The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have seen a dramatic rise in the number of mental health and substance abuse issues involving military veterans returning from serving in those wars. Some of these soldiers are returning home with mental health issues and are using drugs to deal with the mental…
Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
Schaumburg to Consider Issuing Negligent Driving Municipal Violations
The Public Safety Committee for the Village of Schaumburg has recommended that the Village of Schaumburg allow police officers to write local Municipal Violation tickets for first-time negligent driving offences. The measure is intended to go after drivers who are using hand-held cellphones while they are driving instead of hands-free…
What Does it Mean to be Guilty of Interfering with the Reporting of a Domestic Battery?
You can be charged with Interfering with the Reporting of a Domestic Battery when you prevent a family member from making a call to report a Domestic Battery incident. You can also be charged with Interfering with the Reporting of a Domestic Violence charge if you interfere with a family…
Section 410 (or 1410) Probation: A Way To Avoid a Felony Drug Conviction
Illinois law has made a special type of Probation available for first-time felony drug offenders to avoid a felony conviction on their record. This type of Probation is commonly known as Section 410 or Section 1410 Probation. In order to be eligible for this type of Probation, you cannot have…
Where Do All The Illegal Guns In Chicago Come From?
The gun violence in Chicago has been a great source of concern among the citizens and politicians in Illinois for a long time. Every day we are inundated with news of shootings and homicides throughout the City. When the weather heats up we know that the number of shootings will…
When Is A DUI A Felony in Illinois?
Most DUI’s in Illinois are a misdemeanor. If you are operating a motor vehicle on the public roads with a blood alcohol level of .08 or above, you could be charged with a DUI. The maximum criminal punishment for a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois is up to one year…
Can I Go To Jail If I Violate My Probation in Illinois?
Whenever I get a phone call from someone who is facing a Violation of Probation, the most common question I get is whether they will go to jail for their Violation of Probation? This is another impossible question to answer. While everybody wants an answer to their question, some questions…
Do the Police Have To Read You Your Rights If You Are Arrested?
One of the most common questions I get asked when I get a phone call from somebody who has recently been arrested is “can my case be dismissed if the police did not read me my rights when I was arrested?” The answer to that question requires an understanding of…
I Am Charged with Retail Theft and I Received a Letter Demanding Payment From the Store’s Lawyers. Do I Have to Pay?
Clients that are charged with Retail Theft frequently call me a few weeks after they are arrested and tell me that they received a letter from the store’s lawyers demanding money. Sometimes, they receive this letter even if they haven’t been criminally charged for the Shoplifting. They usually have two…
Arrested for a DUI. Warnings to Motorist and Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension. What Does This All Mean?
I just received a phone call from a client who was arrested last night for a DUI and was asking me questions about the paperwork that the police gave her when she left the police station. More importantly, she wanted to know what a Statutory Summary Suspension means and how…