Aggressive Criminal Defense Blog

If you think an elderly woman in a large hat could not possibly be a criminal, think again! For the last year, a group of older women, wearing hats of various colors and shapes, has committed a string of larcenies in the Metro Detroit area. Local police have dubbed these women “the Mad Hatters.” Police […]

Every drug defense lawyer was happy to hear about the U.S. District Judge who tossed a marijuana case against a couple who was arrested after an officer “smelled” the drug coming from their home. Using the testimony of a smell expert, the defense successfully argued that there was no way Officer Kyle Young could have smelled the drugs.

Howard Township resident Sylvester Vanderbutts was found guilty of marijuana possession last year in a jury trial in the Cass County Circuit Court. Vanderbutts, now 53 years old, is appealing his criminal conviction. The Michigan Attorney General’s Appellate Division handles criminal appeals from felony convictions for Michigan counties with a population of 75,000 or less. […]

Recently, police in Flint, Michigan announced the shooting deaths of three men. That brought the number of homicides in the Flint area to twenty-one. In 2010, the number of Flint homicides for the same time period was seven. If this year’s high rate of homicides continues, Flint is on track to surpass its record number […]

Four Michigan residents were arrested after postal workers tipped off police that marijuana was being delivered to a Lansing home through the mail.

As social media and the Internet continue to integrate into everyday society, what one posts online becomes increasingly questionable–particularly for people in certain professions, such as teaching or coaching. While educators have been suspended or fired for what they post online, a recent case within the Detroit Police Department shows that not everyone adheres tot he same standards.

Recent bills approved by the Michigan Senate would adjust the requirements for including younger people convicted of sexual crimes, and therefore required to register on the state Sex Offender Registry. As sex offenses can change one’s life permanently, the changes hope to provide an opportunity for teenage sex offenders to successfully rehabilitate and integrate themselves back into society.

In 2000, Mark Craighead was convicted of murdering his closest friend, and sentenced to serve seven years behind bars as a result. However, new information discovered by University of Michigan law students shows that Craighead was innocent, and working the night the murder occurred.

Every sex crime lawyer knows all too well: regardless of where it occurs, guilty pleas or convictions for sex crimes will have a significant impact on the defendant’s life. In Michigan, the Sex Offender Registration Act requires these individuals to submit personal information to a large public database called the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry. In short, this is an extensive list of Michigan residents who have pled guilty to—or have been convicted of—certain crimes that are sexual in nature.

Prosecutors nationwide serve as the government’s representation in cases against a defendant accused of committing a crime. However, in many states (including Michigan), laws mandate that the accused could be required to pay the costs of their own prosecution, in addition to excessive fines and fees already associated with their crime.