Notable Cases
FECR095111 Johnson County, Iowa
Six Pounds of Marijuana Seized from Defendant, Pleads to Tax Stamp Violation for Deferred Judgment
The Defendant was arrested at a drug interdiction point while travelling through the State of Iowa with six pounds of marijuana in his possession. He was taken to jail on two felonies, an aggravated misdemeanor and a serious misdemeanor, including possession with the intent to distribute. Ultimately, the defendant pleaded guilty to a Tax Stamp violation for a deferred judgment, and a possession of controlled substance misdemeanor for a conviction with no additional jail time.
FECR096619 Johnson County, Iowa
Burglary Felonies Reduced to Two Simple Misdemeanors
Defendant was charged with two felony burglaries after a night of poor decision making while intoxicated. However, there was never any malicious intent, and the items taken were of very low value. Mark was able to convince the prosecutor to reduce one charge to two simple misdemeanors, and to dismiss the other felony.
FECR095123 Johnson County, Iowa
Marijuana Felonies Reduced to Misdemeanor
A young couple was charged with the felonies of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp while passing through Iowa on Interstate 80. The marijuana was obtained pursuant to an out-of-state medical marijuana prescription and was not packaged for individual sale. Despite this prescription, marijuana is illegal to possess in Iowa. Under the law, the medical marijuana cards had no relevance. However, after verifying the source, and subpoenaing the out-of-state doctor, we were able to convince the state to dismiss the Tax Stamp felony and allow a plea to the lesser-included Possession misdemeanor. The couple ultimately received deferred judgments for this misdemeanor.
Please note that a medical marijuana card has no legal relevance in Iowa. You are not allowed to travel through the state with marijuana, despite the source.
AGCR091853 Johnson County, Iowa
Jury Verdict of Not Guilty
Defendant was charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. After the charge was reduced to simple Assault, upon insistence of the defendant we took the case to a jury trial. After a few hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted the defendant of the charge.
OWCR011604 Benton County, Iowa
OWI Pleads to Reckless Driving
In this case, a person was charged with OWI after her car was found partially in the ditch near the home she was staying in. Admissions to having driven the car were confused, and the officer charged it as an OWI. Based upon the confusion of the admissions, the county attorney accepted a plea to Reckless Driving.
FECR087449, Iowa City, Johnson County
Jury Verdict of Not Guilty for Felony Charge
Defendant was charged with Burglary for entering his former-roommate’s apartment allegedly without permission. The jury deliberated for several hours before delivering a verdict of not guilty for all charges and lesser-included offenses. More information here.
SRCR085705, Mt. Vernon, Linn County
Deferred Judgment, Dismissal of Two Simple Misdemeanors
Defendant was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Disorderly House and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Mr. Thompson was able to negotiate with both the County Attorney and City Attorney to obtain a recommendation for deferred judgment on the drug charge, and a dismissal of the remaining two charges.
SRCR82909, Cedar Rapids, Linn County
Dismissal of All Charges
The Client was charged with Driving Under Revocation, a serious misdemeanor, after receiving an OWI charge in Iowa City. The Iowa Department of Transportation made a clerical error regarding the status of the Client’s license and proper notification was never processed. After an explanation of the situation, and production of evidence from the DOT, the charges were dismissed.
SRCR059349, Iowa City, Johnson County
Dismissal of All Charges
The Client was brought into Iowa City court after realizing that some six-year-old charges were never finalized. After the warrant was satisfied, the case was restarted and headed for jury trial. Mr. Thompson was able to get the case dismissed at final pretrial due to problems with the State’s evidence.
OWCR084338, Iowa City, Johnson County
OWI DUI Arrest Leads to Dismissal
Mr. Thompson filed a suppression motion based on a questionable traffic stop for a loud muffler. The lawyer for the state resisted. At the hearing, the state forced to dismiss all charges.
FECR005651, Washington County
Not Guilty Jury Verdict
The Defendant was accused of driving recklessly with passengers in his car. The case was taken to trial by jury and Mr. Thompson won an acquittal.
SMSM073346, Iowa City, Johnson County
Drug Paraphernalia Charges Dismissed After Motion to Suppress Evidence
A University Heights police officer filed drug paraphernalia charges following a stop for a traffic violation. A motion to suppress was filed by Mr. Thompson, which was resisted by the State’s lawyer. A hearing was held and the police video was reviewed. Our motion was granted and the charge was dismissed, over the opposing lawyer’s objection.
SRCR082947, Iowa City, Johnson County
Marijuana Possession Charges Dismissed
A Iowa State Trooper conducted a traffic stop on I-80 for a speeding violation. The passenger was questioned and admitted to possessing a few marijuana joints. A possession of controlled substances charge was filed. Mr. Thompson worked with the State’s lawyer to form a plea where the defendant was required to provide a clean drug test and obtain a substance abuse evaluation and treatment, and the charges were dismissed.
SRCR082610, Iowa City, Johnson County
Drug Possession Charges Dropped
In a situation similar to the above, an Iowa City police officer conducted a traffic stop for a stop sign violation. A consent search of the car was conducted, which revealed a small amount of marijuana. The defendant agreed to a plea bargain equivalent to the above case. (Note that in both of these cases there was no allegation that the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol).
OWCR083923, Iowa City, Johnson County
OWI / DUI Case Dismissed Despite BAC Test Failure
An OWI / DUI charge was filed following a traffic stop for an alleged littering violation in University Heights. After a discussion between Mr. Thompson and the assistant county attorney, the case was dismissed.
OWCR081978, Iowa City, Johnson County
OWI / DUI Case Pleaded Down to Public Intoxication
The defendant was charged with OWI / DUI while sleeping in his car with the ignition on. Mr. Thompson filed a motion to suppress based on the officer’s search and seizure of the defendant without reasonable suspicion. Although the motion was defeated, our attorney successfully worked with the state’s lawyer to gain a plea to public intoxication in lieu of an OWI / DUI conviction.
SRIN007880, Washington County
Jury Verdict of Not Guilty
The elderly Client was charged with assault causing injury during a scuffle with a neighbor over rural property lines. After taking depositions, the State’s lawyer agreed to lower the charge to a simple misdemeanor. Despite this concession, Mr. Thompson took the case to trial. The jury delivered verdict of not guilty.
SRIN007818, Washington County
Drug Possession Charges Dismissed After Successful Motion to Suppress
The Client was charged with three counts of possession of controlled substance, 3rd offense, habitual offender, with a maximum period of incarceration of 45 years. After reviewing the State’s evidence, our attorney filed a Motion to Suppress based on the state trooper’s scope of search and unreasonable period of detainment. After a hearing on these issues, the evidence was excluded and the charges were dismissed.
SMSM037798, Washington County
Charges Dismissed on Morning of Trial
Client was charged with simple assault, the case proceeded to jury trial, where Mr. Thompson secured a dismissal.
AGCR072730, Iowa City, Johnson County
More Charges Dismissed on Morning of Trial
Defendant was charged with aggravated assault and the case was set for jury trial. Our lawyer gained a dismissal of the charge on the morning of trial, after meeting with the State’s lawyer.
AGIN007502, Washington County
Bench Trial with Not Guilty Verdict and Dismissal of Serious Charges
Client was charged with an aggravated level assault, facing up to two years in jail. After taking depositions, these charges were dropped, but a related simple assault charge remained. Mr. Thompson took that case to bench trial and won an acquittal.
