Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog

If a car isn’t locked, does getting inside and going for a ride still qualify as theft? Jamesha McChristine allegedly saw a woman exit her car and leave it running in a driveway on Dec. 20, 2017. McChristine is accused of entering the open car door and driving away in the car. She allegedly crashed…

Former American Idol star Jennifer Hudson recently dropped a protection order she filed against her ex-fiance David Otunga, and reports say the two are now focused on doing what’s best for their child. What happened? Back in November of 2017, Hudson filed a protective order against Otunga for alleged threats and harassment, including pushing her.…

New Year’s is one of the biggest party occasions of the year. Alcohol and drug use are commonplace, and rowdy behavior is a given. While most New Year’s parties are all in good fun, sometimes festivities can get out of hand, resulting in police involvement. Unsurprisingly, more arrests are made on New Year’s Eve than…

People who are arrested on certain drug possession charges in Chicago now have two choices: treatment or sentencing. This year, police will be expanding a diversion program for low-level offenders to the whole city of Chicago based on success on the city’s West Side. What happened there? In 2016, Chicago police instituted a diversion program…

As an attempted prank, a Mundelein teenager allegedly pointed a replica assault rifle at passing drivers while wearing the mask popularized in V for Vendetta. Although the rifle was a replica, he was arrested, transported to a juvenile detention center, and charged with three counts of aggravated assault. What’s next for the alleged prankster, and…

Having a criminal record is a difficult burden to bear. Even if you were not convicted, any arrests made or charges brought against you remain on that record for everyone to see. It is a suspicious and embarrassing “black mark” on your record that can’t help but make people look at you in a different…

With several national incidents of mass murders in the headlines this year, a number of reports have appeared alleging that domestic violence is a precursor to mass shootings. The histories of many of the shooters would seem to support this. Devin Patrick Kelley, the man who killed 26 people in Sutherland Springs, Texas in November…

“If you had said to me two weeks ago that a woman was going to say that I had made her uncomfortable and disrespected her in one of these ways I would have said ‘no’ … So, you know, I don’t know. I can’t say.” That’s now-former Minnesota Senator Al Franken responding to a question…

Robbery is a very serious crime, and in Illinois the charges and consequences associated with it match that seriousness. If convicted, you could face years in prison, hefty fines and a criminal record of violent crime that will living a normal life a lot harder. Fortunately, not all robbery charges lead to a conviction, but…

One of the risks of using illegal drugs is that it is relatively common to also be charged with drug trafficking in addition to possession. Technically, trafficking can apply to any drug amount, but trafficking charges are typically associated with larger quantities. Importantly, even if the drugs were intended for personal use, the type, amount,…