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The Court of Appeals in People v. Goodin ruled that the law requiring a person to stop at an accident and provide information does not violate the right against self-incrimination.

What Happened in the Case

Defendant Justin Goodin was convicted by a jury of failing to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death of a person and negligent operation of a vehicle causing homicide.

Goodin was involved in a road rage incident which resulted in the death of another driver. Both drivers took turns passing each other on the road. Goodin had to brake suddenly, causing the other driver to lose control, and roll over several times. Goodin did not stop at the accident, but continued driving away.

ArborYpsi Law stays current on Michigan drunk driving law. Below are snapshots of articles we’ve written on cases from the law few years with links to our full analysis of the cases in each paragraph.

People v. Miller

The Supreme Court ruled that multiple punishments for operating while intoxicated and operating while intoxicated causing serious impairment of a bodily function violates the Double Jeopardy clause. The OWI statue expressly authorizes multiple punishments for certain convictions, but was silent on these two types of cases. Therefore, the Court ruled the legislature specifically declined to authorize multiple punishments for this combination of convictions. Read our full article of People v. Miller here.

People v. Lyon

The Court ruled an electric scooter was a vehicle for purposes of the OWI statute. The Defendant in this case drove his electric scooter down the side of the road while intoxicated and with an open beer can. The Defendant argued his scooter was not a vehicle, therefore he could not have violated the drunk driving law or the open container law. The Court disagreed, ruling that although an electric scooter may not be a traditional vehicle, it was nevertheless a vehicle which causes it to fall under the ambit of the Motor Vehicle Code drunk driving statute. Read about People v. Lyon in our Blog Article on the case.

The Court of Appeals has ruled that Courts have the power to restrict the use of medical marijuana for persons on probation following a criminal conviction.

Courts have been divided on whether a person on probation may use medical marijuana. Some Courts have respected the medical aspect of marijuana while others have continued to believe that marijuana is unacceptable.

Until now, there has been no comment from a higher-level court on whether a Court may restrict a person’s ability to use medical marijuana. It was just another gray area among many in the field of medical marijuana.

The Court of Appeals case People v. Deroche answers the question: Can you be under the influence in your home when there is a firearm in the house?

Facts of the Case

Two police officers were called to the Novi home of the Defendant on the report of a verbal fight. The police officers were told the Defendant had run off into the woods. The officers couldn’t find him so they left. The officers came back two hours later. A friend of the Defendant told the police Defendant had a gun inside the home but that he did not see Defendant with a gun.

Police officers spoke with the Defendant’s mother-in-law, who informed them that she had taken the gun and hidden the gun in a trash can in the laundry room. Defendant was arrested for possession of a firearm while intoxicated.

Plymouth Criminal Defense

We’ve represented many clients in the 35th District Court of Plymouth.

  • Jury trial win. We took an assault and battery case to trial and received a not guilty verdict.
  • Case dismissed two days before trial. We investigated the case by speaking with several witnesses at the scene who showed our client was innocent.
  • Worked with police and clients pre-charge to prevent cases from going to court.
  • Multiple traffic misdemeanor cases dismissed.
  • Domestic assault case deals for no conviction on client’s record.

Plymouth DUI & OWI Attorney

  • Child endangerment OWI case dismissed through discussions with prosecutor, police officer, and judge.
  • Resolving cases to save clients from driver’s license sanctions and points.

Plymouth Traffic Ticket Attorney

We can represent you in Court without your presence. Let us handle everything for you.

We’ve helped many clients save points and insurance hikes through reductions on tickets. Don’t let tickets hurt your record. Give us a call to see how we can help.

So you’ve been arrested for operating while intoxicated and told the police officer you would not take the breath test. The officer obtained a warrant for your blood, and said your driver’s license would be suspended for a year. You’re probably wondering what happened and what are your options from here.

The Michigan Implied Consent Law holds that a person arrested for a drinking and driving crime must complete a breath or blood test upon request by the police.

Refusing the test will result in a one-year suspension of the driver’s license, as well as the addition of 6 points to the driving record.

You’re driving a little too fast down Ford Road in Canton to buy some new furniture at IKEA on Sunday afternoon. All of a sudden, you see the flashing red and blue lights of a Canton police car pulling you over. Uh oh! Speeding ticket time.

The speeding ticket might come with points on your record. Is there anything you can do to take care of it?

Give us a call at 734-883-9584 and we can fight the ticket for you. You don’t need to go to Court – we can go on your behalf.

The Michigan Court of Appeals has determined the Illegal Transportation of Marijuana law is invalid.

This decision has been long overdue and is welcome in the medical marijuana community.

District Courts all around Michigan have already ruled the Illegal Transportation Law to be unconstitutional, although some continued to affirm the law.

Too many drinking and driving convictions within a certain time frame will result in the loss of your driver’s license.

It can be frustrating and difficult to get the license back once it’s lost.

To get your license back you must attend a driver’s license restoration hearing. The hearing is held at a Secretary of State office. A hearing officer will listen to evidence and make the decision on whether the license will be restored to the driver.

College Town Criminal Defense

At ArborYpsi Law, we are experienced representing clients charged with crimes in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor is a college town, which means we represent many students charged with crimes such as:

  • Driving Under the Influence
  • Fake ID
  • Disorderly Conduct
  • Public Intoxication

As young people who have not yet started their careers, many students are understandably concerned about the consequences from a criminal conviction.

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