A police report might make an entire incident a few pages. The charges themselves could fit on a single line.
It is rare to find something so beautiful.
Perhaps dinner started at seven. When it was nine there was a fight. Someone left home at 10:00 in the evening, returned later and a neighbor contacted police before midnight. Perhaps, a driver went out with his friends and was behind the wheel. He was stopped a few miles later. At dawn, all that activity may have been compressed into a criminal case.
For criminal defense lawyers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one useful task is putting the sequence back together.
Start earlier than the Arrest
The most dramatic events are the ones people recall The flashing lights, the officers waiting at the front door as well as the handcuffs and detective’s signal. However, understanding the incident could be more difficult if you look back.
In the event of a domestic violence case, for example, the relationship between the people is legally relevant under Michigan law. The information provided by the firm identifies spouses and former spouses, people who share a child couples who are currently or previously dating as well as those who previously lived together.
The events leading up to the police response can matter too. Did there continue to be a disagreement? Who was there? When did the interaction begin? Anyone left and came back? Was there any communication prior to or after?
These questions were not designed to make up a false narrative. These questions can help Grand Rapids, Michigan domestic attorneys understand the accusation and its logical progression rather than interpreting the appearance of police officers as a beginning.
It is also important to understand the specific charge. Michigan differentiates between different types of domestic violence offenses and documents from the firm note that previous convictions can affect the severity of subsequent charges.
The Stop for OWI is its own timeline
Sequence is important in the case of drunk driving. It could occur in a shorter period of time. There is the driving itself, the officer’s reason for engaging in contact, any observation made after the stop, roadside procedure including statements, testing and finally, the arrest. When you take all the elements, you will be able to conceal the fact that the diverse elements of the encounter have different motives.
Michigan defines OWI as the offense of Operating While Intoxicated in accordance with MCL 257.225. According to the information supplied by the firm, a preliminarily breath test is a screening technique that cannot be used at trial as evidence of intoxication. However, it can be used for determining probable reasons.
This distinction is why defense attorneys for drunk driving in Grand Rapids may reconstruct the traffic stop rather than simply focusing on a specific number that the driver can recall from the roadside.
Sometimes the Timeline exists on a phone.
It is not every criminal investigation starts with police witnessing anything themselves.
Sexual offenses that are suspected to have may be related to things that happened earlier in life like a prior relationship, a familial interaction, or work environment. According to a statement by the firm, a person can be notified of an investigation prior to being arrested.
In this instance the chronology could be spread over multiple sources. Messages can establish the date when people exchanged messages. Digital records could help explain a series of events. Statements by the individuals who were involved could describe the same event in a different way.
This doesn’t mean that a text message is a guarantee that will prove or disprove a claim. This means that criminal sexual conduct lawyers in Grand Rapids Michigan will need to understand how statements, messages as well as issues of credibility and other evidence available fit together.
Memory and documentation aren’t the same thing.
People tend to recall events more than dates and times after a stressful experience. “It happened later that night” may be perfectly natural in conversation, but is too vague to answer an important legal query.
Documents can help you organize your thoughts. Existing records, such as messages, logs of calls, photos and receipts, court papers and court documents, could help establish a chronology. The case will determine the relevant information.
Documents should not be modified to make an issue appear better. A defense lawyer can identify which information is important and figure out how to deal with the situation.
The Case Number Don’t Cover the Entire Evening
Shawn Haff has been practicing criminal law in Grand Rapids for more than 16 years. The Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan has handled more than 1,500 cases of criminality in an average of 25+ years of practicing. The firm’s experience includes OWI as well as domestic abuse assault, drug charges, sexual assaults, weapons fraudulent transactions at the store, driver’s license restoration, and expungements.
Past outcomes, such as dismissals, acquittals and reductions in charges, can’t ensure the outcome of a new case.
Each case has its own set of people and sequence, as well as evidence and allegations. This is why it’s important.
An arrest can happen in minutes. In a few short phrases, you can make the charge label. Understanding the events that produced it typically requires slowing down the evening down, and then looking back at the order that it happened.