No judgments here. We all make mistakes and we as defense lawyers are here to help mitigate the fallout from your mistakes so that you are not defined by them. With that said-

The answer to your question is: it depends. The police officer who took the report and issued the citation will... View More

Unlikely that Buddy #2 would be charged.

If Buddy #2 was some sort of accomplice to the crime that Buddy #1 turned himself in for or was part of a conspiracy with Buddy #2, or the two were part of a drug conspiracy, then yeah, possibly. It also depends on how old the videos are (statute of... View More

This is a great question. As a general matter, a person who is walking down the street minding their own business is entitled to Fourth Amendment protection, which protects people from "unreasonable searches and seizures" by the government. What you are describing sounds like a Terry... View More

There is not enough information to answer your question fully. If the items were seized pursuant to a warrant, then perhaps they could be admissible. But it would depend on what the scope of the warrant, the "totality of circumstances," whether you had a reasonable expectation of privacy... View More

If your girlfriend is a first time offender, there is a good possibility that the prosecutor would offer a stay of adjudication which would mean that she would be sentenced to a period of supervision, and it would prevent the offense from going on her record, provided she does not commit another... View More

Surprisingly, yes you can. As a general rule: if you find a tangible object anywhere (public or private) and you know that object does not belong to you and you take it with the intent of keeping it, thereby depriving the rightful owner of their property, that is prima facie theft. It does not... View More

Yes, you sure can. The laws pertaining to theft in the state of Minnesota are fairly simple. As a general matter, if you find someone else's lost property (it doesn't matter where) and take it with the intent of keeping it for yourself (without first making a reasonable effort to find the... View More

I do not know the full circumstances of the situation and cannot answer your question specifically. Generally speaking, a warrant has to state with particularity the items to be searched and seized. The police must request a warrant signed by a neutral third party (i.e., judge or magistrate) unless... View More

Your attorney is allowed to speak with the alleged victim's family. The alleged victim's family does not have to speak with your attorney, but the prosecutor prevent them from doing so if they wish to. The same goes for any other potential witness with pertinent information; the... View More

I am so sorry to hear about your fiance's predicament. Unfortunately, I do not have enough information to offer you any meaningful insight into what is happening. I would highly encourage you to contact a civil rights or defense attorney in your jurisdiction and explain the facts and... View More

While I do not know the circumstances surrounding your situation, the way you presented the information makes me think that you have a case pending and part of your release conditions include staying away from a protected person or their residence. I would imagine that the court issued a DANCO or... View More

You are correct in that there is a 3-year statute of limitations for theft (provided the value of what was stolen is <$35,000). However, the statute of limitations (SOL) in criminal matters only applies to whether the person has been charged. For instance, if the offense was committed on... View More

This might seem odd, but the answer really boils down to one question: did your friend turn 18 before or after February 28, 2001 at 12:00 a.m.? If your friend turned 18 after this February 28, 2001 cut-off, (or was born after February 28, 1978 at 12:00 a.m.) he should be able to acquire citizenship... View More

Generally speaking, if a police officer has probable cause to believe that a car has drugs or other contraband, then they are permitted to stop the driver of that car and search it without a warrant. This means that they can temporarily detain you and bring in K9 dogs, etc. while they search... View More

The chain of custody typically starts once information is handed off from store employees to law enforcement. However, the chain of custody can include store employees who are either store detectives or security, or some type of asset protection specialist. Most major retailers have their own... View More

That is a good question. Generally, motions to suppress are filed well in advance of trial. In felony and gross misdemeanor cases, motions must be served upon opposing counsel no later than three days before the Omnibus Hearing—unless the court finds good cause to permit the motion to be made and... View More

That is an excellent question.

The Federal law that you speak of (18 U.S.C. §§922(q); 921(a)(25)) does indeed prohibit possession of a firearm that is within 1,000 feet of a public or public school, but it does NOT apply to possession of a firearm on private property that is NOT part of... View More

Tampering with medical/biohazard waste can engender both civil and criminal penalties, but the penalties vary substantially depending on the context, who the offender was (i.e., a medical employee, company), where it took place, and what the violation was. There are, however, various Federal... View More

Provided that the wrong date listed is a clerical error, you (or your attorney) can certainly bring the error to the Court's attention and ask that they correct it. You can do so by filing a motion to correct the clerical error; in doing so, be sure to identify the page numbers and... View More

As frustrating is it is to have your property taken without your consent, filing a police report and subjecting the person to criminal prosecution is a somewhat of a drastic measure. You might want to ask yourself if it is worth it to do so, or if there are other measures you can take to have your... View More