Edwardsville IL Criminal Defense Attorney Blog | Illinois Drunk Driving Charges Lawyer

Illinois juvenile crime law to raise age for adult charges

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Juvenile Crimes on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.

A proposed court ruling that would make it state law for minors 17 and under to be charged as minors even in felony cases has been proposed, according to a recent report. Illinois state law currently deals with juvenile crime somewhat more seriously, charging 17-year-old offenders as adults in the case of felony crimes. However, many individuals see this law as unfair and are working to change it.

Activists in favor of the change argue that 17-year-old offenders are still effectively children, especially in the eyes of the laws that keep them from voting or signing up for credit cards before the age of 18. They maintain that youths of that age lack the ability to make sound decisions and therefore should not be penalized with a permanent criminal record for making an unwise choice before the age of majority. Some officials argue that a 17-year-old is more capable of change and growth than an adult criminal, and the Juvenile Court is set up to promote such growth in young offenders.

Drug charge laid against teen in overdose death

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drug Charges on Friday, April 5, 2013.

The tragic death of an 18-year-old Edwardsville man has led officials to lay charges against a young woman they allege gave drugs to the victim. The 19-year-old Pierron woman is currently in custody in Madison County, awaiting trial for the drug charges. If she is convicted on the homicide drug charge, she could face jail time of up to 30 years.

On the morning of March 22, police in Troy responded to a call at a house on Reid Avenue and found the apparent victim unresponsive when they arrived upon the scene. Any efforts to revive him failed and the 18-year-old male was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The coroner concluded the victim had died as a result of a heroin overdose.

Drug crime suspect charged after fatal crash

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drug Charges on Friday, March 29, 2013.

An Edwardsville man apparently suffering from drug addiction was charged on Tuesday, March 19 with a DUI causing death after he allegedly drove a vehicle into a neighbor's house. Illinois law enforcement says that forensics tests showed elements of cocaine, marijuana, alprazolam, and more than 0.08 percent alcohol in the man's bloodstream. While not solely a drug crime, the charge was counted four times, one for each of the substances found in the man's blood.

The man has a history of drug-related charges, including drug possession. At the time of the arrest, he was on probation pending the investigation of a series of air conditioner thefts he was believed to have committed. Combined with these new charges, a conviction could result in sentence of up to seven years behind bars.

Illinois cop faces 2nd drunk driving charge in 5 years

By Scott Heins of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

Occasionally, citizens call in reports of erratic driving to Illinois law enforcement authorities. Often, the underlying factor is that a motorist is suspected of drunk driving. That is exactly what occurred recently in Williamson County, but there was a twist. The suspected drunk driver is a local sheriff's deputy.

The Illinois deputy was off duty when he was stopped close to Marion at the beginning of March on Illinois 13. Other motorists had apparently suspected the man of drunk driving, and he was arrested under suspicion of committing that criminal offense. However, a news report chronicling the incident did not report that any field sobriety tests or blood alcohol testing was conducted prior to the arrest being made.

Illinois man faces felony charge after pizza order

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Felonies on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

An Illinois man is in legal trouble after reportedly ordering a large amount of food and requesting it to be delivered to his estranged wife's home. Authorities allege the man had contacted four local restaurants and ordered 18 pizzas. The woman then began receiving phone calls from the restaurants asking her to confirm she was the one who had placed the orders. Authorities were able to track the orders back to the man's computer. He is now facing a felony charge of aggravated stalking.

The wife has a current protection order against this man. He was facing other charges related to violating that order in an incident stemming from last year. The man also stood accused of slashing one of the woman's vehicle tires while she was working.

Woman's death leads to Illinois DUI charges

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drunk Driving on Friday, March 8, 2013.

A deadly Illinois car accident has led to the driver facing criminal charges. The accident occurred as the man was driving his female passenger's vehicle. He was traveling south on the interstate when the woman reportedly fell out of the vehicle. She was hit by two other vehicles and died at the accident scene. Authorities have charged the driver with DUI that involved a death and a leaving a fatal crash scene.

At this time, authorities do not known whether the woman was pushed from the vehicle or jumped of her own volition. The driver continued traveling after the woman fell, but crashed his vehicle close to an exit ramp. He exited his vehicle and attempted to flee the scene, but he was apprehended by troopers.

Former Illinois congressman faces felony charge of conspiracy

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Felonies on Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

A former Illinois congressman and his wife have agreed to make guilty pleas after being accused of misusing campaign funds. A single felony charge of conspiracy has been filed against Jesse Jackson Jr. His wife has also been charged with a single count of filing a false tax return. The woman reportedly did not reveal all of their income for a period of five years. Authorities believe that the two may have schemed to misuse $750,000 on extravagant personal purchases, including watches, furs and furniture.

It is possible that both of them could receive lengthy prison terms or be required to pay stiff penalties. However, with the plea deal it is probable that neither will receive the maximum sentence. In the event that Jackson is convicted, he will be required to forfeit the amount of the misused funds and several thousand dollars in sports, rock and historical memorabilia.

Illinois DUI charges may be complicated by other circumstances

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

Multiple charges against a person who is accused of a crime can make presenting a strong defense more difficult. When the court wants to convey the seriousness of the crime to the defendant and the community at large, they may propose longer sentences than the minimum mandated by the law. Guilty pleas and other bargaining with the court may be a tool for defendants to get reduced charges in DUI cases and show a willingness to work with the courts of Illinois. Such bargaining may work to a defendant's advantage.

In a recent incident a man was arrested for a variety of charges, including driving a backhoe under the influence of drugs and possessing methamphetamines. There were methamphetamines in his possession on the backhoe. In addition, the man tested positive for having methamphetamines in his system while he was driving the backhoe. The man had previous felony convictions, at least one of which was associated with drug possession. In addition, he had been held following his arrest for the current charges.

Illinois teacher accused of sex crime after student relationship

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Sex Crimes on Friday, February 15, 2013.

An Illinois teacher is facing criminal charges after being accused of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student. The woman has been arrested and charged with a single count of enticing a minor. She came under investigation for a sex crime after school officials were told by another student about the alleged relationship.

The student claimed the teen had been bragging about the encounter and reportedly showed him a cell phone video. The contents of the video were not divulged. When officials at the school questioned the teacher, she allegedly admitted to inappropriate behavior and sexual contact. She is not the boy's current teacher, but the two met when he was in her art class the prior year. Reports state she had been assisting him with some of his school work, but the two were also communicating by text messages.

Illinois mother and son face several drug crime charges

On behalf of The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC posted in Drug Charges on Friday, February 8, 2013.

An Illinois woman and her son are facing multiple drug crime charges. Although the exact details of the investigation concerning them have not been reported, they are under suspicion from both state and federal authorities. If a conviction is obtained on the drug crime charges, each could face up to 12 years in prison. Both have also been charged in another case involving the death of a woman and a conviction regarding those allegations could also result in time and fines.

Mother and son both have bail set at $2 million each for the state charges, but are held with no bond on the federal crimes. The state charges include drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. Heroin is suspected to be the drug involved. In addition, the United States Attorney's Office has charged them with possessing an illegal substance and intending to deliver it.

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