Criminal Defense

The idea that ballistics -- marks made on bullets and casings by the gun they are expelled from -- can be relied upon as evidence is something most of us are familiar with. We've seen it on the CSI shows. In order to be useful evidence, a ballistics test would...

An arrest is traumatic for most people. You may wonder what will happen next. After police take you into custody, you will face a series of steps before your case goes to trial in Iowa. You may find some comfort in knowing what those steps are.  Initial...

The use of civil forfeitures has been called "policing for profit." The civil forfeiture process usually begins when someone is charged with a crime, either at the state or federal level. At that point, police and prosecutors may find that some of the defendant's...

You have probably heard of someone being read their Miranda Rights or "pleading the fifth" when arrested. However, people often misunderstand their right to remain silent and their misunderstanding can hurt their case. Is silence golden?It is commonly believed that...

Iowa Code §726.6 provides nine specific definitions of child endangerment. Overall, however, child endangerment could be described as: 1) knowingly exposing a minor to substantial risk of physical, mental or emotional harm; 2) intentionally causing such harm; 3)...

When prosecutors and defense attorneys choose jurors from a pool, they are allowed to reject some jurors, either for good cause or in what is called a "preemptory challenge." Jurors can be removed for cause, for example, when they are unqualified to serve, have a...

Imagine you're headed down the highway and are signaled to pull over by an official state vehicle. It's the Iowa Department of Transportation, and they say they spotted a traffic violation you committed a couple of miles back. They issue you a $150 ticket.That...

For children and parents who go out trick-or-treating or to haunted houses during Halloween, the season is an occasion for fun and creativity. But for older children and teens, Halloween can also lend itself to a degree of mischief that can sometimes border on...

When an African-American woman from Waterloo named Scottize Brown was pulled over in 2015, it had little to do with her behavior. The officer who pulled her over had run the license plate on the vehicle she was driving and learned that the owner had alleged gang...

Heading back to school brings a few familiar rituals, which can include shopping for school clothes, school supplies and getting a new school locker and combination. But unlike clothing and school supplies, lockers are not personal property. Therefore, once students...