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Recent Blog Posts
Illinois DUI Laws Extend beyond Drunk Driving
When a person is charged with driving under the influence (DUI), some may assume the individual was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. However, the scope of DUI expands to other types of offenses, such as high driving.
According to the 2014 Illinois Fact Book, published by Secretary of State Jessie White, driving under the influence involves operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, medically prescribed drugs such as cannabis, or any other intoxicating substances like methamphetamine. Under Illinois state laws, a person is considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol if his or her blood-alcohol level is .08 or higher.
Naperville Proposes Regulations to Help Combat Irresponsible Drinking
Naperville City Councilmen recently voted to forbid neighborhood bars from offering major beer discounts as a response to an alleged drunk driving crash and a downtown street fight video gone viral. These regulations were proposed in an effort to combat irresponsible drinking that can result in serious drunk driving accidents and anger problems among patrons. According to the Chicago Tribune, the new regulations will also require bar security guards to undergo additional training to work with intoxicated patrons and to help prevent similar issues in the future.
Illinois Students Face the Rise and Fall of Underage Drinking
Underage drinking affects thousands of Illinois college students and their families every year. With the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of the fall semester underway, students face the temptations of drinking underage without always being fully aware of the consequences of those actions.
Students who choose to drink and drive may face the legal ramifications of a DUI charge, which can affect both their criminal record and driving eligibility status. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shares dangerous statistics surrounding underage drinking among college campuses:
National Day of Johns Arrests Results: Over 500 Arrested
When law enforcement participates in a sting operation, it means they are intentionally working a deceptive operation designed to catch criminals. One of the most common types of sting operations are those that law enforcement set up in order to arrest people who are engaging in the crime of solicitation. Targets of these sting operations are usually the people who are seeking to purchase the services of a prostitute (referred to as ‘johns’) or the people who are involved in trafficking prostitutes (referred to as ‘pimps’).
Recently, Chicago Police, along with 28 other law enforcement agencies around the country, participated in the "National Day of Johns Arrests." The program resulted in the arrests of 500 johns and 14 pimps.
The Relationship between Gambling and Criminal Behaviors
The notion of gambling and crime going hand in hand is age old, and although many convey gambling with images of mobsters from the 1920’s or illegal moonshine distilleries, this is not the reality of the matter in today’s world.
Today, gambling is an addiction on an epidemic scale. It is no different than any other addiction, and the need to satisfy a craving can make a person resort to drastic measures when desperate. In many cases, this desperation can result in serious criminal charges carrying jail sentences and steep fines.
Studies have shown that around half of all gamblers also commit crimes of varying degrees.
Drug Crimes and Convictions in Illinois
Use of illegal drugs is one of the largest social, economic, and political issues in contemporary America. Between the legalization of marijuana in some states, the widespread abuse of opiates (including prescription narcotics) and opiate overdoses, and the ease of accessibility to these substances, illegal drugs can cause a host of problems. When these issues extend to legal problems and drug charges, it is critical to contact an Illinois criminal defense attorney.
There are varying degrees of drug charges in the State of Illinois, and many carry very different, and often stiff penalties in their wake. Consider the following list of common street narcotics and the results if convicted when found in one's possession:
DUI Laws Problematic When It Comes to Legal Drugs
Despite a decades-long "war" on drugs in the U.S., drugs continue to be an issue that plague our streets and our highways. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), more than 15 percent of nighttime, weekend drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription, or OTV medications. More than 10 percent tested positive for illegal drugs. Of fatally injured drivers in 2009, nearly 20 percent tested positive for at least one type of drug at the time of death. The number of people who died as a result of a drugged driver is even more sobering: nearly 4,000 drivers who were killed in 2009 were on drugs.
Issues in Criminal Law: Substance Abuse Problems
Across the country, in every state, jail cells are filled and stiff penalties are given every single day for offenses related to drugs and alcohol. Drug and alcohol offenders are notorious for being repeat offenders, and this can lead to complicated legal problems that carry large fines and possible extended (and in some cases permanent) incarceration. Studies have shown that up to 80 percent of inmates in state prisons and 70 percent of federal inmates have a history of substance abuse problems.
With a wave of prescription drug use and abuse sweeping the nation, the drug epidemic has never been more complex. Often the association of criminal behavior and substance abuse is explained by the dichotomy between drug defined offenses and drug-related offenses. Drug defined offenses are considered to be directly related to drug laws and the nature of the drug industry. Drug related offenses are infractions committed while under the influence of substances.
Penalities for an Illinois DUI with Minors in the Car
Illinois has some of the toughest drinking and driving laws in the country, including a zero-tolerance policy for underage drinkers and felony charges for repeat offenders. Despite this, the problem of driving under the influence in Illinois continues to be a serious one.
According to the 2014 CyberDrive Illinois DUI Factbook, in 2012 there were more than 37,000 DUI arrests recorded by the Secretary of State’s Office. More than 300 people were fatally injured in an alcohol-related crash, accounting for 35 percent of all accident fatalities statewide in the same time period.
Baby Boomers Driving under the Influence of Prescription Drugs
Reported in a recent study funded by the Public Health Law Research, today’s driver who is arrested for driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) is much different than those arrested for the same criminal offense in 1993. Twenty years ago, a driver convicted of DUID was most likely younger and under the influence of cocaine or methamphetamines. But today’s DUID driver is more likely to be 50 years or older and most often tests positive for either marijuana or prescription drugs.
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Client accused of burglary was acquitted due to our skillful cross examination of eye witness identification.
Client accused of causing the death of another while driving under the influence - Acquitted.
Client accused of first degree murder - Acquitted.
Client accused of embezzlement - Charges never filed.
Hundreds of Secretary of State hearings for Drivers License Reinstatement - Won.
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