Should I Confess?
If you are being investigated for committing a misdemeanor, felony or charged with any crime in Michigan, police officers will talk to you about the case. Their goal is to get you to confess! Police Officers are skilled at getting people to confess! Do not fall for their trick. Always politely tell them you are […]
Should I Plead Guilty At Arraignment
If you are facing criminal charges, the first step in your case is called an arraignment. At your arraignment, you will be told what charges you are facing. For example, “Retail Fraud in the third degree.” You will also be told what the maximum penalties are. For example, “Retail Fraud is punishable by up to […]
Michigan Drunk Driving Laws
257.625 Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated; “operating while intoxicated” defined; operating motor vehicle when visibly impaired; penalties for causing death or serious impairment of a body function; operation of motor vehicle by person less than 21 years of age; requirements; controlled substances; costs; enhanced sentence; guilty plea or nolo contendere; establishment of prior conviction; special […]
Manufacturing Drugs?
Manufacturing drugs, creating, delivering, or possessing with intent to manufacture, create, or deliver controlled substance, prescription form, or counterfeit prescription form; dispensing, prescribing, or administering controlled substance; violations; penalties; consecutive terms; discharge from lifetime probation; “plant” defined. Sec. 7401. (1) Except as authorized by this article, a person shall not engaged in manufacturing drugs, create, […]
Do Not Consent To Police Drug Searches
Here is free advice from The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan regarding drug charges! Do not consent to police drug searches! Do not consent to a search of your house, property or car until you have talked to an attorney and the police obtain a warrant for it. If you are confronted by […]
Reasonable Suspicion
An officer must have what is referred to as “reasonable suspicion” to believe you have violated some law in order to make a traffic stop. Random stops, stops based on “a hunch,” and roadblocks are not legal in Michigan According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the following is a list of symptoms, […]
Michigan Drug Laws
What state has some of the toughest laws on drugs? Look no further than Michigan! If you or anyone you know is facing a drug-related criminal charge, you can expect to face some serious consequences. Michigan drug laws are organized into schedules. This makes things easier for the prosecutor and the judge when it comes […]
Bad Checks
750.131 Bad Checks, draft, or order for payment of money; making, drawing, uttering, or delivering without sufficient funds with intent to defraud; violation; penalties; enhanced sentence based on prior convictions. Sec. 131. (1) A person shall not make, draw, utter, or deliver any checks, draft, or order for the payment of money, to apply on […]
Sentencing Guidelines
A person charged with a felony is going to hear their attorney talk about “sentencing guidelines” and because this often creates a lot of fear and confusion, I thought it would be helpful to offer a brief overview on what exactly sentencing guidelines are and how sentencing works in Michigan. The first thing to understand […]
Poaching Laws In Michigan
Poaching in Michigan is a serious crime. Local prosecutors will bring up criminal charges against anyone who is caught poaching in Michgian. According to an article on Mlive.com, A DNR conservation officer investigating an elk poaching has identified the Jackson County hunter believed to be responsible after finding a grocery store receipt among the elk’s scattered […]
Breathalyzer Tests
If you have been caught driving drunk and are charged with a DUI, you have probably become familiar with a breathalyzer test. The breathalyzer is a device that is used to estimate your blood-alcohol level (BAC). Anytime your BAC is above the legal limit, here in Michigan that means .08, you can expect to be […]
Electric Forest Arrests
If you are going to attend the electric forest festival, expect police to engage in quite a few electric forest arrests. Electric forest arrests are a very nice source of income for the state and county. Here is an article from mlive.com that doesn’t really deal with electric forest arrests, but instead talks about the policing that […]
Arrested By The Police? Here’s What To Do
Here is some advice from The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan to help you when you are arrested by the police. If you do these things when you are busted by police, your criminal defense lawyer will thank you for it. Keep your mouth shut: Do not talk to the police! They are only […]
Miranda Rights
You should know what your miranda rights are! I have had many clients that have slit their own throats (in the legal sense) by confessing to a crime. A confession can make it harder for your defense attorney to win your case or get you the best results possible! “You have the right to remain […]
Sobriety Court
Being arrested for drunk driving is a frightening experience to go through. This experience is even more difficult to face when a person is being charged with a DUI for a second or third time. Every time you get convicted for drunk driving in Michigan, the penalties you face increase. Jail or prison time is probable […]
One Leg Stand Test
A test that officers almost always use when they try to find probable cause to arrest someone for DUI is the One Leg Stand. This test asks someone count out loud while doing a one leg stand. The National Traffic Safety Administration claims that the one leg stand is a field sobriety test which can […]
Nystagmus Test
Nystagmus is the involuntary movement, or jerking, of the human eye. The factors that can create this kind of reaction from a human being include spinning in a circle, alcohol altering the gravity in the blood, watching images that are sharply contrasting each other and pathological disorders. The nystagmus test, also called HGN test, is […]
Michigan: Preliminary Breath Test
A common request police officers make to people they believe are driving drunk is to submit to a preliminary breath test (PBT). The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan believes that most of the time it is in the best interest of the person being investigated for drunk driving to refuse the test. What […]
Disorderly Person
The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan has represented people charged under Michigan’s “disorderly person” statue. This statute reads that a “person who is intoxicated in a public place and who is either endangering directly the safety of another person or property or is acting in a manner that causes a public disturbance.” There […]
Calvin College Sexual Misconduct Allegations
If you are accused of sexual misconduct as a student of Calvin College, you need to be prepared for what you are going to be facing. A person who is part of the Safer Spaces Committee, assigned by the Safer Spaces Administrator and the SSA is the person who serves as the Title IX Coordinator. […]