In Illinois, school zones are specially protected areas. Crimes committed on or near school campuses are taken very seriously and punished more harshly. The goal behind sentencing and charging enhancements for certain crimes that occur in school zones is to protect students. There is no doubt that it is unsafe for children to encounter intoxicated drivers while they are entering or leaving their schools. The increased traffic, impatience of other drivers, and sometimes confusing traffic patterns during pick-up and drop-off times all make it even more likely that a drunk driver will cause a traffic accident. The presence and unpredictability…
Continue Reading DUI in a School Zone Information for Parents

Getting arrested can be shocking. When you are being deprived of your freedom and forcibly placed in handcuffs, your instinct might be to resist, especially if you did not commit the crime you are being arrested for. While pulling away or trying to defend yourself in response to having force used against you may simply be an instinctual response, doing so might mean getting charged with the crime of resisting arrest. Even if you are cleared of the charges you were originally arrested for, you might still be convicted of resisting arrest. Resisting arrest is normally a misdemeanor, but…
Continue Reading Why Was I Charged with Resisting Arrest?

Heightened police presence in schools and harsh zero-tolerance policies have led to a drastic increase in the number of juveniles who get arrested at school. Behaviors that used to result in no more than being suspended from school are now getting children handcuffed and charged with criminal offenses. Things like getting into a fight with a classmate, hiding a small amount of marijuana in a locker or making fun of another student online used to be treated as disciplinary issues for the school administration and the student’s parents to handle together. Now, these same rule-breaking behaviors are more likely to…
Continue Reading What Can I Do if My Child Was Arrested at School?

Simply having an illegal substance in your possession is not enough to sustain a conviction for drug possession or any other drug crime. According to Illinois law, it is only a crime to “knowingly possess a controlled substance.” This means that if you were unaware there was an illegal drug in your car, house, or the pocket of the hoodie you were returning to a friend, you should not be convicted of a crime. However, criminal courts are often reluctant to believe a defendant who denies any knowledge of the drugs found in his or her possession –…
Continue Reading What if I Did Not Know I Was in Possession of Drugs?

When someone is intoxicated by alcohol, there are usually very obvious signs. The person will likely smell strongly of alcohol, have poor coordination, and exhibit slurred speech. It is also easy to confirm a person’s level of alcohol intoxication with a simple blood or breath test. It is not always as easy to tell when a person is intoxicated by other substances, such as THC, prescription medications, or street drugs like heroin. There are some signs police officers look for during a DUI stop, but many of those signs could also indicate a medical condition rather than intoxication. If you…
Continue Reading How Do Police Officers Identify Drug Use During DUI Stops?

Having a juvenile criminal record can get in the way when you are applying to colleges or trying to get into a trade program. If you are charged as a juvenile, your record can be sealed when you become an adult. However, it is extremely common for teenagers to be charged and convicted as adults depending on the crime alleged and the age of the juvenile. Teens charged with fairly minor offenses, like simple vandalism or misdemeanor retail theft are more likely to be charged as juveniles, while teens who commit more serious crimes are more likely to have their…
Continue Reading The 3 Most Common Juvenile Charges

Substance abuse is a major contributing factor in a lot of criminal cases. After someone has had multiple DUIs or other alcohol-related convictions, Illinois courts might order continuous alcohol monitoring. When continuous alcohol monitoring is ordered, the defendant will be required to wear an ankle monitor equipped with a special sensor that detects alcohol use, called a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) device. The sensor sits against the defendant’s skin and will detect the presence of any alcohol in the wearer’s sweat. These devices can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. If you are facing criminal charges that are related to…
Continue Reading How Does Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Work?

Even in major cities like Chicago, we are still a very car-dependent society. Especially if you live in the surrounding suburbs instead of in the downtown area, public transportation is not always as accessible or convenient as we would like it to be. Most people still rely on their cars to get to work, do their grocery shopping, and maintain a social life. If your license is suspended due to a DUI, you may need to find alternate ways to do all of these things for several months to a year. Some drivers who have had a DUI will be…
Continue Reading Why Public Transportation is Not a Solution to DUI License Loss

A lot of arrests are made on and around major winter holidays, like Christmas and New Year’s Day. People are out celebrating en masse on certain days of the year. Celebrations often include alcohol and family members you may not see often or really get along with. While children are usually excited and joyous, adults are often stressed. There can be a lot of stress around major holidays – they can be very expensive, especially for those who are traveling or who have children. Seeing your extended family can be stressful even if you have fairly positive relationships. People may…
Continue Reading The Most Common Charges Filed on Major Holidays

When a person is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, the police can usually use a breath test machine to determine the person’s BAC fairly quickly and in the police station. When a person is suspected of driving under the influence of cannabis or other drugs, the testing process is more complicated. Police usually need to send samples out to a crime lab that can test for the presence of drugs. New reports are now suggesting that testing errors in a Chicago lab may have led to an uncertain number of false positive results for cannabis. This means…
Continue Reading Lab Error Impacts Hundreds of Cannabis DUI Cases

The winter holiday season is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but most adults know that the season can be stressful as well. Domestic violence arrests tend to increase drastically around the holidays. Emotions tend to run high during the holiday season, making disputes between family members and romantic partners more likely to turn violent. Conflict can escalate rapidly, and something as simple as pushing that annoying cousin out of your way at the family holiday party can get you arrested and charged with domestic violence. Domestic violence is considered more serious than a typical assault, because…
Continue Reading Domestic Violence Arrests Increase Around the Holidays

There is a lot of confusion regarding where, when, and why a person may fire a gun. You may have heard that if you are on your own private property, you are always allowed to shoot as long as you are not shooting at another person. Conversely, a lot of people have been taught that shooting a gun anywhere except at a range is illegal unless you are acting in self-defense. Neither of these statements is entirely true. Illinois’s reckless discharge laws are much more nuanced than that. You can be charged with this offense for firing a gun…
Continue Reading Understanding Reckless Discharge of a Gun Charges

Driving drunk with anyone less than 16 years old in the car is an enhanced DUI offense in Illinois. A first offense is still a misdemeanor, but a second is a felony. This law applies to everyone – it is quite common to see it used against older teenagers who are driving around with their peers. However, a lot of those charged with DUI with a child passenger are parents who had their own children in the car. Parents who get arrested for drunk driving while transporting their children are likely to be charged with a felony DUI and may…
Continue Reading DUI Arrest with a Child in the Car