When pulled over under suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) in Illinois, you run the risk of being arrested and having your car impounded. Once arrested, the officer who arrested you can have your car towed and impounded if no one is available to drive the vehicle. Once you are released, retrieving your impounded vehicle can be very difficult and expensive. Facing a DUI charge and attempting to retrieve your car from an impound lot can be made easier through a skilled and experienced attorney.

Facing Vehicle Impoundment

After an arrest, leaving your vehicle in the area you were pulled over could become a safety hazard. As such, the police officer will have to have it removed. Having a sober person inside the vehicle at the time of arrest can help save your vehicle from impoundment. However, if there are no sober individuals or any people at all in your car at the time of the arrest, the arresting officer will have no choice but to have the vehicle impounded.

Though the arresting officer is the one to call the towing company to retrieve your vehicle, you will still be on the hook for the costs. This means both the fees for the towing and those for the storage. If you were so intoxicated that upon release, you are still not considered sober enough to drive, the police can have your vehicle placed on hold. Holding times will vary based on prior offenses and can be as low as 12 hours to upwards of 36 hours. Having a sober individual come to pick up your vehicle from the lot is possible if you provide them authorization to do so on your behalf.

Sex crime charges and convictions carry life-changing consequences and need to be taken seriously. When facing such charges, you are encouraged to seek professional legal counsel immediately. Understanding the charges being levied against you and how to combat them is important to your defense. An aggressive attorney with experience defending clients against sex crimes is your best bet to protect your reputation while upholding your rights.

Avoid Self-Incrimination

Once you have been accused of a sex crime, it is in your best interest to remain silent. This means you do not discuss the case with anyone other than your legal representation. Do not answer police questions during interrogation, no matter how you think it makes you look. Anything you say can and will be used against you in trial, so do not give the prosecution any fuel to throw on the fire.

Hire An Experienced Attorney

Immediately after you are accused, you should request a lawyer once you are able. Ensure that whichever lawyer you choose has the experience to take on your unique case. An attorney who focuses on criminal defense, and only criminal defense, is more likely to understand precisely what to look for to create a solid defense as opposed to an attorney who only moonlights as a criminal defense lawyer. Do your due diligence in selecting a lawyer that you can trust and believe in to defend you against such serious charges. The best kind of attorney will help suppress evidence, discover evidence that contradicts the charges, challenge witness testimony, and determine if entrapment took place that had you committing the alleged offense.

Not to be confused with criminal negligence, reckless homicide involves the “reckless behavior” of an individual which results in the death of another person. Most states place reckless homicide on the same level as involuntary manslaughter. In Illinois, reckless homicide is sometimes referred to as vehicular homicide and can often be difficult to prove in a court of law. Defendants needing assistance in their case would do well to consult with a criminal defense attorney experienced in reckless homicide charges.

What is Criminal Negligence?

A criminally negligent act involves an individual behaving outside of the standard for a reasonable person when it comes to caring about the impending results of their actions, but not in a reckless way. To simplify the difference between criminal negligence and reckless homicide, criminal negligent actors do not know that their actions could result in another person losing their life, whereas someone acting recklessly would.

What Defines Recklessness in Illinois Vehicular Homicides?

An individual participates in reckless behavior by performing an act with a substantial risk of death or serious injury to another individual while knowingly disregarding the risk. So, a driver who causes an accident that results in either death or serious injury to someone else while knowing they could cause those results can face charges of reckless homicide.

Marijuana is officially legal in Illinois, and individuals can purchase it from a licensed dispensary as long as they can show a valid photo ID. However, there are still ways that possessing or smoking marijuana can still get you into trouble with the law. When facing possession charges for drugs, it is important to contact a criminal defense attorney immediately. Remaining proactive can help your attorney formulate a solid defense to any charges being levied against you.

How Much is Too Much?

In Illinois, it is legal to possess marijuana in quantities of 30 grams or less. Individuals carrying this volume will receive no penalties for marijuana or cannabinoid possession. Individuals in possession of marijuana in volumes between 30 and 100 grams can be charged with a misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $2,500 and a possible one-year stint in prison. Repeat offenders or possession of quantities larger than 100 grams can be charged with a felony offense, facing jail time of three to five years with a possible $25,000 in fines.

Adults aged 21 or older can grow up to five total cannabis plants of their own for medicinal or recreational use. The adult must also be a registered patient who qualifies for the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. Those not registered can face fines starting as low as $200. The amount grows steeper as more plants are found in their possession. Growth of five to 20 plants is considered a felony with penalties of up to three years imprisonment and up to $25,000 in fines if found guilty. Additional plants will only see both fines and penalties rise.

Sexual misconduct allegations for “date rape” carry with them severe consequences on more than just a legal level. False allegations of this kind can create a ripple effect throughout many aspects of your life, causing immense harm and crippling its potential. You will want to secure yourself a skilled lawyer experienced in defending clients against sex crime charges to help keep your head above water throughout the entire ordeal.

What is “Date Rape”?

When one person or party sexually assaults another person or party with penetration, that is considered rape. Date rape often occurs in a social situation where the two parties are engaged in a romantic relationship or date, and one party forces or coerces the other into sexual penetration. Date rape, or acquaintance rape, can often involve drugs or alcohol.

Typically, when you hear the term date rape, it usually brings up thoughts of rowdy, drunken adolescents or college students who engage in the act. The types of parties and social gatherings of these age groups tend to frequent drug and alcohol use, which impairs judgment. Add to the large pool of individuals in attendance, and it is not difficult to see a scenario in which an individual or individuals may choose to take sexual advantage of others.