Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Back-to-Back Jury Wins for Dennis Melowski

June 15, 2017: Client found Not Guilty of OWI-2nd/PAC-2nd (with .232 blood                                         test result)


JS'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 from his lucrative job with an energy company, a job that required him to have a valid CDL at all times. Despite being stopped for crossing the centerline, failing the field sobriety tests on camera and having a blood test result nearly three times the legal limit, Dennis Melowski was able to dismantle the State's case against his client through devastating cross-examinations of both the arresting officer and the blood analyst from the State Lab. Dennis was able to expose several exaggerations and inconsistencies in the officer's recounting of events, but the real damage was done to the blood evidence. Dennis was able to get the State's expert to admit to numerous failures of the machine used to test JS's blood sample, in addition to exposing a major failure in protocol the very morning JS's sample was tested. By the time Dennis was done, the jury had no confidence whatsoever in the State's blood evidence and they found JS NotGuilty of both the OWI and PAC charges. He walked out of the courthouse completely exonerated. He's also probably one of the happiest clients we've ever had.

June 20, 2017: Waukesha County Jury Finds Client Not Guilty of OWI-3rd,                                     PAC-3rd, and Operating with a Restricted Controlled Substance                                   (with .099 blood test and THC) 


Waukesha County juries are known for being conservative, so Dennis Melowski's plan of essentially calling three police officers liars as the cornerstone of his defense in CR's case was definitely a risky one. But given most of the overwhelmingly bad evidence in the case, Dennis had little choice. CR's performance on the field sobriety tests was quite poor...and captured on video. Even more damning was the fact that CR's blood had both an alcohol level above the legal limit and the presence of THC (marijuana). Add to that the fact that CR was very uncooperative after his arrest, and was even accused of urinating in the back of the squad car en route to the hospital. However, this was a case where CR was found passed out behind the wheel and the State's ability to prove its case hinged on whether or not they could prove the vehicle was running at the time the officers arrived on scene. You see, in Wisconsin, the vehicle does not have to be in motion for a person to be charged with an OWI-related offense. All the State has to prove is that the vehicle was running and that is enough to constitute vehicle "operation" under Wisconsin's tough drunk driving laws. 

All three cops who were on scene that night took the witness stand and swore under oath that CR's vehicle was running when they found him. In fact, they were quite adamant. But CR insisted that the keys were in his pocket the whole time. Dennis had no doubt his client was telling the truth, but could he possibly convince twelve citizens of Waukesha County that the cops were lying? As each cop testified, Dennis systematically destroyed them. Outright lies were exposed in two of the officers' reports, lies that the other officers repeated in their own testimony, unaware that Dennis had already gotten the officers to admit the "mistakes" (their word, not Dennis') they had made. This is why it's so important for witnesses to be "sequestered" during a trial, so they can't watch another witness testify and conform their own testimony as needed. So each cop took the stand, not knowing what the cop who testified before them was forced to admit under Dennis' withering cross-examination. When the next cop took the stand, he would stick to a story that had already been conclusively debunked. Even more problems with the officers' "version" were exposed as Dennis used their own video evidence against them. Dennis managed to make eye contact with several jurors who were literally shaking their heads in disbelief at the cops' manufactured testimony. Dennis had such complete faith that the cops' credibility had been completely destroyed that he decided not to call any witnesses himself, not even his own client. Just thirty minutes into their deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict that CR was NOT GUILTY of all charges. CR's family, who were all in attendance, wept for joy as the verdicts were read. And CR? He was completely vindicated.

Here is the 5-star review that CR posted on the independent lawyer rating website Avvo regarding Dennis' work on his case:

My case went to trial and Dennis was THERE.


VERDICT: NOT GUILTY!!! Dennis has a lot of passion for what he does. I trusted him to get the job done and he did more than that. I have never been in a trial before but when the time came I am so glad that Dennis was there to represent me. He was so organized and had a passion for me and my case. In my opinion a good foundation for a lawyer is when you can find somebody that has a passion for what they do and they honestly believe in you. I will always be impressed by how Dennis carried himself in the courtroom during my trial, he is a leader, not a follower. If you want to WIN you will choose Dennis as your person to represent you! Thank you so many times Dennis!
5.0 stars