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Recent Blog Posts
Five Crimes You Might Be Charged with if You Join a Gang
Joining a gang might seem like a way to find support, protection, or a sense of belonging, but it often leads to serious legal trouble. Many gang members face criminal charges — even if they did not directly commit a crime themselves. In Illinois, police and prosecutors take gang-related crimes very seriously, and a conviction can result in heavy fines, jail time, or a permanent criminal record.
At the Law Offices of Jack L. Zaremba, P.C., our Illinois criminal defense attorney works with clients in Will County, Grundy County, and the surrounding areas who are facing criminal charges of any kind. If you or someone you love has been arrested, it is important to understand your legal options. The sooner you speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney, the better your chances of protecting your future.
Gun Crimes
Many gang-related arrests involve firearms. If you are caught carrying a gun without a license, you can be charged with unlawful use of a weapon (UUW). If a gun is used during a crime — even if you were not the one holding it — you could face felony weapons charges. Illinois has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and a conviction can lead to prison time and a permanent criminal record.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Serious CDL Violation?
As a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder, you are held to a higher standard than other drivers when it comes to traffic violations. If you are caught driving dangerously, the penalties can be severe. A conviction can put your CDL, job, and future earnings at risk.
If you have received a serious traffic violation ticket, it is important to understand your legal options. Fighting the ticket with the help of an experienced Illinois CDL violation defense attorney could save your license and protect your career.
What Are Serious Violations for CDL Drivers?
Serious violations for CDL drivers are traffic offenses that can result in license disqualification, even if they occur while driving a personal vehicle. Illinois follows federal guidelines for CDL regulations, meaning that accumulating serious violations within a short period can lead to temporary or permanent disqualification.
DUI in a School Zone Information for Parents
In Illinois, school zones are specially protected areas. Crimes committed on or near school campuses are taken very seriously and punished more harshly. The goal behind sentencing and charging enhancements for certain crimes that occur in school zones is to protect students. There is no doubt that it is unsafe for children to encounter intoxicated drivers while they are entering or leaving their schools. The increased traffic, impatience of other drivers, and sometimes confusing traffic patterns during pick-up and drop-off times all make it even more likely that a drunk driver will cause a traffic accident. The presence and unpredictability of children make it sadly more likely that a child could be injured by an impaired driver in a school zone.
DUI with bodily injury in a school zone is an automatic felony charge in Illinois. If you are facing this extremely serious accusation, you need a highly experienced Joliet, IL aggravated DUI attorney. Courts can be very harsh in their treatment of DUI offenders who have endangered students in a school zone.
Why Was I Charged with Resisting Arrest?
Getting arrested can be shocking. When you are being deprived of your freedom and forcibly placed in handcuffs, your instinct might be to resist, especially if you did not commit the crime you are being arrested for. While pulling away or trying to defend yourself in response to having force used against you may simply be an instinctual response, doing so might mean getting charged with the crime of resisting arrest. Even if you are cleared of the charges you were originally arrested for, you might still be convicted of resisting arrest. Resisting arrest is normally a misdemeanor, but can be charged as a felony if a law enforcement officer was injured as a result. An experienced Joliet, IL defense attorney can help you fight back against all of the charges you are facing.
Understanding Resisting Arrest Charges
When a police officer tells you that you are under arrest, doing almost anything except readily complying can lead to resisting arrest charges. Something as simple as pulling your arm away when the officer tried to handcuff you or taking a step back when he moved to grab you might be construed as resisting arrest. You do not need to have genuinely tried to escape or assaulted the officer to be convicted.
What Can I Do if My Child Was Arrested at School?
Heightened police presence in schools and harsh zero-tolerance policies have led to a drastic increase in the number of juveniles who get arrested at school. Behaviors that used to result in no more than being suspended from school are now getting children handcuffed and charged with criminal offenses. Things like getting into a fight with a classmate, hiding a small amount of marijuana in a locker or making fun of another student online used to be treated as disciplinary issues for the school administration and the student’s parents to handle together. Now, these same rule-breaking behaviors are more likely to get a student arrested than suspended. If your child was arrested in school, you need an experienced Will County, IL juvenile crimes attorney. It is best to contact a lawyer as soon as you learn that your child has been taken into police custody. An attorney can act quickly to protect your child’s rights.
What if I Did Not Know I Was in Possession of Drugs?
Simply having an illegal substance in your possession is not enough to sustain a conviction for drug possession or any other drug crime. According to Illinois law, it is only a crime to "knowingly possess a controlled substance." This means that if you were unaware there was an illegal drug in your car, house, or the pocket of the hoodie you were returning to a friend, you should not be convicted of a crime. However, criminal courts are often reluctant to believe a defendant who denies any knowledge of the drugs found in his or her possession - many people make this claim. Your Joliet, IL drug crimes attorney will need to offer evidence to substantiate your defense. It is all too easy for an innocent person to be convicted of drug possession based on assumptions rather than evidence.
How Do Police Officers Identify Drug Use During DUI Stops?
When someone is intoxicated by alcohol, there are usually very obvious signs. The person will likely smell strongly of alcohol, have poor coordination, and exhibit slurred speech. It is also easy to confirm a person’s level of alcohol intoxication with a simple blood or breath test. It is not always as easy to tell when a person is intoxicated by other substances, such as THC, prescription medications, or street drugs like heroin. There are some signs police officers look for during a DUI stop, but many of those signs could also indicate a medical condition rather than intoxication. If you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs, you need an experienced Will County, IL drug DUI attorney. An experienced attorney may be able to show that there is not enough evidence to convict you.
Signs of Drug Intoxication Police Officers Look For
The signs of drug intoxication are more varied and sometimes more subtle than the signs of alcohol intoxication. Drug Recognition Experts may be brought in to help the police identify which substance a suspect has likely ingested. To determine whether a driver may be under the influence of drugs, police officers may look for:
The 3 Most Common Juvenile Charges
Having a juvenile criminal record can get in the way when you are applying to colleges or trying to get into a trade program. If you are charged as a juvenile, your record can be sealed when you become an adult. However, it is extremely common for teenagers to be charged and convicted as adults depending on the crime alleged and the age of the juvenile. Teens charged with fairly minor offenses, like simple vandalism or misdemeanor retail theft are more likely to be charged as juveniles, while teens who commit more serious crimes are more likely to have their cases sent to adult court. 16 and 17-year-olds are most likely to be charged as adults. Your Joliet, IL juvenile criminal defense attorney’s first priority is likely to be keeping your case in juvenile court. Then, your attorney can take steps like plea bargaining to have serious charges reduced or preparing to go to trial in hopes of being found not guilty.
How Does Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Work?
Substance abuse is a major contributing factor in a lot of criminal cases. After someone has had multiple DUIs or other alcohol-related convictions, Illinois courts might order continuous alcohol monitoring. When continuous alcohol monitoring is ordered, the defendant will be required to wear an ankle monitor equipped with a special sensor that detects alcohol use, called a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) device. The sensor sits against the defendant’s skin and will detect the presence of any alcohol in the wearer’s sweat. These devices can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. If you are facing criminal charges that are related to your alcohol use, getting and staying sober is likely to be a part of your pretrial supervision or sentencing. You should be represented by an experienced Joliet, IL criminal defense attorney if you are being prosecuted for an alcohol-related offense.
Why Public Transportation is Not a Solution to DUI License Loss
Even in major cities like Chicago, we are still a very car-dependent society. Especially if you live in the surrounding suburbs instead of in the downtown area, public transportation is not always as accessible or convenient as we would like it to be. Most people still rely on their cars to get to work, do their grocery shopping, and maintain a social life. If your license is suspended due to a DUI, you may need to find alternate ways to do all of these things for several months to a year. Some drivers who have had a DUI will be eligible for a temporary restricted license that can allow them to drive for limited essential purposes, like going to work or to medical appointments. An experienced Grundy County, IL DUI license reinstatement lawyer may be able to help you get back to driving faster.
