Category Archives: criminal charges

‘IT JUST POPPED OUT!”: WHEN YOU ARE ACCUSED OF HATE SPEECH

You really can’t stand this one student at your school. You think he is obnoxious. One day, the two of you got into a screaming match. In the heat of the moment, you called him a certain stereotypically derogatory name. … Continue reading

Posted in class 4 felony, college discipline, criminal charges, hate crime, hate speech, phone harrassment, suspension, texting harrassment | Leave a comment

“THEY SUSPENDED MY LICENSE!”: ALCOHOL AND THE UNDERAGE DRIVER

Now that you have your own set of wheels, you feel really cool. So after school, you thought you’d take your friends for a night on the town. You were watching the road, so you didn’t realize your buddy in … Continue reading

Posted in blood alcohol limit, breathalyzer, criminal charges, criminal law, driving while under the influence, drunk driving, dui, Illinois zero tolerance policy, skokie | Leave a comment

“I JUST PANICKED!”: WHEN YOU ARE CHARGED WITH LEAVING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT

You honestly just never saw him until you heard the thud. Maybe you struck a pedestrian, or maybe it was another car. Startled, you drove away instead of stopping like you knew you should. Now, somehow the cops have found … Continue reading

Posted in class a misdemeanor, criminal charges, criminal law, fleeing the scene, leaving the scene of an accident, traffic offense | Leave a comment

‘BUT I WASN’T ON CAMPUS!”: WHEN YOU ARE DISCIPLINED AT COLLEGE FOR AN OFF-CAMPUS CRIMINAL CHARGE

You had a little too much fun one night at the pub downtown. As you struggled to drive home, you blew a stop sign and next thing you knew, you were pulled over for DUI. Or maybe you were involved … Continue reading

Posted in college discipline, criminal charges, discipline charges, driving while under the influence, drug dealing, drugs, dui, education law, retail theft, student code of conduct, university discipline | Leave a comment

“MY LOVED ONE HAS BEEN ARRESTED!”: POLICE CUSTODY AND THE BOND HEARING

You just got a phone call from your loved one. Somehow, they were picked up by police and are now in custody. Your loved one is scared and begging you for help. What happens next and what can you do? … Continue reading

Posted in arrest, bail, bond hearing, criminal charges, criminal law, Maywood, police custody, Rolling Meadows, skokie | Leave a comment

“THE POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR ME”: WHEN YOU ARE A SUSPECT OR FEAR ARREST

You just got a phone call from your roommate. Some police officer showed up looking for you. As it happens, you actually do know why they want to talk. Maybe you were involved in a crime like a robbery, hit … Continue reading

Posted in arrest, criminal charges, criminal law, drug dealing, drugs, retail theft, robbery, sexting, shoplifting, suspect | Leave a comment

‘I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE THE MONEY”: WHEN YOU BOUNCE A CHECK DUE TO INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

You have never been very good about managing money, but somehow you have always put enough money in your checking account in time for your checks to clear. Until now. You just wrote some checks, figuring you’d have the money … Continue reading

Posted in bounced check, class 4 felony, class a misdemeanor, criminal charges, deceptive practices, insufficient funds | Leave a comment

THE DRUGS AREN’T MINE: WHEN YOU ARE CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF NARCOTICS

You’ve just been arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Maybe it’s marijuana or cocaine or methamphetamine or even heroin. Maybe the substance was mailed to you in a package or the police found it in your car or the … Continue reading

Posted in arrest, controlled substance, criminal charges, criminal law, drug dealing, drug possession, drugs, narcotics, possession | Leave a comment

THE NEW ILLINOIS DUI DRIVING MONITOR DEVICES

As of January 1, 2009, Illinois has a new system for permitting first time DUI offenders to drive. The Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP) allows a qualified driver more leeway than the old system, but involves a new set of … Continue reading

Posted in breath alcohol monitoring device, breathalyzer, criminal charges, drunk driving, dui | Leave a comment

CAN I PLEASE GO NOW? WHEN A POLICE STOP BECOMES A SEIZURE.

You are sitting in an empty parking lot late at night when a police car pulls up behind you. The officer says he needs to ask you a few questions. You start worrying about that joint you hid in your … Continue reading

Posted in arrest, criminal charges, criminal law, detention, fourth amendment, police custody, suspect | Leave a comment