Victories: Juvenile Cases

Assault (2nd Degree) and Burglary (2nd Degree) — Juvenile with Drug and Mental Health Issues

RESULT  |  Reduced charges and treatment

A young man allegedly assaulted his father by choking him, which was charged as a felony. The juvenile had substance abuse and mental health issues that had not been fully addressed. In this case, the defense was able to convince the prosecutor to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor and family and individual counseling for the young man were put in place by the Court at sentencing. In a second case, the young man was accused of showing up at his counselor’s office and threatening him with a weapon. The defense was able to resolve the case without a long jail sentence by getting the juvenile accepted to the CLIP program (Children’s Long Term Inpatient Treatment) to deal with his mental health and substance abuse issues, which the Court agreed were at the root of his criminal conduct.

Juvenile Court — Reckless Burning of School Property (2nd Degree)

RESULT  |  Diverted and Dismissed

A young man was charged with reckless burning for damaging some school property. The prosecutor’s office originally was unwilling to offer diversion, which is an option for a first offender where the case is ultimately dismissed upon completion of certain conditions. A barrier to resolving the case in this manner was a large amount of unpaid restitution for the damage. Defense counsel worked with the family and school district to figure out the amount the district paid to repair the damages and get the school reimbursed by the juvenile’s family. The case was then accepted for diversion and was ultimately dismissed.

Assault (2nd Degree) — Self Defense

RESULT  |  Not Guilty at Trial

A young man was charged with second degree assault for displaying a knife to a mother and daughter. Cross-examination of the witnesses revealed that the knife was displayed in self-defense after the duo yelled racial slurs and hurled rocks at the young man. Based on this revelation, the Court found the young man not guilty because he had acted in self-defense.