Thursday, December 17, 2015

OWI-1st/Refusal of Chemical Test Reduced to Reckless Driving for Attorney Matt Murray's Client

LG was in a very difficult spot when he picked up his first-ever OWI charge. He was so worried about the certain job-loss it would cause that he didn't know what to do when the officer asked him to submit to a blood test. He thought the safest thing to do would be to refuse the test, not knowing that such a refusal would lead to a separate charge with penalties that are worse than the OWI itself. To save his job, LG would now have to avoid both the OWI and Refusal charges. Fortunately, LG's boss is a former client of our firm and he told LG to give us a call right away. As the attorney responsible for LG's case, Attorney Matt Murray knew he would have to get creative. After pouring over every detail, Matt was able to find just enough ammunition to craft a defense. Although initially reluctant to plea bargain, the prosecutor ultimately relented as Matt pushed the case closer to trial. Matt was able to convince the prosecutor to drop the OWI and Refusal charges in exchange for a no contest plea to the non-alcohol-related traffic offense of Reckless Driving. On top of that, the prosecutor also agreed to dismiss two additional citations LG had been issued for Operating Left of Center and Failure to Dim Headlamps. Aside from paying a fine for the Reckless Driving ticket, LG suffered no consequences. He avoided any loss of license and was completely spared of a drunk driving conviction. Another fantastic result and another job saved.  

Sunday, December 6, 2015

December 3, 2015: Jury Finds Client NOT GUILTY in OWI-1st/PAC-1st Case with .22 Blood Test Result

LT's job was literally on the line in this case. Had the jury found him guilty, he would have been fired the very next day. As the safety director for a large petroleum hauling company, his job required a valid CDL. Despite an impeccable employment record, and despite being a valued employee for more than 10 years,  his company's policy was set in stone. A DUI conviction, with its mandatory disqualification of CDL privileges, meant immediate termination. No exceptions. With the stakes that high, Dennis Melowski pulled out all the stops at LT's jury trial. Through a relentless cross-examination of the arresting officer, Dennis exposed so many mistakes and inconsistencies that his credibility was completely destroyed, so much so that the jury also found LT not guilty of the bogus Unsafe Lane Deviation charge the cop issued to LT. And the chemist from the state lab who tested LT's blood sample fared no better. Although this witness testified that LT's test result was nearly three times the legal limit, the jury completely disregarded this evidence after Dennis exposed countless failures and highly questionable procedures followed by the lab in this case. Dennis even got the chemist to admit that he had no explanation for an entry in the lab's own maintenance log documenting a mistake another chemist had made, an entry the chemist described as "bizarre." In the end, the jury had absolutely no faith in the case against LT and he was found not guilty of all charges. His job was saved. And he is one VERY happy man.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Complete Dismissal of OWI-1st/PAC-1st (with .196 blood test result)

JM spoke to several attorneys regarding her case who offered her no hope of avoiding a drunk driving charge, given her .196 blood test result. The best she could do, they told her, was to possibly obtain the minimum period of license revocation upon her guilty plea. Knowing her career and reputation could not withstand the stain of a drunk driving conviction, her search for a lawyer who would fight for her continued. After much research, JM's husband encouraged her to call Dennis Melowski. It turned out to be the best move she could have made. As Dennis listened to JM's version of events, he realized the officer may not have had a valid basis to pull JM over in the first place, a fact Dennis confirmed when he carefully reviewed the officer's own squad video. As it turned out, JM was accused of a traffic violation she did not actually commit. Armed with this knowledge, Dennis filed a motion to dismiss all charges against JM. At the hearing on the motion, Dennis argued his point to the judge who, after watching the video for himself, agreed with Dennis. All evidence was thrown out and all charges were completely dismissed. As you can imagine, JM could not have been happier at this incredible outcome. You can read JM's 5-star review of Dennis' work on her case by clicking here (the review is titled "As if the Day Never Happened"): http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/53081-wi-dennis-melowski-1523763/reviews.html