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Anyone can find him or herself arrested on narcotics charges
The police in Wisconsin use a lot of clever tactics to track down, gather evidence and charge individuals with drug crimes. Sometimes, police and prosecutors build very strong cases against the people they accuse. Other times, the cases aren't that strong. In fact, it's not uncommon for police to arrest and charge a completely innocent person with a drug crime that he or she never committed.
Here are the three most common drug crimes that a Wisconsin resident might face in this regard:
Possession: This involves actually having real drugs on your person or in a location that's under your control, like a storage unit, apartment, vehicle or simply stuffed in your clothing. Small quantities of controlled substances could lead to simple possession charges, while larger quantities could lead to the more serious drug offenses that follow.
Manufacturing: If police barge into a home or backyard to find a drug production operation -- be it a farm, chemistry lab or some other kind of processing facility -- they will likely charge the person in control of the operation with drug manufacturing.
Facing a criminal charge? Pay attention to these factors
For people who are facing their first encounter with the criminal justice system, there are some aspects that might be a mystifying. This can cause them to feel stress and uncertainty. As you can imagine, having these feelings for months while the case moves through the system is difficult and frustrating.
While there isn't really a way to take all of the unpleasantness out of the process, it is possible to learn a little about it so that you can feel prepared as you fight the charges you are facing. Here are some points to think about to get you started on your quest for knowledge about the criminal justice system:
Grand jury vs. trial jury
There are two types of juries involved in the criminal justice process -- the grand jury and the trial jury. The grand jury is the larger of the two and is comprised of 16 to 23 jurors. These men and women look at the evidence in a case to determine if there is enough to believe that a person committed the crime. If they find probable cause, they are likely to recommend that the person face criminal charges, which is known as an indictment. The meeting isn't open to the public and defendants don't have a right to attend.
Was your breathalyzer test properly administered?
If you recently received DUI charges, it can feel as though you have no way to fight them. The truth is that there is usually something a very creative person can find to build some sort of defense. While there is no guarantee that the defense succeeds in preventing a conviction, it is always better to build some sort of defense against any kind of criminal charge.
Without a legal defense of some kind, the prosecutor handling your case has nothing to prevent them from throwing the book at you and using you as an example to other alleged offenders. Even if the officer who arrested you administered a breathalyzer test and it indicated that you were over the limit, you may still have more options than you think you do.
In most cases, it is most effective to enlist the help of an experienced DUI defense attorney. Such an attorney fully understands the laws that govern DUI stops and arrests, as well as the local justice system and the major players in it. With proper legal counsel from an experienced, established defense attorney, you can confidently fight for fair treatment while protecting your rights.
What are the most common gun crimes?
Wisconsin is home to numerous weapons laws that every resident and visitor of the state must adhere to. For example, did you know that those who have been convicted of a felony may not possess a firearm? These and other restrictions could apply to you and your use of a firearm -- and you might not even know it. Therefore, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various weapons crimes in Wisconsin so you can be sure to follow the law and avoid getting into legal trouble unnecessarily.
Here are some of the most common gun crimes the criminal court sees on a regular basis:
Carrying a gun or shotgun without having a permit
Wisconsin residents who carry a weapon openly, and those who carry a concealed weapon, will need to have the proper permitting to do so. Failure to have a permit could result in gun crimes charges.
Having a gun while you're intoxicated
Getting drunk on alcohol or other drugs can happen much sooner than you think it will. One minute you're perfectly sober, and the next minute you're drunk. If you happen to have a gun on your person at the time you become intoxicated, you could get in serious trouble with your local law enforcement officer.
Surgeons want you to take fewer opioids
A conglomerate of University of Michigan surgeons want you to take fewer opioids after your surgery. The surgeons believe that any opportunity to prevent someone from coming to contact with an opioid is an opportunity to prevent a potential addiction.
Approximately 64,000 people died from opioid abuse in 2016, prompting the White House to classify the widespread opioid problem as a "public health emergency." As a potential remedy to this emergency, surgeons believe they can improve the problem by not giving patients as many opioid pills after their surgeries -- as this is when most people get introduced to the drug as a painkiller that leads to numerous addictions.
Surgeons believe that this is the best course of action to make a small dent in the problem. They say that doctors often don't prescribe opioids with a high degree of exactitude after surgery, meaning that some patients are receiving much more than they actually need. They say that patients also need better education regarding the appropriate use of opioids so they can stay safe.
How do police officers determine drugged driving?
There are tests that police use in the field to determine if a driver is operating his or her vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol. The king of these tests is the Breathalyzer testm which provides a way to measure the amount of alcohol in a driver's blood. Police can also use gaze tests, smell your breath and have you perform other field sobriety tests to gauge how intoxicated you are.
When it comes to drugged driving, however, police don't have such a clear way to determine if you have drugs in your system. For example, marijuana can be found in your bloodstream and urine for as many as four or five weeks following the use of the drug, but police can't use such tests to determine if you're high on marijuana right now. As for cocaine, it will stay in your system for one or two days. Again, you might have evidence of these drugs in your system but not be intoxicated at all.
Sometimes, police can use "Drug Recognition Experts," also known as DREs, to evaluate what kind of drugs are impairing you. A DRE can look closely at your eye movements, your behavior and other indicators to determine if you're under the influence of drugs and what kind of drug could be influencing you. These specially trained experts might perform tests on you after police bring you back to the police station following an arrest.
The very real dangers of fentanyl
Nobody knew about fentanyl until fairly recently, but now this extremely potent synthetic opioid -- which is 10 times stronger than heroin -- can be found on the news nearly every day in the United States. This drug has been responsible for numerous overdose deaths every year in Wisconsin. The death beloved pop star Prince was even blamed on this potent narcotic.
Fentanyl was created by doctors as a strong painkiller. Its effects aren't that different from heroin, however, so it eventually found its way into the hands of black market dealers who find the drug easy to transport and distribute due to its potent nature. You don't need very much fentanyl to give the same level of effect that you receive from heroin, so heroin is also getting spiked with fentanyl to save drug dealers money and churn more profit.
The problem happens when users who aren't familiar with fentanyl or don't know that their heroin contains fentanyl end up taking this powerful drug unknowingly. Overdoses can happen easily, and that's why catastrophic accidents occur. It's also Wisconsin authorities are trying to crack down on this narcotic.
Drunk driving scenarios
Wisconsin drunk driving lawyers are not miracle workers, but they can assist you in navigating your criminal charges. In some cases, when your criminal defense counsel can identify holes in the prosecution's case, they may be able to get your charges dropped or dismissed. In other cases, your lawyer might be able to reach a plea deal in order to get your punishments reduced.
The criminal, career, social and financial consequences of an operating while intoxicated (OWI) conviction are serious. Nevertheless, 3.1 percent of Wisconsin drivers still admit to driving after having too much to drink. As a warning to all drivers, let's look at a few possible scenarios that drunk driving defendants commonly face:
- First-time offenders with OWI charges: A first-time OWI charge is usually a non-criminal offense, which doesn't result in jail time. Those convicted of this crime will usually face a large fine, a nine-month maximum license suspension, a 12-month maximum ignition interlock device (IID), an alcohol assessment exam, and at least six points on their drivers' licenses. Additional penalties unrelated to the criminal aspects of this conviction could include an increase in insurance premiums and professional consequences. Incidentally, if your OWI charge was also connected to injuries, you might have to spend 30 days in jail.
Impaired driving charges can stem from drugs of all sorts
Many people think of drunk driving charges as being associated with only alcohol. These individuals might not realize that they can also face drunk driving charges after taking drugs. Not just illegal drugs, but even legal drugs can lead to a drunk driving charge.
The point to remember when it comes to drunk driving charges is that anything that impairs your ability to drive can lead to a drunk driving charge. It doesn't matter where the substance came from if it has this impact.
When it comes to determining if someone is impaired by drugs, it isn't as easy as it is with a person who is drunk. Instead, police might have to rely on testimony from the person as well as field sobriety testing and chemical tests.
Chemical tests pose a unique problem because some substances will show up on blood tests and urinalysis testing long after the impairment has worn off. This can mean that a person could theoretically face charges for impaired driving when they were actually fine to drive.
23-year-old could spend years in jail if convicted of drug crimes
A Wisconsin woman was arrested for allegedly possessing 2.36 ounces of heroin on Oct. 8 in Darien. The woman has now been accused of even more crimes following a thorough investigation by authorities. In addition to the current charges, the woman has a previous history of drug-related convictions.
According to police, the 23-year-old woman had over 2 ounces of heroin in a total of 134 individual baggies. The street value of the contraband material is believed to be $6,700. As a result of the allegations and evidence, she has been charged with felony-level controlled substance possession, felony-level controlled substance possession with the intent to deliver and possession with the intent to deliver inside 1,000 feet of a public park.
If convicted of these felony offenses, the woman could spend anywhere from six to 30 years in prison. She is currently being held on bond of $250,000. Authorities found approximately $847 in cash belonging to the woman at the time of the arrest; however, police would not permit the woman to use this money to help pay for the 10 percent of her bond that would lead to her release. Authorities said that they first needed to determine that the cash was not drug money.
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