Meth Left in Boy's Holloween Bag

When Lars and Shelly Brosdah's 7 year old son returned from trick or treating, they looked in their son's bag and found $200 worth of methamphetamine and $85 in cash in his bag. The drugs and money was among the Snickers bars and Skittles. According to the police, someone who looked like a teenager dropped something into their son's bag as he was trick or treating with his 9 year old sister. The parents report that the methamphetamine looked like rock candy. The parents are grateful that their kids did not try to eat the methamphetamine.

The local police from a suburb of Minneapolis believe that the young man was fleeing from the police after a report of an assault earlier in the day.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear DNA Case

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving the question of whether a defendant has a constitutional right to test genetic evidence found at the scene years after he was convicted. The case is District Attorney's Office v. Osborne, 08-6. William Osborne was convicted of rape, kidnapping and assault on a prostitute that occurred in 1993 in Alaska. William Osborne admitted his guilt when he appeared before the parole board in 2004. Another man was also convicted in the attack and has stated that William Osborne participated in the attack. A condom and hairs were found at the scene but the advanced DNA testing that is available today was not available at the time of William Osborne's trial. William Osborne is now seeking to subject the condom and hairs to the advanced DNA testing that is available today. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Osborne has a right to subject the evidence to such testing. The Alaska prosecutors are objecting to this request arguing that even if the testing determines that the hair and condom are not Osborne's, there was additional evidence introduced at trial to leave no doubt as to his guilt.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Record Number of Deportations Reported

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has reported that nationwide, a total of 349,041 illegal immigrants have been deported this year. That compares to 288,663 for all of 2007. In comparison, in all of 2004, a total of 174,000 illegal aliens were deported. Roughly a third of those deported this year had criminal records. At least one report issued by the Pew Hispanic Center claims that there has been a decrease in the number of illegal aliens from 2008 to 2008. No reason for this decrease was given but it is thought that the increased enforcement of immigration laws has played a role in the decrease in the number of illegal aliens. In addition, the number of prosecutions for immigration law violations has hit a record level.

A criminal conviction can have drastic consequences for an individuals immigration status, even if someone is here legally. We are currently working on posting material on our website that discusses the possible immigration consequences of a criminal conviction. This important information will be of great interest to those charged with a criminal offense who have a green card or a Visa.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Michigan and Massachusetts Voters Approve Legalizing Marijuana Measures

On Tuesday, Michigan became the 13th state to legalize marijuana prescribed for medical purposes. The measure passed 63 percent to 37 percent. The act is called The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. The new law will go into effect 10 days after the election is certified at the end of November. The act allows doctors to prescribe marijuana for certain approved illnesses. It also allows certain qualifying individuals to grow limited amounts of their own marijuana for their personal use and sets up a system of identification cards for qualifying individuals and their primary care givers.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts voters approved decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana by a vote of 65 percent to 35 percent The Massachusetts law replaces the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana of criminal penalties by a system of civil penalties. In addition, offenders would be required to complete a drug awareness program within one year of their arrest.

Illinois does not have any such laws in effect but there currently is a bill pending before the Illinois State Senate, Senate Bill 2865, which would be similar to the Michigan measure passed earlier this week. For a detailed discussed of Illinois Senate Bill 2865 click here. The bill passed the Senate Public Health Committee and is now awaiting a vote on the full floor of the Senate. That vote must happen by January 13, 2009 by Senate rule. If the Illinois measure passes, Illinois would be the 14th state allowing marijuana for medical purposes.

As the law stands today, the possession of Marijuana in Illinois is a crime punishable by several different ways depending on the amount possessed. Click here to read about the Illinois criminal penalties for possession of marijuana.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Chicago Violent Crime Rate Continues Moving Up

Readers of this blog know that we have been reporting on the violent crime rate in the City of Chicago for several months. In a report issued by the Chicago Police on Friday, the murder rate and the violent crime rate is continuing to increase. Even though the violent crimes rates have been increasing, they are still among the lowest in many decades. Through the end of October, Chicago had 441 murders. Last year, the total number of murders was 443. It should be noted that since the end of October, 5 more murders have been reported to have occurred, meaning that Chicago 2008 murder rate has surpassed the 2007 murder rate. Chicago is an a contest with New York for the title of the highest number of murders in 2008. New York's murder rate is just about tied with Chicago. In comparison, Los Angeles's murders are at 321 for the year.

Overall crime has increased 3.5 percent and the violent crime rate has increased 3.6 percent from last year. The number of Criminal Sexual Assaults (Rapes), Aggravated Battery and Arson are down while the number of Robbery and Aggravated Assault are up.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Get Ready for E-Tickets

On Tuesday, the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County demonstrated a new electronic ticket system for traffic tickets. Instead of writing out a traffic ticket, the police officer will plug in the information on a computer and the information will be immediately transmitted to the police department and the Clerk of the Court. Judges will be able to view tickets on a computer and there will no longer be any second guessing the officer's writing on the ticket. The county is paying the cost for the new system to hand out traffic tickets. Some towns are paying up to $900 to place a printer in each squad car so as to make sure you get a copy of the ticket. The system is expected to be in place by the end of the year. The counties surrounding Cook County are also working on similar systems.

Our local governments are continually looking for more efficient ways of collecting money from their citizens.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Waukegan Clerk Shoots Robber - May Face Charges

On Monday night a 20 year old man walked into a Waukegan store with a gun and demanded money from the store clerk. The store clerk gave the gunman money and the gunman fled the store. The store clerk grabbed a gun under the counter, ran out the door and saw the gunman trying to get away on a bicycle. The clerk fired the gun and struck the gunman in the chest several times and in the leg. The gunman continued riding the bicycle a short distance and fell to the ground unconscious. The gunman was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. There was a second suspect that was apparently a lookout for the gunman. That second suspect tried to flee on foot and was struck by a car. The police are still searching for the second suspect.

The clerk apparently had a license to carry a firearm. However, police and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office are considering whether to file criminal charges against the store clerk. It is possible that the store clerk can be charged with murder or aggravated battery with a firearm for shooting the gunman after the gunman was leaving the store.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.