Paw Paw Criminal Defense Attorney
Paw Paw is the Van Buren County seat, set among the vineyards along I-94 west of Kalamazoo. The courts are here, the prosecutor is here, and so is a wine industry that brings visitors in by the coachload. I am Shawn Haff, and I defend people charged with crimes throughout Paw Paw and Van Buren 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 Paw Paw Case Will Be Heard
The 7th District Court handles misdemeanors and the first stages of a felony, and its Paw Paw seat is at 212 E Paw Paw St. Felonies are tried at the 36th Circuit Court in Paw Paw. Worth knowing before your date: the 7th District Court sits in two places — Paw Paw and South Haven at 1007 E Wells St — and which one hears your case depends on where the incident occurred. Confirm the address on your notice rather than assuming the county seat.
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 7th District Court page for how these cases run.
The Charges I See Most in Paw Paw
Tasting rooms and I-94 make an unforgiving combination. A afternoon spread across three or four vineyards does not feel like drinking, and the drive back to the interstate is short, well patrolled, and busy from spring through the autumn harvest. Paw Paw sees a steady volume of OWI arrests from visitors who did not think of themselves as impaired, alongside the interstate drug stops any I-94 town produces.
- OWI and drunk driving on I-94, M-40, and the wine-trail roads — including visitors arrested far from home
- High-BAC "super drunk" charges, which carry enhanced penalties and a longer license sanction
- Drug possession, delivery, and trafficking charges from I-94 stops
- Domestic violence and assault
- Theft and retail fraud
- License restoration after multiple alcohol-related convictions
What Is Actually at Stake
A breath result is a machine output, not a fact of nature. Michigan's evidential instruments have to be maintained, calibrated, and operated according to a procedure, the operator has to be certified, and the observation period before the test has to be genuine rather than nominal. Those records exist and they are obtainable, and a defense that never asks for them is not really a defense.
What to Do Next
If you were arrested here while visiting, do not plead simply to stop driving back. I can appear for you at many hearings, and the plea that ends the inconvenience today is usually the one that costs you a license for six months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which 7th District Court location will my case be at?
The 7th District Court sits in Paw Paw at 212 E Paw Paw St and in South Haven at 1007 E Wells St, and which seat hears a case depends on where the incident occurred. Read the address on your notice — and if it is unclear, call me and I will confirm it rather than let you guess.
I was arrested after visiting the wineries. Is a first OWI really that serious?
Yes. A first-offense OWI in Michigan is a misdemeanor carrying up to 93 days in jail, fines, community service, and a license sanction applied automatically by the Secretary of State — and if your blood alcohol was 0.17 or higher it is charged as High BAC, with materially worse consequences. It also stays on your record, which matters more than the fine to most people.
Can the breath test result be challenged?
Regularly, yes. The instrument has maintenance and calibration records, the operator has a certification, and the procedure requires an observation period before the sample. Any of those can fail, and a blood draw adds questions of its own about collection, storage, and chain of custody. Those records have to be requested — they do not arrive on their own.
Talk to a Paw Paw 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.