Posted on December 11, 2017 in OWI/DUI

There are tests that police use in the field to determine if a driver is operating his or her vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol. The king of these tests is the Breathalyzer testm which provides a way to measure the amount of alcohol in a driver's blood. Police can also use gaze tests, smell your breath and have you perform other field sobriety tests to gauge how intoxicated you are.

When it comes to drugged driving, however, police don't have such a clear way to determine if you have drugs in your system. For example, marijuana can be found in your bloodstream and urine for as many as four or five weeks following the use of the drug, but police can't use such tests to determine if you're high on marijuana right now. As for cocaine, it will stay in your system for one or two days. Again, you might have evidence of these drugs in your system but not be intoxicated at all.

Sometimes, police can use "Drug Recognition Experts," also known as DREs, to evaluate what kind of drugs are impairing you. A DRE can look closely at your eye movements, your behavior and other indicators to determine if you're under the influence of drugs and what kind of drug could be influencing you. These specially trained experts might perform tests on you after police bring you back to the police station following an arrest.

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 Posted on December 10, 2017 in Drug Charges

Nobody knew about fentanyl until fairly recently, but now this extremely potent synthetic opioid -- which is 10 times stronger than heroin -- can be found on the news nearly every day in the United States. This drug has been responsible for numerous overdose deaths every year in Wisconsin. The death beloved pop star Prince was even blamed on this potent narcotic.

Fentanyl was created by doctors as a strong painkiller. Its effects aren't that different from heroin, however, so it eventually found its way into the hands of black market dealers who find the drug easy to transport and distribute due to its potent nature. You don't need very much fentanyl to give the same level of effect that you receive from heroin, so heroin is also getting spiked with fentanyl to save drug dealers money and churn more profit.

The problem happens when users who aren't familiar with fentanyl or don't know that their heroin contains fentanyl end up taking this powerful drug unknowingly. Overdoses can happen easily, and that's why catastrophic accidents occur. It's also Wisconsin authorities are trying to crack down on this narcotic.

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 Posted on December 10, 2017 in OWI/DUI

Wisconsin drunk driving lawyers are not miracle workers, but they can assist you in navigating your criminal charges. In some cases, when your criminal defense counsel can identify holes in the prosecution's case, they may be able to get your charges dropped or dismissed. In other cases, your lawyer might be able to reach a plea deal in order to get your punishments reduced.

The criminal, career, social and financial consequences of an operating while intoxicated (OWI) conviction are serious. Nevertheless, 3.1 percent of Wisconsin drivers still admit to driving after having too much to drink. As a warning to all drivers, let's look at a few possible scenarios that drunk driving defendants commonly face:

• First-time offenders with OWI charges: A first-time OWI charge is usually a non-criminal offense, which doesn't result in jail time. Those convicted of this crime will usually face a large fine, a nine-month maximum license suspension, a 12-month maximum ignition interlock device (IID), an alcohol assessment exam, and at least six points on their drivers' licenses. Additional penalties unrelated to the criminal aspects of this conviction could include an increase in insurance premiums and professional consequences. Incidentally, if your OWI charge was also connected to injuries, you might have to spend 30 days in jail.

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 Posted on November 27, 2017 in Drug Charges

Many people think of drunk driving charges as being associated with only alcohol. These individuals might not realize that they can also face drunk driving charges after taking drugs. Not just illegal drugs, but even legal drugs can lead to a drunk driving charge.

The point to remember when it comes to drunk driving charges is that anything that impairs your ability to drive can lead to a drunk driving charge. It doesn't matter where the substance came from if it has this impact.

When it comes to determining if someone is impaired by drugs, it isn't as easy as it is with a person who is drunk. Instead, police might have to rely on testimony from the person as well as field sobriety testing and chemical tests.

Chemical tests pose a unique problem because some substances will show up on blood tests and urinalysis testing long after the impairment has worn off. This can mean that a person could theoretically face charges for impaired driving when they were actually fine to drive.

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 Posted on November 22, 2017 in Drug Charges

A Wisconsin woman was arrested for allegedly possessing 2.36 ounces of heroin on Oct. 8 in Darien. The woman has now been accused of even more crimes following a thorough investigation by authorities. In addition to the current charges, the woman has a previous history of drug-related convictions.

According to police, the 23-year-old woman had over 2 ounces of heroin in a total of 134 individual baggies. The street value of the contraband material is believed to be $6,700. As a result of the allegations and evidence, she has been charged with felony-level controlled substance possession, felony-level controlled substance possession with the intent to deliver and possession with the intent to deliver inside 1,000 feet of a public park.

If convicted of these felony offenses, the woman could spend anywhere from six to 30 years in prison. She is currently being held on bond of $250,000. Authorities found approximately $847 in cash belonging to the woman at the time of the arrest; however, police would not permit the woman to use this money to help pay for the 10 percent of her bond that would lead to her release. Authorities said that they first needed to determine that the cash was not drug money.

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 Posted on November 18, 2017 in Criminal Defense

Police in Glendale say that they arrested a man who tried to flee from them while driving drunk. The man allegedly inspired a high-speed car chase that resulted in a fiery vehicle accident. Following the collision, authorities arrested the man and charged him with operating while intoxicated (OWI) causing injury, reckless endangerment, eluding police and other criminal charges.

Police say that the man was already out on bail for another drunk driving offense in Crawford County and that case is still pending. Due to the already-pending charges, the judge set the man's bail at $10,000. When setting the bail, the judge said, "You were already out on bail on another matter for similar conduct, drinking and driving ... then you go out and do it again?"

The pending drunk driving charges happened not two months ago. In addition, the man has drunk driving convictions on his criminal record, including an OWI from 2015 and an OWI with cocaine possession from 2010.

The arrest and car chase happened when police tried to pull over an allegedly road-raging driver. Police received reports that the driver tried to swerve into another car and strike it. Later, police received complaints that the motorist was running through red lights and hitting traffic signs. Police tried to pull the man over, but he sped away down Interstate 43, and a high-speed car chase ensued. After crashing his car into a pole, and after his car erupted into flames, the man allegedly ran away on foot. Police soon caught up with him.

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 Posted on November 16, 2017 in Criminal Defense

When carrying a firearm in Wiscon, you're also carrying a huge responsibility. As such, specific laws may apply to your possession, ownership and use of a firearm. Be sure to read the information below to find out how you may be affected by our state's gun laws.

Who does the law permit to own a firearm? In the state of Wisconsin, all adults can own a firearm if they have not been convicted of a felony and passed a background check to purchase the weapon they want to buy.

What happens to felons who possess firearms? The unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon is an extremely serious offense that could result in a prison sentence of 10 years.

What are the requirements to carry a concealed weapon? In order to carry a concealed weapon, you must complete the Wisconsin concealed weapons licensing program. Failing to have the appropriate license may result in the criminal charge of carrying a concealed weapon without a license.

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 Posted on November 11, 2017 in Criminal Defense

Bribery is a crime that occurs behind closed doors and in secret. The act of bribing another person involves the offering of money or favors in exchange for benefiting from the power of that person's position.

Bribery may involve a public official or politician who receives money under the table from someone who wants to receive a special favor. Ultimately, both the person who offers a bribe and the person who accepts the bribe can face these criminal charges.

What's required to prove bribery?

At its core, bribery is simple: Someone offers a thing of value in exchange for something else of value. Often, the favor given in exchange for a bribe is political influence. It might involve a corrupt judge who gives a certain ruling in exchange for a bribe. Or, it could involve a police officer who agrees to look the other way while someone commits a crime.

In terms of bribery charges that prosecutors try in federal court, there are specific elements that must be present in order for a bribery charge to stick. Those elements are:

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 Posted on October 26, 2017 in Gun & Weapons Crimes

Wisconsin residents need to know their gun laws if they want to avoid unintentionally getting into trouble. One area of the law that could be subject to changes from year to year relates to machine guns, which are currently considered illegal in the state. Gun owners should review the following rules and regulations pertaining to machine guns to ensure that they don't get into trouble with state and local law enforcement regarding the firearms they possess and carry.

It is unlawful to transport, possess or sell a machine gun or fully automatic weapon unless these actions are performed in strict alignment with applicable gun laws. The term "machine gun" in this context relates to any firearm that can automatically shoot -- or automatically be rearmed to shoot -- over one shot at a time without the need to manually reload, simply by pulling the trigger of the weapon.

There are some exemptions to the above ban. For example, machine guns are exempt if they are:

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 Posted on October 22, 2017 in Drug Charges

After the brain gets addicted to an opioid medication, it can take as long as two years for it to fully recover once the abuse of the drug stops. However, the first 90 days of recovery tend to be the most critical to ensure that the individual stays sober.

According to a leading addiction expert, creating a solid foundation of sobriety takes time and diligence. For this reason, anyone who tries to stop taking an addictive substance is encouraged to have 90 days of contact with a professional addiction therapist by way of an intensive outpatient program or a partial hospitalization program.

Experts don't know a lot about why it takes 90 days to get past the most difficult time and they don't know why it can take two years to fully heal. They just know that the process takes this amount of time with most people.

In most modern addiction treatment scenarios, therapists and recovery experts evaluate the mental health needs of the patient as well as his or her unique addiction issues. In this regard, untreated mental disorders tend to be addressed in addition to the medical aspects of addiction recovery. Patients commonly start with detox, then they receive in-patient rehab. Next, patients live in supportive housing, receive psychotherapy, take appropriate medications and go to group therapy. Part of the therapy should stress impulse control, which assists patients in controlling the impulsive thoughts that lead them to take more addictive substances.

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