The Criminal Defense Law Center of
West Michigan
Anyone facing accusations or criminal charges of home invasion is facing extremely serious penalties.
Grand Rapids & West Michigan prosecutors and prosecutors take home invasion charges very seriously. If you are charged with home invasion, you need to contact Shawn now at 616-438-6719!
Shawn knows how to get his clients the best results possible. If you want to stay out of jail and save your reputation, you need an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney like Shawn by your side. Shawn and his team of expert lawyers are able to help you get a not guilty verdict at trial, if you are innocent, or help you get the best results possible.
Facing a Home Invasion charge in Grand Rapids is a battle against a system designed for maximum sentencing. Whether you are charged with First-Degree Home Invasion (MCL 750.110a)—which carries a 20-year maximum—or a third-degree offense, you are entering the 17th Circuit Court where the prosecution is relentless. Navigating the specific judicial expectations of Chief Judge Jeffrey J. O’Hara requires more than just a lawyer; it requires a sophisticated shield. You must hire the best west Michigan attorney around Shawn Haff right away. From our legal command center at Suite 208, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, we move with professional urgency to challenge “intent” and “unlawful entry” allegations before they solidify into a life-altering conviction.
In 2026, West Michigan law enforcement often overcharges simple trespassing or “right of entry” disputes as high-stakes felonies. Shawn Haff is a contrarian who refuses to accept the police narrative that every entry was a “breaking.” We specialize in dismantling the state’s case by scrutinizing bodycam footage and witness statements for inconsistencies that prove a lack of criminal intent. Our firm, located at 2675 44th Street SW, Suite 208, Wyoming, MI, understands that a Home Invasion charge often stems from domestic disputes or misunderstandings. We provide a powerhouse defense that forces the prosecution to prove every element of the crime, or we fight for a total dismissal. Don’t hire another lawyer until you talk to Shawn first; your future deserves the most aggressive defense in Grand Rapids.
One of the most dangerous aspects of a First-Degree Home Invasion charge in Michigan is the court’s ability to order consecutive sentencing under MCL 750.110a(8). Most criminal sentences in Grand Rapids run “concurrently,” meaning you serve them at the same time. However, if you are convicted of First-Degree Home Invasion and another crime arising from the same incident (such as an assault or a firearm charge), the judge has the discretion to make you serve those sentences one after the other.
This “stacking” of years is why you must hire the best west Michigan attorney around Shawn Haff right away. We move with professional urgency to negotiate these “stackable” charges down or fight for a total dismissal to protect you from decades in prison.
At the Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan, our defense strategies are built on the specific nuances of Michigan law. We don’t just hope for a good outcome; we engineer it.
Challenging the “Breaking” Element: Under Michigan law, “breaking” requires some use of force, however slight. If a door was already open or you had an implied “right of entry,” the prosecution may not be able to meet the statutory burden for a home invasion charge. We scrutinize bodycam footage from the Grand Rapids Police Department to see exactly how the scene was documented.
Lacking Specific Intent: Home Invasion is a “specific intent” crime. This means the prosecution must prove you intended to commit a crime at the moment of entry. If you entered to seek shelter, to find help, or because you were intoxicated and believed you were at your own home, the “intent” element fails.
Claim of Right or Permission: If you believed you had permission to enter—perhaps through a former relationship or a verbal agreement—we use that as a sophisticated shield. Mistaken identity and “alibi” defenses are also common tools we use from our command center at Suite 208.
A charge can be elevated to the First Degree if the state alleges you were armed with a “dangerous weapon.” In 2026, prosecutors are increasingly aggressive in defining what constitutes a weapon. It isn’t just guns or knives; even a common household object can be labeled a “dangerous weapon” if it was used in a threatening manner. We challenge these overreaches by arguing the statutory definitions and forcing the state to prove that an object was intended for use as a weapon.
Facing a Home Invasion charge in West Michigan is a life-or-death situation for your freedom. From our headquarters at 2675 44th Street SW, Suite 208, Wyoming, MI, we coordinate a powerhouse defense that leaves no stone unturned. We understand that these cases are often high-emotion domestic disputes masquerading as “burglaries.” We provide the “brutally honest” guidance and relentless representation needed to navigate the 17th Circuit Court and come out on top.
Do not hire another lawyer until you talk to Shawn first. Your future depends on the decisions you make in the first 24 hours after an arrest. Call us immediately.
Michigan’s laws dealing with home invasion are tough. You are facing prison time and a felony conviction on your record if you are charged with home invasion.
The elements required to be convicted of a home invasion in Michigan require a person use force to break into a building. Examples of force include, a person breaking down a door, simply opening a door, opening a window or entering a building by using fraud to enter a home. The moment a person either places an object inside a home or enters a home, the second element of breaking and has been completed.
Local police officers and prosecutors will actively try to hammer someone with a stiff sentence if they believe someone has committed the crime of home invasion. The maximum penalty someone can face for this charge is life in prison. The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan will work hard to get you the best results possible and make sure all mitigating factors are presented in your case to lessen the punishment a person will face if convicted of this charge.
This charge is divided into three different degrees. Attorney Shawn James Haff and The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan is willing to defend anyone charged for committing the crime of Home Invasion. According to Michigan Law (750.110a),
A person who breaks and enters a dwelling with intent to commit a felony, larceny, or assault in the dwelling, a person who enters a dwelling without permission with intent to commit a felony, larceny, or assault in the dwelling, or a person who breaks and enters a dwelling or enters a dwelling without permission and, at any time while he or she is entering, present in, or exiting the dwelling, commits a felony, larceny, or assault is guilty of home invasion in the first degree if at any time while the person is entering, present in, or exiting the dwelling either of the following circumstances exists:
(a) The person is armed with a dangerous weapon.
(b) Another person is lawfully present in the dwelling.
The elements for 2nd-degree charges are:
A person who breaks and enters a dwelling with intent to commit a felony, larceny, or assault in the dwelling, a person who enters a dwelling without permission with intent to commit a felony, larceny, or assault in the dwelling, or a person who breaks and enters a dwelling or enters a dwelling without permission and, at any time while he or she is entering, present in, or exiting the dwelling, commits a felony, larceny, or assault is guilty of home invasion in the second degree.
The elements for a 3rd-degree charge are:
(a) Breaks and enters a dwelling with intent to commit a misdemeanor in the dwelling, enters a dwelling without permission with intent to commit a misdemeanor in the dwelling, or breaks and enters a dwelling or enters a dwelling without permission and, at any time while he or she is entering, present in, or exiting the dwelling, commits a misdemeanor.
(b) Breaks and enters a dwelling or enters a dwelling without permission and, at any time while the person is entering, present in, or exiting the dwelling, violates any of the following ordered to protect a named person or persons:
(i) A probation term or condition.
(ii) A parole term or condition.
(iii) A personal protection order term or condition.
(iv) A bond or bail condition or any condition of pretrial release.
Prosecutors in Kent County do not show leniency in home invasion cases; they treat every degree of this charge as a violent intrusion into a person’s sanctuary. Because you are facing the possibility of decades behind bars and a permanent felony record, you cannot afford a second-rate defense. You must hire the best West Michigan attorney around Shawn Haff right away. Our team moves with a professional sense of urgency to identify every weakness in the prosecution’s case—from lack of intent to issues with the “breaking and entering” evidence. Do not wait for the system to hammer you; contact the premier criminal defense firm in West Michigan immediately to fight for your freedom.