I warn every client, multiple times, about the perils of violating probation on a deferred judgment. When the Court grants a deferred judgment, the defendant is making a promise to the Court not to violate the terms of probation. The Court becomes upset when this promise is broken. The terms of probation are explained on […]
Category: Criminal Law
Iowa City Drug Busts: Secondary Charges
When a suspect is arrested in Iowa City for a drug-related charge, there are many related charges that the police or the prosecutor can pile on. The original charge would be possession of controlled substance, usually marijuana. This, of course, only requires that the suspect had in his possession (whether actual or constructive possession) a […]
A Stay at the Hope House
A local resident has provided a very well-written, witty and insightful story about his stay at the local halfway house. This story was published in the Little Village newspaper: High Crimes. […]
Unbiased Jury Not Available for Pot Case
In a Missoula, Montana case, a jury was being selected for a trial in a marijuana charge. To be selected as a juror, that person must show that they are unbiased (one way or the other) in order to sit on the panel. This is the “fair and impartial” jury that is a right of […]
Mark Thompson Appointed to Drug Court
The Johnson County Drug Treatment Court is a prison-alternative program for serious drug offenders. The panel on the Drug Court consists of a District Court Judge, a Johnson County prosecutor, a defense attorney, members of the Department of Corrections, a substance abuse counselor and a mental health provider. A vacancy was created in June, 2010 […]
New Tailgating Rules
The University of Iowa would like to limit the amount of alcohol consumption on football game days. They are instituting several new rules which would affect tailgating behavior. As noted in the link above, the University has set time limits on when tailgating must end, and intends to enforce the Open Container law which traditionally […]
Cedar Rapids/Linn County Criminal Lawyer
Our office is based in Iowa City, which is only a short commute from the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. We routinely take criminal cases in Cedar Rapids, with our caseload there second only to our caseload in Iowa City. Linn County cases are handled very similarly to cases in Johnson County, the only […]
Marijuana Charges in Iowa City
One of the most common drug-related charges in Iowa City (Johnson County) is Possession of Controlled Substance (PCS)- Marijuana, 1st Offense. This charge is handled differently in Iowa City than in any other jurisdiction in the State. Foremost, we have the Johnson County Marijuana Diversion Program in place. This program accepts defendants charged with the above offense […]
Methods of Correspondence
The standard correspondence for the practice of law has always been the written letter, signed and mailed to the interested parties. This is how lawyers have “officially” communicated with clients and opposing counsel for decades, even centuries. But mailed letters are slow, and the information can often be stale by the time it is read […]
More Information on Criminal Records and Employment
With 2011 graduation right around the corner, the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote an article about the consequences of a criminal history when looking for a job. http://thegazette.com/2011/05/13/old-charges-can-haunt-job-hunting-college-grads/ […]
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