminating him- or herself, that is it. Even if you have no idea what you did wrong, all sorts of possibilities probably popped up in your mind, just waiting to burst forth from your mouth to become evidence against you in court.

Admit or volunteer nothing. Politely respond, "No, officer."

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 15, 2017 in OWI/DUI

Getting charged with boating under the influence is not that different from getting charged with driving under the influence. Perhaps the main distinction, however, is that people who drive boats tend to be more at risk of such allegations -- that's because lots of Wisconsin residents like to bring alcoholic beverages with them when they head out onto our state's rivers and lakes.

Just like driving under the influence, a boating under the influence charge will trigger when the boat operator has an blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or more. However, unlike drivers, boaters don't have the right to refuse a blood alcohol content test. Simply by the act of operating a watercraft or boat, operators are seen to have pre-consented to sobriety tests. In fact, it is a legal violation for a boater to refuse such a test when an officer requests it. Boaters must also stop when asked to do so by an officer of the law or by a patrol boat.

It is not uncommon for a boater who is operating under the influence to also get hit with charges related to underage drinking, having an open intoxicant and engaging in public drunkenness. If convicted of the charges, boaters can expect to incur fines, impoundment of property and even jail time.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 14, 2017 in Criminal Defense

It's natural for human beings to draw, paint and decorate their environments, but when it comes to doing this on another person's property without permission, it's referred to as vandalism and it's unlawful. Vandalism as a crime encompasses a broad range of things.

Vandalism is typically defined as a willful act intended to alter, destroy, deface or significantly change another person's property. It may include the following acts:

-- Keying or using something else to scratch paint off someone's vehicle

-- Breaking windows

-- Defacing a piece of public property

-- Making graffiti on someone's property

-- Egging a person's window or vehicle

-- Spray painting someone's property in order to deface it

-- Slashing a vehicle's tires

-- Changing or pulling down street signs

-- Damaging or kicking someone's property

-- Defacing a park bench in any way

Charges relating to vandalism may also arise out of a person simply possessing objects or tools that are likely to be used for the purpose of committing vandalism. These objects might include spray paint, normal paint, permanent markers, glass cutters, drill bits or other substances and items.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 12, 2017 in Criminal Defense

The day that you are arrested for a criminal activity, your focus becomes getting out of jail. Most people don't want to have to sit in the local jail or county lockup while their case is moving through the criminal justice system.

In many cases, the criminal court will issue bail for a person who was arrested. This is a financial assurance that the person will report back to court at the appointed times. There are several things that people should know about bail.

Bail vs. bond

The court issues a bail amount. You have two options for this -- you can pay the court the entire bail amount or you can contact a bail bondsman. In some cases, you can get out of jail by going through a bail bondsman to pay a portion of that bail to get out of jail. In exchange for money, the bondsman writes a bond that covers the remainder of the bail amount. This enables you to get out of jail without having to fork over the entire bail amount.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 10, 2017 in Drug Charges

It's difficult to watch a co-worker suffer through a workday in pain. You might be tempted to alleviate his or her discomfort by giving your co-worker one of the pain medications you take for your bum knee; however, it would be a very bad idea and it could get you in serious trouble with the law.

Imagine your co-worker got stopped by the police on the way home from work -- perhaps because he or she took too many of the Vicodin you gave him or her. The police might decide to arrest him or her for intoxicated driving, and if they find your Vicodin, they'll want to know who gave them to him or her. Furthermore, if your friend gets into a serious car accident, gets injured or causes injury to others, you could be financially and criminally responsible for the crash.

There are more reasons -- aside from criminal and civil liabilities -- that should dissuade the average Wisconsin resident from sharing drugs with co-workers. Most importantly, it could result in you getting fired from your job. Most employers do not look favorably on employees who share drugs with co-workers at work, and for obvious reasons. Any pharmaceutical drugs possessed by someone who doesn't have a prescription is a violation of federal law.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 25, 2017 in OWI/DUI

Boating under the influence charges happen frequently in Wisconsin's waterways. In fact, some Wisconsin boaters may have been arrested and charged with BUI even though they are innocent. This is partly because the very nature of being on a boat with friends can result in an inappropriate arrest.

Unlike a car, boat drivers can switch off with passengers very easily. One minute you might be driving the boat, and the next minute your friend is driving the boat. Because it's easy for boat passengers to move around and switch positions with the driver, police might be confused about who was actually driving the boat.

Let's say your good friend was driving your boat, and he was a responsible boater, a great boat driver and also stone-cold sober. You, on the other hand, were not entirely sober because you just finished drinking four beers over the last couple hours. Because you are technically the owner of the boat, however, police got confused and mistakenly fell under the impression that you were operating your boat while intoxicated.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 19, 2017 in Drug Charges

In Wisconsin, drug charges are a very serious matter. Even as lawmakers are slowly introducing medical marijuana legislation that aims to loosen the restrictions against the drug, the penalties for possessing or dealing drugs or drug paraphernalia are still quite stiff.

If you received drug charges of any kind recently, you must begin building a strong, aggressive defense as soon as possible. The longer than you wait to build a defense and take action for your future, the longer that the state has to build its case against you.

Penalties for drug charges can completely derail your entire life, even if you avoid jail time. Depending on the severity of the charges, you may face thousands of dollars in fines, suspension of your license, increases in insurance premiums, and difficulty finding work or housing.

Many employers do not hire applicants with drug convictions on their record, even if the rest of the resume is impressive. Likewise, many property rental companies have policies against leasing to individuals with drug convictions.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 18, 2017 in Criminal Defense

A 37-year-old mother from Milwaukee has been accused of allowing her 8-year-old son to drive on Highway 145. Police pulled the woman and her son over, after allegedly spotting the woman driving with her young child on her lap in the front seat.

Police said allege they saw the boy steering his mother's vehicle as they drove down the highway. After spotting the pair, police pulled them over, and upon reaching the vehicle, they say that the boy was emotionally distraught.

Police further claim that the 37-year-old mother would not cooperate with them. They say she failed her field sobriety tests and showed signs of being intoxicated. Authorities arrested her, charged her with DUI 3rd offense and DUI with a young child in the car. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's office also plans to seek charges of Interlock Ignition Device Violation, Operating After Revocation, and 2nd Degree Reckless Endangering Safety.

Following the arrest, police gave the child over to Child Protective Services. They say that during the arrest and interrogation of his mother, the boy was crying. Allegedly, the boy was afraid that he was in trouble with the law and he asked them not to take him to jail.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on May 14, 2017 in Drug Charges

It's hard to imagine, but even the most seemingly innocuous items could lead to a federal drug paraphernalia charge if police find you in possession of them at the time of a drug-related arrest. For example, a box of small plastic baggies would be perfectly innocent in any other context, but if police find you in possession of a large bag of cocaine, they may assume that you're going to use the baggies to traffic and sell the drug.

Let's take a look at what constitutes a federal drug paraphernalia crime under the law:

-- Offering to sell or selling any kind of drug paraphernalia.

-- Mailing or transporting drug paraphernalia through any kind of interstate postal or transportation system.

-- Exporting or importing drug paraphernalia to and from outside the country.

The determination, however, of whether something is "drug paraphernalia" is often a decision based on context. Let's consider a pipe or a bong, which could be used to smoke marijuana or another illegal substance but could also be used to smoke tobacco. For the drug paraphernalia conviction to occur, police will need to connect the pipe to drugs -- for example, by detecting a drug-caused residue on the pipe. If the only residue is related to tobacco, or if the otherwise innocent item was not found where drugs were present, then a paraphernalia charge may not stick.

Continue Reading ››