Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

This article is a companion to a previous article about having an outstanding Probation Violation Warrant for not Reporting. In this article, we'll look at those cases where someone has, for lack of a more proper term, essentially "skipped out" or "bailed" on a Criminal case at some point in the process (even if it's because they never took the first step). This situation comes up often enough in my Criminal Practice to require some discussion. We'll be talking about those individuals who either did not show up to turn themselves in on a Warrant (either to a Police Station or to a Court) and were never formally Arraigned, or those individuals who have been Arraigned, and at some point in the Criminal Process, just failed to come back. Since I limit my Practice to Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties, we'll be talking about how things are handled within the Tri-County area.

In some cases, a person will receive a Notice (and this can take the form of a written Court Notice or a call from a Police Detective) that there is a Warrant for their arrest, and they need to turn themselves in. These "turn-in" instructions can require that the person either report directly to a Court, or to a Police Department. For whatever reason or reasons (usually because they're scared) the person will simply just fail to follow-up as directed.

In cases where a person has already gone through that first step of "booking" and/or Arraignment, a subsequent Court date is set, and the person is either personally informed of that upcoming date, or Notice is sent by mail.

In still other cases, a person may have shown up to a subsequent Court date. Perhaps they went to Court for their Pre-Trial, and they might even have worked out a Plea deal. At some point along the line however (often prior to their Sentencing date) the person just drops out of the picture.

Just as with Probation Violation Warrants, the outstanding Warrants in these cases are taken care of in 1 of 2 ways:

1. A person voluntarily turns him or herself in to clear things up, or

2. They get picked up by the Police.

Continue reading "Criminal Charges in Michigan - I Have a Warrant for not Showing Up" »

This article is the companion piece to the last Blog installment about Misdemeanor Cases - From Start to Finish. To begin with, its scope is limited by my experience in the types of Felony cases that I handle (what I call "light-to-medium severity"), as well as the fact that I limit my practice to Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties (with the occasional exception of a trip to Lapeer, Livingston or St. Clair Counties). In other words, this article will describe the typical chain of events in a Metro-Detroit area Felony charge for crimes less severe than murder, armed-robbery, and the like.

Just as with Misdemeanors, most, but certainly not all Felony Cases begin with an Arrest. An example of a Felony that often begins without an arrest is the charge of Embezzlement. Usually, these crimes occur in an employer-employee relationship, or something similar, and the Victim goes to the Police. Often during the investigative phase, the Police will call the person suspected of Embezzling, and want to speak with them. Whatever does or doesn't happen, once the case gets to the point of Charging the Defendant (which means obtaining a Warrant, signed by the Prosecutor), the Police will often again contact the person named in the Warrant and try to make arrangements for them to voluntarily turn themselves in.

Whether by Arrest or voluntary turn-in, the person to be charged is "booked" (mug shots and fingerprints) at the Police Station and then brought before a Judge or Magistrate in the District Court of the Municipality where the Offense is alleged to have occurred, to be Arraigned. The Arraignment is the first step in a case, and serves several purposes. It allows the person being charged to be told exactly what they are being charged with, what the maximum possible penalty is that can be imposed (as well as any mandatory minimum penalty) and to be informed of the Constitutional Rights. In addition, there is the setting of Bond, and the imposition of any Bond Condition (like a GPS tether, or a provision requiring the Defendant to have "no contact" with the alleged Victim).

By Law, within 14 days from the date of Arraignment, the next step, called a Preliminary Examination, must be held. This is unique to Felony Cases; there is no Preliminary Exam in Misdemeanor Cases. The Preliminary exam phase requires that the Prosecutor be able to come forward on that date and present enough evidence to the District Court Judge to prove 2 things:

1. That there is "Probable Cause" to believe a Crime has been committed, and
2. That there is "Probable Cause" to believe the Defendant (the person charged) committed it.

In practical terms, the Courts have interpreted this as meaning that the Prosecutor must be able to show the Judge that there is "Probable Cause" to believe a Crime has been committed, and that there is an honest, debatable "question of fact" that the Defendant committed it. This means that unless the Judge is satisfied that the case is so weak that Justice demands it's dismissal, the matter will be "Bound Over," or transferred to the County's Circuit Court.

Continue reading "How a Michigan Felony Case Works" »

On both my website and in this Blog we have discussed the difference between Misdemeanor and Felony Cases, and examined various aspects of each in detail. This article will be more of an "overview" post, providing a look at how the various parts of a Misdemeanor case fit together. The next article will, in turn, examine How a Michigan Felony Case Works.

In my nearly 20 years as a Criminal Defense Lawyer, I have handled pretty much every kind of Misdemeanor there is, and even some I didn't know existed. What follows is an explanation of the procedure that is common to all Misdemeanor Cases, at least in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties, where I practice.

Most, but not all Misdemeanor Cases begin with an Arrest. Depending on the usual procedure of any given Court, and/or the type of Charge, a person can be taken to the Police Station, processed, and released without having posted any Bond, or after having posted a small, nominal Bond. In other cases, particularly DUI matters, the person may be held until they are sober enough to be released. Still other Courts require anyone arrested to be brought before a Judge or Magistrate (sometimes this is done by video from the Jail or Police Station) to be formally Arraigned on whatever charge or charges they face, and have the Bond, and it's attendant Conditions, set.

Sometimes, a person will not be arrested, but given a Citation (Ticket). The Citation will advise them as to when they should contact the Court. In other cases, a person will not even be given a Citation, but will be told that they'll receive something in the mail. This means that they will either be notified to appear directly, in Court, or to go to the Police Station to be "booked."

Whether by Arrest, or Court Notice or notification to first appear at the Police Station, there is usually no doubt when a person has been formally charged with a Misdemeanor.

A Pre-Trial is the first Substantive (i.e. important) proceeding in a Misdemeanor Case. Sometimes, certain Courts will combine the Arraignment and Pre-Trial proceedings on the same date.

Either way, the Pre-Trial is an opportunity for the Defense Lawyer to meet with the Prosecutor and discuss whether there might be a way to work the case out without having to go through a full-blown Jury Trial. The goal, or course, is for each side to compromise a little and hopefully come to an agreement that is fair to both sides, which usually means some kind of Plea Bargain.

Continue reading "Misdemeanor Cases in Michigan from Start to Finish - Putting the Pieces Together" »

This installment will return to the subject of 2nd Offense Drunk Driving, or Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) charges. As a DUI Lawyer, my actual Practice is limited to handling cases in the District and Circuit Courts of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties. I point that out because what I write here is the product of my experience in these Courts. I have no idea how things are handled elsewhere, and the outcome of any case pending beyond the Tri-County area might be very different from what I describe here.

I think it's fair to say that everyone knows that there are essentially 3 kinds of DUI cases: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Offenses. And everyone pretty much likewise knows that a 1st Offense is generally not that bad, and a 3rd Offense is a Felony, and a nightmare to boot.

What about 2nd Offenses?

The first thing to say about a 2nd Offense is that (if the case is not one of those few that are "beatable"), then how bad things will turn out for the Driver depends more than anything else, on where (what City) the case is pending. Certain Courts are just plain tougher on any DUI than others. In fact, a few Courts are WAY tougher on DUI's than all the others. In the interests of good Lawyer diplomacy, I'll say no more on that subject here.

Another very important thing about 2nd Offense cases, completely independent of where they're pending, is that they represent the crossroads between having a serious alcohol problem, or not. Statistically speaking, anyone facing a 2nd Offense DUI has a much-elevated likelihood of having an alcohol-problem compared with the general population. In fact, a 2nd Offense automatically causes a person to be categorized as a "Habitual Offender" under Michigan Law. Amongst the many implications of that categorization is the Mandatory Revocation of the Driver's License for at least 1 full year.

For anyone facing a 2nd Offense, beyond the relative leniency or toughness of the particular Court where their case is pending, the issue becomes whether or not this charge is the symptom of a much deeper alcohol problem, or is rather a case of repeat poor judgment. Try to imagine the Judge's perspective: Every single 3rd Offense Felony Drunk Driver was, before that, a 2nd Offense Drunk Driver who probably said something like "it won't happen again."

Continue reading "DUI 2nd Offense in Michigan - Am I Going to Jail?" »

In Part 1 of this article, we began examining the Pre-trial process, and what's involved. In this second part of the article, about Pre-Trials, we'll take a closer look at how the Prosecutor and the Defense Attorney negotiate at a Pre-Trial, and what happens when those negotiations are successful at producing some kind of deal, as well as what happens when they are not.

As we embark on the second part of this article, remember that we were using, in the first part, an example wherein a guy was arrested for Drunk Driving (really OWI, although pretty much everyone uses the term "DUI") and he had already been Arraigned, hired a Lawyer, and checked into Court on the date of his Pre-Trial (remember, back in Part 1 of this article we decided that we would speak of "Pre-Trial Conferences" as simply "Pre-Trials"). His Lawyer has gone into a conference room in the Court to meet with the Prosecutor, and after having reviewed all of the Prosecutor's evidence, is ready to start discussing the case and negotiating with the Prosecutor. We'll pick up there.

In our Drunk Driving (DUI) example, the Prosecutor may look to the Defense Lawyer and point out that the Defendant was caught on Police-car video swerving all over the road, and that based upon all of the evidence the case looks "airtight." In response, the Defense Lawyer may admit as much, but will point out that the Defendant was very cooperative with the Police Officer, and that his Bodily Alcohol Content (BAC) was not very high. Then the Defense Attorney may then simply ask the Prosecutor if he or she will agree to reduce the charge from OWI (Operating while Intoxicated) to OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired). This reduction in the severity of the offense to which the Defendant pleads, from the more serious one with which he was originally charged, to one less severe, is called a "Plea Bargain." Even though, from the Prosecutor's point of view, the case looks "airtight," unless the Defendant just rolls over and Pleads guilty, the matter will still have to go through a Trial.

This is where, no matter how "airtight" the Prosecutor's case appears to be, the Defense Lawyer has some leverage. Even a relatively simple and straightforward case eats up a lot of time if it is decided at Trial. By agreeing to reduce the Charge and agreeing to a Plea Bargain, the Prosecutor avoids getting caught up in a log-jam of cases. Sure, the Prosecutor would like to have everyone come in and Plead guilty-as-charged, and the Defense Lawyer would like to walk into Court and have every case against everyone of his or her Clients dismissed outright, but that almost never happens. The majority of Criminal Cases, like the sale of houses, are finalized through compromise and negotiation. Each party has to give up a little of what they want in order to facilitate a deal.

At this point, the discussion between the Prosecutor and the Defense Lawyer are squarely within the scope of what is meant when the term "Pre-Trial" is used. Of course, in our DUI example, the Prosecutor may (and, absent anything unusual, like a prior DUI conviction, usually will) agree to the Plea Bargain, or they may not. Let's continue and see what happens in either situation.

Continue reading "Pre-Trial in a Typical Michigan Misdemeanor Case - Part 2" »

In Part 1 and Part 2 of a previous Blog Post, we examined the very first proceeding in a Criminal case, known as the Arraignment. This article will deal with the next step in all Misdemeanor cases, called the "Pre-Trial." In particular, we'll be talking about what's known as a "Pre-Trial Conference." Because there is a lot of ground to cover, we'll split this discussion of Misdemeanor Pre-Trials into 2 parts. In a future post, we'll explore Felony Pre-Trials. Although a Pre-Trial is substantially similar in both Felony and Misdemeanor cases, there are enough differences between them to merit dealing with each in a separate article.

We can learn a little about the purpose and meaning of a Pre-Trial just by looking at its name. Technically speaking, there are two kinds of Pre-Trials. The first, both in terms of occurrence and how we'll examine them, is called a "Pre-Trial Conference." This is mostly what we'll be discussing in both parts of this article. The second, which takes place second, if at all, are called "Pre-Trial Proceedings." "Pre-Trial Conferences" always occur in a Criminal Case. "Pre-Trial Proceedings" frequently do not happen in a Criminal Case. We'll explore that term in the second part of this article, but the focus of our discussion and examination in both parts of this article will be on the Pre-Trial Conference, which, throughout this article, we'll mostly and simply be calling the "Pre-Trial."

The most important word here is "pre." "Pre-Trial" means "before trial." This means that before a case actually goes to Trial, there is at least a Pre-Trial Conference. The whole point of this Conference is to determine if there is a way to work out or resolve the case without the need for an actual trial.

What actually takes place at a Pre-Trial Conference has little to do with any kind of Court hearing. The main purpose of the Pre-Trial is to bring the Prosecutor and the Defense Attorney together so that they may discuss the case and see if they can come to an agreement to resolve it without the need to have the case decided through a trial. This can perhaps be better understood by looking at an example.

Let's say a person has been Arrested and Charged with a DUI. In Michigan, the actual charge is OWI, or Operating While Intoxicated. For our purposes, we'll skip over the details of the Stop and the Arrest, and assume the Evidence against the Driver (the Defendant) is rock-solid.

Continue reading "Pre-Trial in a Typical Michigan Misdemeanor Case - Part 1" »

In the first part of this article, we examined what happens at an Arraignment from the beginning, when a Defendant is advised of the Charge against him or her, and the Penalty that can be imposed for that Charge, as well as how the Court advises the Defendant of his or her Constitutional Rights, to how a Plea is entered. In this second part of the article we will examine the setting of Bond, the imposition of Bond Conditions, and how and why a Court will inform the Defendant of his or her next Court date. In an earlier Blog Post about Bond and getting out of Jail, we examined the Bond Process, particularly the money aspect in detail. Here, we'll examine the mechanics of the setting of Bond and Bond Conditions more than the money considerations we discussed in that earlier Blog article.

As a Criminal Defense Attorney, I have the opportunity to observe and participate in these proceedings from a slightly more detached position than my Client, who may well be too nervous to recall much, if any, of what happened, once they walk out of Court. As we proceed, we'll be using the example about the person arrested and taken to Jail for Possession of Marijuana in the City of Warren from the first part of this article.

Let's go back to that Possession of Marijuana example from the first part of this article. Remember, our imaginary Defendant was arrested in the City of Warren for Possession of Marijuana and has spent the night in Jail. Now, they've been brought to Court and before one of the Judges. After advising the Defendant of which Law he or she is charged with violating (in our example, either the City of Warren Ordinance or the State Law) and what the maximum possible penalty is for that violation, and after making sure the Defendant has been provided with either a verbal or written explanation of their Constitutional Rights, and that they understand them, and then entering a Plea on behalf of the Defendant (usually "Not Guilty," sometimes "Stands Mute,' and hopefully not, in any case, "Guilty"), the Judge looks to set Bond. The terms "Bond" and "Bail" have come to have similar meanings, which is an amount of money posted with a Court to get a Defendant out of Jail.

Let's take a detour from the example we've been discussing for a moment. Let's say that rather than having been arrested and spending the night in Jail for Possession of Marijuana, the person instead had their Marijuana confiscated and was issued a Citation (Ticket) instructing them to call the Court within 10 days from the date it was written. Or, let's say that the person was taken to the Police Station, booked, and then let out of Jail after posting an "interim Bond" of $100 or so, or just let go without posting any money, but, in either case, was still issued a Citation.

Continue reading "Arraignment in Michigan Criminal Cases - Part 2 - Bond and Conditions " »

This article will focus on the very first part of any Criminal Case, known as an Arraignment. Long before I ever became a Criminal Defense Lawyer, I had heard the term "Arraignment" in the news many times. Even though I had a general idea that the term had something to do with the beginning of a criminal Case, I didn't know exactly what an Arraignment was, much less what happened at one. For anyone involved with a Criminal Case, whether they are the person being charged with a crime (the Defendant) or that person's family or friends, the Arraignment is often their first-ever contact with the Criminal Process.

I'd like to narrow the focus of this article a bit. The vast majority of my experience is in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties. Pretty much everybody I represent would be considered "regular," or "average," in the sense that they generally have families and community ties and jobs, as opposed to being career criminals like Bank Robbers, Kidnappers and Serial Killers. It's that kind of ordinary citizen facing a Misdemeanor or light-to-medium severity Felony Criminal Charge that we'll have in mind as we review the Arraignment process. Because even a relatively casual treatment of this subject requires some depth, we'll divide this article into two parts. In this first part we'll examine how the Court advises a person of the Charge against them and what the potential Penalty is for such an offense, how the Court advises the person charged of their Constitutional Rights, and how a Plea is entered. In the second installment, we'll examine the setting of Bond and Bond Conditions, and the scheduling of a Defendant's next Court date and how that differs in Felony and Misdemeanor cases.

The process of Arraignment serves several purposes, and this is how the proceeding goes:

First, a Defendant is formally told of the exact Criminal Charge that has been made against them.

Second, the Defendant is likewise told the exact nature of the possible Penalty that they face.

Third, a Defendant is either told, or reads and must sign to indicate they read and understood, their Constitutional Rights when charged with a Crime.

Fourth, a Defendant is asked how he or she Pleads (Not Guilty, Stands Mute or Guilty).

Fifth, and perhaps most important of all, at least to the Defendant, is the setting of Bond and Bond Conditions.

Sixth, and finally, the Court informs the Defendant of the next Court date, or at least advises the Defendant that Notice regarding that next Court date will be sent to them.

We'll examine each of these things in turn, beginning with informing a Defendant of the exact charge or charges against them. When a person is alleged to have committed a crime, it means that they violated or "broke" some written law. In fact, everything that is illegal is illegal precisely because there is a law written somewhere that makes it illegal.

Continue reading "Arraignment in Michigan Criminal Cases - Part 1 - What Happens " »