A police report may reduce an entire evening to the size of a few pages. The charges themselves could fit in a single line.
Life is not always neat and tidy.
Perhaps dinner started at seven. A fight broke out at nine. Someone left at ten and returned at a later time. The neighbor called the police shortly before midnight. Perhaps, a driver went out with friends, then got behind the wheel. He was arrested a couple of miles later. This entire incident could have been turned into an indictment for criminality by the morning.
For criminal defense lawyers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one useful task is putting the sequence back together.
Start earlier than the time of your arrest
The majority of people will recall the dramatic moment flashing light, police at the door or handcuffs. The investigation of an incident may require digging deeper.
In the event of a domestic violence case, for example, the relationship between the persons involved is legally relevant under Michigan law. The company’s data identifies spouses and former spouses, those who share a child current or former dating partners and those who lived together.
The sequence of events leading to the response of police could be important also. Did there be a dispute? Who was there? When did the interaction start? Who left and returned? Was there communication before or afterwards?
These aren’t a set of questions that were designed to create a false story. They aid attorneys for victims of domestic violence who are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan understand the allegations in their actual context rather than viewing the moment when police arrived as the starting point of all.
The specific charge is also important. Michigan differentiates between different crimes of domestic violence, and materials from the firm state that previous convictions may affect the severity of any subsequent charges.
OWI Stops Have its own timeline
Sequence is vital when it comes to drunk driving cases. It can happen over a shorter time period. There is the driving itself along with the police officer’s motive for engaging in contact, any observations made after the stop, roadside procedures and statements, tests, and finally, the arrest. If you view all of it as a single event it is difficult to differentiate between the various purposes of each part of the encounter.
Michigan defines OWI as the offence of operating while intoxicated as defined by MCL 257.225. The firm’s information notes that a breath test, also known as PBT, commonly referred to as PBT is a tool for screening and cannot be used at trial for evidence of intoxication. It can also be used in determining probable cause.
This distinction is the reason why defense lawyers for drunk driving in Grand Rapids may reconstruct the traffic stop instead of focussing on one number that a driver recalls from the side of the road.
Sometime, the Timeline is on a phone
Not every criminal investigation begins with police witnessing anything themselves.
Sexual assault allegations can be based on events that occurred earlier. This could be in a relationship, a family situation, or interacting at work. According to the description of the firm one can be informed about an investigation before ever being charged.
In that situation, time can be dispersed over a variety of sources. Messages can establish when people communicated. Digital records may help make clear the chronology of events. Statements made by people in the scene may refer to the same event in a different way.
It doesn’t mean that the text message is proof or a denial of an accusation. It means criminal sexual conduct defense lawyers in Grand Rapids, Michigan may need to be aware of how messages and statements, credibility concerns as well as other relevant information can be put together.
Memory and documentation are not the same thing.
In the aftermath of a stressful experience individuals tend to recall the details of their experience, not just timestamps. The phrase “It was later that evening” is perfect for casual conversations but it might not be sufficient to answer a significant legal question.
Documents can sometimes help organize those memories. The messages, call histories, photographs, receipts, court documents, and other records could provide dates or times that can help establish a clearer chronology. The court will decide what’s relevant.
It is also crucial to preserve records and to not alter them to alter the look of the case. An attorney representing the defense will be able to determine the significance of information and the best way to handle it.
The Case Number Don’t Cover the entire evening
Shawn Haff reports more than 16 years of experience in criminal defense in Grand Rapids, and the Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan is able to provide more than 1,500 cases dealt with over a period of 25+ years of practice. The center’s activities include OWI Domestic violence, assault, drug and weapons charges, sexual crimes, retail fraud, expungements, and driver’s license renewal.
The results of past cases, including dismissals or dismissals, as well as reductions and favorable pleas, are not anticipated.
Every new story has its people, sequences and allegations, as well as evidence and so on. That’s the entire point.
An arrest can happen in minutes. It is possible to write an arrest label in the smallest of words. To comprehend the events that led up to it, it is generally necessary to take a step back the evening and look at what really transpired.