A police report could limit an entire night to the size of a few pages. The charges could be a single sentence.
It’s not often that you find an existence that is this beautiful.
Perhaps dinner started at seven. An argument happened at nine. Someone left the house around 10 p.m., but returned and a neighbor called the police just before midnight. The driver could have gone out for the evening with his buddies, returning to his car after being stopped by police a few miles away, administered an initial breathalyzer test, and subsequently arrested. All of this activity could have resulted in a criminal charge by morning.
For criminal defense lawyers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one important job is to put the whole sequence back together.
Start Earlier Than the Arrest
The majority of people will recall the shocking incident that saw flashing lights, officers at the door, or a handcuffing. The investigation of an incident may require going back further.
Michigan law considers the connection between two people when deciding whether to prosecute the perpetrator of domestic violence. The information provided by this firm includes spouses and ex-spouses, those who have a child together or former relationship partners and those who currently or previously live together.
It is also essential to consider the events that led up to the police intervention. Was there a constant conflict? Who was there? When did the encounter begin? Did anyone leave and return? Did you get a message prior to or afterwards?
They’re not intended to make up an alternate story. They help domestic violence defense lawyers in Grand Rapids, Michigan understand the allegation in its actual sequence rather than treating the moment police arrived as the beginning of everything.
The specific charge is also important. Michigan differs from domestic violence charges. The materials of the firm mention that prior convictions may influence the severity of any subsequent charge.
An OWI Stop Has Its Own Timeline
A drunk-driving incident may be resolved in a shorter time however, the sequence of events is still important. It is vital to take into consideration the sequence of events which includes the actual driving as well as why the officer took you into custody, what he observed when he stopped you at the roadside, roadside procedure, evidence to be tested, and finally the arrest itself. Making it appear as one event can hide the fact that different aspects of the incident serve different reasons.
Michigan’s MCL 257.625 which is also referred to as Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), defines the crime. The information from the firm explains that a roadside preliminary breath test, more commonly referred to PBT, commonly referred to as PBT is a tool for screening and is not admissible at trial as proof of intoxication. However, it can be used in determining probable motive.
This distinction is the reason why drunk driving defense lawyers in Grand Rapids may reconstruct the traffic stop rather than focusing on a single number that a driver remembers from the roadside.
Sometimes the Timeline Exists on a Phone
It is not necessary that the police witness a crime before they start an investigation.
Sexual offenses can stem from incidents that have occurred before and often in a dating relationship, family environment or workplace interactions. According to the information provided by the company, a person may be informed of an investigation even before they are detained.
In that situation, chronology can be distributed across several sources. Messages can establish when people communicated. Digital records can help to make clear the chronology of events. There could be multiple accounts of the same incident.
That doesn’t mean a text message is a guarantee that will prove or disprove a claim. This means that criminal sexual misconduct lawyers in Grand Rapids Michigan will need to be able to evaluate how statements, messages as well as issues of credibility and any other information available, all fit together.
Documentation and Memory Aren’t the Same
After a stressful encounter People tend to remember the moment rather than timestamps. It’s easy to claim “It happened the night before” however, it’s not enough information for a legal question.
Documents can help you organize your thoughts. Contact histories and existing messages and receipts, court documents or even receipts and even photographs could help establish a better chronology. The case will determine what is relevant.
Also, the records should be kept rather than changed in order to make the situation look better. An attorney representing the defense will be in a position to identify what information is important and how to handle it.
One case number cannot take in the entire night
Shawn Haff has been practicing criminal law in Grand Rapids for more than 16 years. The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan has dealt with more than 1,500 criminal cases during the span of a total of 25 years of experience. The experience of the firm includes OWI Domestic abuse, assault, drug charges and weapons, sexual offences, fraudulent transactions at the store, driver’s license renewal, and expungements.
Past outcomes, such as dismissals, acquittals and reductions in charges, can’t be a guarantee of the outcome of a new case.
Every new story has its people, sequences, allegations, evidence, and so on. That’s precisely the point.
An arrest can happen in minutes. It is possible to create a charge label in just one or two words. To grasp the sequence of events leading up to it, it is typically necessary to slow down the time and see what actually happened.