Posted on January 08, 2018 in DUI/DWI

Getting behind the wheel in Illinois while under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs is illegal. However, for the past few decades educational campaigns aimed at deterring drivers from driving under the influence have focused almost exclusively on the evils of drunk driving while largely ignoring the various problems associated with driving while under the influence of drugs. Perhaps this is because, up until recently, police officers have had a reliable tool at their disposal to detect alcohol in a driver’s system (the breathalyzer) while they lacked such an instrument to conduct roadside testing for drugs. However, it seems that this is about to change as at least one Illinois police department plans to begin roadside drug testing in the upcoming months.

The New Test

According to the Chicago Tribune, Carol Stream police officers plan to be the first department in Illinois to implement a new roadside test to determine if drivers are under the influence of one or more drugs. Reportedly, the new roadside test will be able to detect marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, amphetamines, and opiates such as heroin via a chemical test.

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 Posted on January 03, 2018 in Homicide

With the new year’s arrival, a slew of new laws are poised to take effect in Illinois and a few old ones are about to be repealed. Fox News reports that one old law that will be removed from the Illinois Compiled Statutes in 2018 is the so called “gay panic defense.”

What Was the Gay Panic Defense?

Agay panic defense is a legal defense that is available in homicide cases (or occasionally in other violent cases) that a defendant can use to justify violent acts against a homosexual victim ifhis or her violence was provoked by unexpectedly learning ofthe victim’s sexual orientation.

According to a report issued by the American Bar Associationin 2013, gay and trans panic defenses were implemented by states across the U.S. years ago back when widespread public aversion to LGBT individuals was the norm and a victim’s sexual orientation was seen as justification for a defendant’s violent reaction towards them.

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 Posted on December 28, 2017 in Traffic Offenses

Reckless driving, as defined under section 625 ILCS 5/11-503 of the Illinois Code, is committed in Illinois when a driver (a) drives with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, or (b) knowingly uses an incline, bridge approach, railway crossing, or hill to make their vehicle go airborne. Furthermore, any person who drives recklessly and as a result causes permanent disability/disfigurement or great bodily harm to another can be convicted of aggravated reckless driving. But how can it be proven that someone drove recklessly? Reckless driving cases differfrom case to case; however, consider the following various approaches that are commonly used to prove acts of reckless driving in Illinois.

Approaches Commonly Used to Prove Reckless Driving

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 Posted on December 26, 2017 in Criminal Defense

When a foreign national is convicted of a criminal offense in the United States, he or she runs the risk of being deported, regardless of whether or notthe individual waslegally present in the U.S. when the crime was committed. In other words, if you are not an American citizen and you have been accused of committing a crime in the United States, be aware that if you are ultimately convicted you may be deported. However, not all criminal convictions can render a foreign national eligible for deportation.

Crimes for Which Non-U.S. Citizens May be Deported

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website notes that aliens who are convicted of one of the following criminal offenses in the United States are eligible for deportation:

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 Posted on December 21, 2017 in Traffic Offenses

Under Illinois’ DMV point system, Illinois drivers are assigned penalty points for a wide array of traffic violations. The more serious the violation the more points that the DMV will add to the driver’s record. For example, a driver who fails to obey a traffic sign will generally have 20 points added tohis or her driver’s license while, on the other hand, a driver who is caught driving recklessly will often be assigned 55 points.

If you have recently accumulated a few minor traffic citations, or if you have broken a serious rule of the road, then it is important to be aware of how many points you currently have and the impact that these points can have on your ability to retain your driving privileges in Illinois.

The Impact of Points on Your Driving Record

Under Illinois’ DMV point system, a driver who receives three or more traffic citations within a 12-month period will generally have accumulated enough points on his or herrecord to be penalized with an administrative revocation or suspension ofhis or herdriver’s license.

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 Posted on December 19, 2017 in burglary

Earlier this month, a 56-year-old man was sentenced by Illinois Judge Thomas Berglund to serve 30 years in prison in connection with a home invasion that the offender confessed to committing earlier this year, reports The Register-Mail.

Reportedly, the homes invasion took place last spring when the offender entered the home of an 83-year-old man and hit the resident over the head with a metal desk lamp. The elderly victim suffered great bodily harm and was discovered by a neighbor two days after the incident occurred.

After admitting that this was in fact the course of events that took place, a negotiated plea agreement was reached in which two other charges (residential burglary and aggravated battery causing harm to someone over 60 years of age) were dismissed and the prosecution continued ahead with the home invasion charge for which the offender is now serving time.

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 Posted on December 14, 2017 in DUI/DWI

Did you know that in Illinois it is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Many peopledo not realize that, from a legal point of view, operating a boat is comparable to driving a car and that those caught operating a watercraft while under the influence can be charged with boating under the influence (BUI), which carries similar penalties to a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction.

625 ILCS 45/5-16: Operating a Watercraft Under the Influence

Section 625 ILCS 45/5-16 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (aka Illinois’ boating under the influence statute) states that it is illegal to be in actual physical control of a watercraft in Illinois while you:

• Have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or greater,

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 Posted on December 12, 2017 in DUI/DWI

We all know that it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle in Illinois with a BAC of 0.08 percent or more. Yet did you know that drivers who are under 21 years of age can get in trouble for driving under the influence if they have any detectable amount of alcohol in their system? This is because Illinois has what is known as a zero tolerance driving under the influence policy.

Illinois’ Zero Tolerance Policy

As noted on the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, a driver who is less than 21 years old and is caught with even a trace amount of alcohol inhis or her system can get into a lot of trouble under Illinois’ zero tolerance law. Exactly how much trouble a young driver can get in depends on how much alcohol they are found to have consumed before getting behind the wheel. For example, a person who is under 21 can be charged with a DUI (aka driving under the influence) ifhe or she iscaught with:

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 Posted on December 07, 2017 in Drug Charges

According to the ACLU, approximately 52 percent of all drug arrests conducted in the United States in 2010 were for marijuana-related crimes. This is largely thanks to the various drug laws that were passed during the government’s “war on drugs” campaign in the 70s—many of which imposed relatively harsh penalties for possessing or distributing marijuana.

However, in more recent years,several states, including Illinois, have relaxed their drug laws a bit and now permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Unfortunately many of these modern medical marijuana laws are not well understood by the public. Consider the following frequently asked questions to help clear some confusion.

Q: What is “medical marijuana”?

A: The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s website notes that the term “medical marijuana” (sometimes called “medical cannabis”) refers to using the whole marijuana plant, or its extracts, to treat symptoms of illness. In other words, medical marijuana is, from a scientific standpoint, essentially the same as recreational marijuana.

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 Posted on December 05, 2017 in Shoplifting

Did you know that when a security guard at a mall in Illinois detains someone who is suspected of shoplifting, the guard is actually making a citizen’s arrest? In other words,he or she isacting as a private citizen andis therefore bound by our state’s private person arrest statute just like anyone elsewho makes a citizen’s arrest.

Citizen’s Arrests: The Basics

In Illinois, our private person arrest statute is codified in code section 725 ILCS 5/107-3 and states, “Any person may arrest another when he has reasonable grounds to believe that an offense other than an ordinance violation is being committed.” Therefore, a store’s security guard (or any other person for that matter) is legally withinhis or her rights under Illinois law to arrest you ifhe or she reasonably believe that you are shoplifting.

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