On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Sex Crimes on Thursday, May 17, 2012
A sheriff's sergeant in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, is receiving a taste of the other side of the legal system after being accused of sex crimes. The man had once acted as a department spokesman before being charged in a federal court for purportedly producing child pornography over a period of two years. The sex crimes he has been accused of are disturbing, but the man will have the opportunity to address them in a court of law.
The federal investigation of the officer reportedly began in July 2011. Agents raided the home of a man in another state who had been accused of child pornography and claimed they found links to the Wisconsin official on a computer. Agents say they were able to decrypt child pornography images and upon doing so, discovered GPS coordinates which led them to a Campbellsport-area campground and a lot that they say the sheriff's official had rented starting in 2008.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Friday, May 11, 2012
A man accused of a serious crime is undergoing a trial and will likely benefit from a strong criminal defense as the case proceeds. The man is facing two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide after an incident last summer where he is accused of shooting at officers inside of a Wisconsin hotel. Opening statements in the trial began on April 30. The man will have the opportunity to answer to these charges with the hopes that his criminal defense is strong enough for the case to end on a positive note for him.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Drunk driving is a very serious charge that affects many Wisconsin families every year. Just by being accused of a DWI or OWI can cause irreparable damage to a person's professional reputation, and it can lead to potentially undue stress on that person's family.
Drunk driving stories are ubiquitous in the news, and often times the severity of the charge gets lost on a reader. Imagine if you were pulled over after a Saturday night out -- there is so much you could lose by being charged with a DWI. Your license; your freedom; and the trust of your friends and family. The hardship doesn't stop there. The emotional toll of a drunk driving charge could cause you to relive that Saturday night every time you get behind the wheel.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Friday, April 27, 2012
While this may not be happening in Wisconsin, the authorities at work in this story violated the civil rights of a shop worker and then arrested him -- the kind of case that has wider criminal defense implications beyond just the region where it occurred.
An underage person entered a bodega worker's store on April 12 and requested beer. When the worker confirmed that the customer was underage, he refused to sell the minor alcohol. Unbeknownst to the worker, the minor then went outside and recruited a 51-year-old man to purchase the alcohol for him.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Many Waukesha and Milwaukee residents played sports when they were in high school, and for those student-athletes, they know how boring practice can get. The weekly grind of school added on to the often repetitive exercises (and hours) put in at practice to get better at your respective sport could make the mind wander. Well one girls basketball coach -- who doubled as the Wisconsin high school's chemistry teacher -- tried to break the monotony of practice by bringing in dry ice to show his athletes.
The 42-year-old coach touched the dry ice to his arms and tongue as a demonstration before asking his players if they wanted to hold the dry ice. Some obliged and allegedly were burned by the dry ice. The school warned the 42-year-old about his conduct, which he apologized for, and police investigators said no further action needed to be taken. Yet, surprisingly to some, felony abuse charges were brought against the coach.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Drunk Driving on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Prom season has arrived for many high school students and with the excitement of the occasion comes the fears of some parents that their son or daughter may have their first beer or glass of champagne. Though it certainly doesn't excuse the act, teenagers sneaking an underage sip of beer, wine or liquor at prom happens all across the country.
It is illegal and, considering a teenager's lack of life experience, underage drinking can lead to a variety of unfortunate and serious incidents -- such as drunk driving, which carries penalties that can damage a high school student's chances of going to college. Wisconsin is looking to crack down on underage drinking at prom this year, as a variety of high schools are prepared to have students randomly tested with Breathalyzers before gaining entry to the traditional high school dance.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court has a history of expanding Sixth Amendment rights in criminal defense cases. In 1984, they ruled that defendants can attempt to prove that poor legal representation contributed to their conviction and earn a new trial. In 2009, the Supreme Court afforded defendants the opportunity to challenge their lawyer if they gave them bad advice on waiving their right to a trial in exchange for a guilty plea.
This year, the rights of defendants in criminal defense cases has been expanded further by the Supreme Court after they ruled people have a constitutional right to effective legal counsel during plea deals.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Drug Charges on Thursday, March 29, 2012
A 39-year-old man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin was arrested while driving north on Interstate 55 last week. Police discovered a large quantity of cocaine -- ten kilograms in total -- in a spare tire after they pulled the man over.
The 39-year-old is being charged with drug possession and drug trafficking, amongst other offenses, and his bail was set at $500,000. The man was pulled over initially because one of his passengers called the police and said she had been imprisoned.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Thursday, March 22, 2012
An interesting case is unfolding that entails legal processes and the quality of a criminal defense attorney. It may not be happening in Wisconsin, but the ramifications of the ruling in the case could have far-reaching effects. Martinez v. Ryan is a case in Arizona that pertains to the 6th amendment, which grants adequate legal representation at trial.
The defendant in Martinez v. Ryan, however, argues that both his trial and appellate lawyers were inadequate -- the former leading to his conviction, and the latter failing to bring up key matters in his criminal defense case which foiled his appeal of the original ruling. If the defendant is successful, the ruling would not only affect Wisconsin, but the entire nation. It would grant defendants with the right to adequate appellate lawyers as well as adequate trial lawyers.
On behalf of Huppertz & Powers, S.C. posted in Criminal Defense on Friday, March 16, 2012
In 1984, the Sentencing Reform Act was passed by Congress to establish standards for how judges could sentence someone for a federal crime. The point was to eliminate discrepancies in the punitive measures a judge could hand down. The law was challenged though, and in 2005 the standards were changed from mandatory to advisory, meaning judges were no longer held to any sentencing guidelines for federal crimes.
With this as a backdrop, Wisconsin residents will want to hear about a new study done by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, an organization that analyzes federal data. They found that some judges who are ruling on similar cases have extremely high or extremely low sentencing tendencies.
