Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney
Nashville is a village in southeast Barry County, on the Thornapple River, with a name that guarantees every search result belongs to a city in Tennessee. It is a farming community of about fifteen hundred people. I am Shawn Haff, and I defend people charged with crimes throughout Nashville and Barry County. If you have been arrested, or you know you are under investigation, talk to a defense lawyer before you talk to anyone else. The call is free and I am available 24/7 at 616-438-6719.
Where Your Nashville Case Will Be Heard
Nashville has a genuine complication most towns do not: the village sits on the Barry–Eaton county line. A Barry County case goes to the 56B District Court at 206 W Court St in Hastings, with felonies at the 5th Circuit Court in the Barry County Courthouse, 220 W State St — a different building a few blocks away, which catches people out. An incident on the Eaton County side is charged by a different prosecutor in a different court altogether. I do not guess at this; I confirm which county has the case before anything else happens.
Knowing the building is the easy part. What matters is knowing how that particular bench handles a first offense, which prosecutor has room to negotiate, and what the local diversion options actually are — see my 56B District Court page for how these cases run.
The Charges I See Most in Nashville
Nashville's caseload is rural and vehicular. M-66 and M-79 carry the traffic, and the stops that come off them at night account for most of the OWI and drug charges. Add the ordinary business of a small farming village — assault, domestic disputes, theft from outbuildings and equipment, and firearm questions that arise from hunting rather than from crime.
- OWI and drunk driving on M-66, M-79, and the county roads
- Drug possession and delivery charges arising from rural traffic stops
- Firearm and weapons charges, including transport and hunting-related allegations
- Theft of tools, equipment, and fuel from farms and outbuildings
- Domestic violence and assault
- Probation violations and expungement of older convictions
What Is Actually at Stake
A firearm charge in a farming county is rarely what it looks like in a headline. Michigan's transport and storage rules are technical, and a person who has handled guns responsibly for forty years can still be charged over how one was carried in a truck. Those cases are frequently winnable — but only if someone actually litigates the statute rather than treating the charge as a foregone conclusion.
What to Do Next
Bring your paperwork to the first call. The citation or the bond form will name a county and a court, and that single line tells us which prosecutor's office we are dealing with and how the next ninety days are going to run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which county has my Nashville case — Barry or Eaton?
Whichever county the incident actually occurred in. The village straddles the line, so the answer is not the same for everyone. A Barry County case is heard at the 56B District Court, 206 W Court St, Hastings; an Eaton County case is charged and heard elsewhere. Bring me the citation and I will confirm it before you appear anywhere.
The district court and the circuit court have different addresses. Which one do I go to?
In Barry County they are genuinely two buildings: the 56B District Court is in the Courts and Law Building at 206 W Court St, and the 5th Circuit Court is in the Barry County Courthouse at 220 W State St. Misdemeanors and felony arraignments happen at the district court; felony trials happen at the circuit court. Read the address on your notice, not the name.
Can I be charged over how I carried a rifle in my truck?
You can. Michigan regulates the transport of firearms in some detail, and the rules differ depending on the type of firearm, whether it is loaded, and whether it is accessible from the passenger compartment. These charges often rest on a misreading of the statute or on facts that are not what the report says they are, and they are worth challenging rather than pleading out.
Talk to a Nashville Defense Lawyer Today
A criminal charge moves fast, and the first days matter most. Call me directly at 616-438-6719 for a free, confidential consultation — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.