BLOGS

Third OWI If you’ve been convicted of a second OWI (Iowa’s DUI) offense in the last twelve years and are being charged with OWI now, this is your “OWI, third offense.”  (By way of comparison, if you’ve had other OWI(s) before, but the convictions happened more than twelve years ago, you’re getting charged with first offense…

Second OWI If you’ve been convicted of one other OWI (Iowa’s DUI) offense in the last twelve years and are being charged with OWI now, this is your “OWI, second offense.”  (By way of comparison, if you’ve had another OWI before, but the conviction happened more than twelve years ago, you’re getting charged with first…

Polk County Iowa First OWI Attorney If you’ve been charged with an OWI for the first time (an OWI is what Iowa calls a DUI), you’re facing a lot.  You need a criminal defense attorney who can review your case to see if some evidence could get suppressed or if the case could even be…

Cocaine Lawyer in Des Moines, Iowa If you’ve been charged with possession of cocaine or another coke crime in Iowa, call criminal defense attorneys John and Katie at (515) 491 6128 for a free initial consultation. Cocaine Possession To convict you of possessing cocaine in Iowa, the county attorney will be trying to prove beyond…

Methamphetamine Lawyer in Des Moines, IA Meth isn’t a safe drug. It does some really awful things to your health.  Still, meth abuse is a common problem in Iowa. While I’m firmly convinced that substance use and abuse should be considered a social issue, with non-stigmatized treatment widely available, we live in a state where…

Bench Warrants If the police pull you over and run your license and you’ve got an outstanding warrant, your afternoon is not going to go the way you’d hoped. A “bench warrant” is a warrant for your arrest that’s been issued by the “bench” (by the judge.)  It means that a judge has directed police…

Probation Violation Attorney in Des Moines If you think your probation officer thinks you violated your probation  — or if that warrant or notice of revocation hearing has already been issued — go ahead and call a criminal defense attorney to talk about your options.  John and Katie represent clients on probation violations throughout Iowa, …

If you’ve been charged with pot possession in or around Polk County, Iowa, we can help out as your Iowa marijuana possession lawyers. Marijuana possession is possibly the most common charge we see — it seems like Iowa’s population has rejected the Reefer Madness mentality of Anslinger and progeny. Nonetheless, our legislature is still mired in…

If you’ve been charged with an Iowa OWI — operating while intoxicated, DUI, DWI, drunk driving, whatever — here are some forms and laws that you might find relevant to your defense and to your alleged offense. DOT Request for DOT Hearing to Contest License Revocation Request for Temporary Restricted License / Work Permit  OWI…

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“OWI” is what Iowa calls what lots of other states call a “DUI” or “DWI.”  If you’re looking for a DUI lawyer or a DWI attorney but you’re in Iowa, what you’re actually looking for is OWI defense. Here are links for more in-depth talks on things you should know about:   OWI is a…

What is an arrest in Iowa and what should you do when you’ve been arrested? You probably think you know what an “arrest” is, but determining exactly when someone was arrested is often litigated in criminal trials.  There isn’t a bright-line test to determine whether someone has been arrested.  There’s no one thing you can…

If you need an attorney who will listen to you and help you form a defense when your finances and freedom are on the line, John and Katie are here for you. This website is new and this page is under construction.  Please bear with us while we write relevant content for you.  If you find something useful, please…

Criminal Law >> Crimes and Charges in Depth >> Drug Crimes Des Moines, Iowa Drug Crimes Lawyer If you need a drug defense attorney who will listen to you and help you form a defense when your finances and freedom are on the line, John and Katie are here for you.  We’re criminal defense lawyers, and we’ve handled more…

Criminal Law >> Alcohol Crimes >> OWI If you need an attorney who will listen to you and help you form a defense when your finances and freedom are on the line, John and Katie are here for you. This website is new and this page is under construction.  Please bear with us while we write relevant content for…

Criminal Law >> Crimes and Charges >> Alcohol Crimes If you need an attorney who will listen to you and help you form a defense when your finances and freedom are on the line, John and Katie are here for you. This website is new and this page is under construction.  Please bear with us…

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process If you’ve been charged with a crime in Iowa and are considering criminal defense options, here’s a step by step guide to what’s gonna happen.  Whether or not you retain a defense lawyer, you need to know what will happen next. Detection of Crime In order to stop you,…

Question about parole officer telling someone they can’t be with their pregnant fiancee. Can my parole officer stop my fiancée and I from being together if I’m on parole but she’s no longer on probation? I was recently violated for having contact with my child’s mother who is my fiancé. I was on parole and…

Question about someone being charged with possession if she goes to the ER for an injury and has drugs in her system. Answer — she probably won’t be charged with possession but there’s a possibility of being charged with OWI if she operates a motor vehicle with a discernible amount of a controlled substance in…

PO say no contact with boyfriend. Can a PO tell me and my boyfriend that we cant have any contact with each other? My boyfriend is a ex felon and I’m getting newly divorced. His po seemed fine with me all the other times he mentioned me to her. And now she said that we…

Insanity defense for sexual abuse charges in Iowa My husband has 37 counts for sexual abuse can his lawyer plead him insanity defense? My husband has medical records can his lawyer plead him the insanity defense he’s also on medication if they take him off of it they would actually see how he is. Can…

Someone asked about the legal and academic consequences for her college son who was caught smoking pot by police in Iowa. My 19 year old son was in college parking lot smoking pot . He was caught by police had less than one gram . What will happen? First time ever , he has to…

Advice on what to say to officer about myself being accused of a hit and run that happened a month go? Police called me tonight saying my car and I were identified as being involved in a hit and run. He wants to talk tomorrow about it and i agreed to talk right away. The…

I was charged with possession. If the person who’s drugs it actually was says it was theres will I get off the hook? I was pulled over and was searched and an illegal drug was found in a backpack in my truck. If the person who’s backpack it was turns them self in will I…

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process >> Self Representation Self representation at a criminal trial? There are a number of ways you can deal with a criminal trial. Most commonly, people hire an experienced attorney. Occasionally, people represent themselves “pro se”. This article will address some of the rights and steps associated with self representation.…

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process >> Misdemeanors and Felonies If you’ve been charged with a criminal offense in Iowa, some of your first concerns may be “what is the punishment for this crime?  How much trouble am I in, exactly? What does it mean to be charged with a felony or a misdemeanor? What…

The decriminalization of sex work is a pet near-legal-obsession of mine.  Because I think it’s absolutely unconscionable that the government restricts women’s (and others’) ability to condition consent to sexual activity on payment, I’m offering pro bono representation to women (and others) charged with prostitution in Polk County, Iowa. sentencing for aggravated misdemeanors) I’ve spent…

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process I see a lot of people asking for free legal advice or asking what will happen in their criminal cases on websites like Avvo and Justia. A lot of the answers I see on these sites are curt, rude, or flat-out unhelpful.  Who wants to be told to “call…

Presentence investigations are the first step in many criminal sentencings in Iowa. Here’s an overview of the Iowa presentence investigation process.

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process >> Insanity Defense Mental Health and the Insanity Defense If you’ve had mental health issues in the past and are charged with a crime, you may have wondered about whether the insanity defense could help you. The answer is, with very few exceptions, probably not. After John Hinckley tried…

Criminal Law >> Iowa Criminal Process >> Search and Seizure Evidence Suppression for Case Dismissal If you’ve been charged with a crime in Iowa, your attorney will consider the details of your case before advising you about what to do. If police did something wrong, some evidence against you may not be admissible at trial.…