First Court Date: On the first court date in a DUI or criminal case several events happen. First, your attorney will file an Appearance. You may have an arraignment. Further your attorney will enter a plea of not guilty and request discovery. Lastly, the case will be continued for further proceedings. What is an…
What is a Police Report? A police report is a document that a police officer fills out after he or she arrests a person. It contains information about the person arrested, the victim (if any), and what happened to justify the arrest. These reports are typically typed and are usually one to two pages long.…
Electronic Communication Device While Driving: Using a cell phone while driving is a violation of the Illinois Statute 625 ILCS 5/12-610.2. Can I use a cell phone when I am stopped in traffic? Yes. The law states a cell phone can be used if the following conditions are met. First, the vehicle is stopped…
What is Discovery? Discovery is the evidence in a DUI or criminal case. It includes materials such as police reports, pictures of physical evidence, and sometimes video. How do you get Discovery? The prosecutor (state’s attorney) gives Discovery to your defense attorney. However, there is an Illinois Supreme Court rule that specifically states that attorneys…
Should you get an attorney that is at the courthouse everyday? NO. It is understandable to believe that if the attorney is at the courthouse every day this will benefit your case. It seems like a daily relationship with the prosecutor could help your case. However, the opposite is true. If an attorney only focuses…
What if a lawyer says he’s friends with the Judge? If you are considering hiring an attorney, and he or she says that he or she is good friends with the judge, be wary. Likewise, if a lawyer says that he/she plays golf, has meals, or drinks with the judge, this is not only wrongful…
I tried to blow into the breathalyzer, but there was a problem with the breath machine and there was no reading? What if you attempted to provide a breath sample by blowing into the breathalyzer or breath machine and were unable to, the police officer will claim that you refused. This will automatically increase the…
Forest Preserve DUI Dismissed Before Trial: The Forest Preserve Police charged my client with a DUI. My client was riding his motorcycle on a roadway leading out of a Forest Preserve. He lost control and fell off his motorcycle and then fell into a ditch. The police officer was there within minutes and testified that…
Marijuana Breathalyzer: An alcohol breathalyzer has been around for many years, and the result are generally considered accurate. But there has been no breathalyzer for marijuana. However, a marijuana breathalyzer has recently been developed, and California drivers will be the first to be tested with marijuana breathalyzers. Drivers who took part in the field test…
DUI, or Driving Under the Influence, arrests in Lake County Illinois fell over a three-year period. From 2012 to 2014, DUI arrests dropped from 2,338 down to 2,227. Lake County had the third highest of DUI arrest rates during the three-year period, right behind DuPage and Cook Counties.