In case anyone missed this news, Missouri law enforcement will begin enforcing the new “hands free” law on January 1, 2025. So, it is more important than ever to put your phones away while driving. Penalties for an initial offense is an infraction and will be a fine of up to $150. A second offense […]
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects your privacy. It is because of this Amendment that Missouri police must obtain a warrant before searching your vehicle, home, property or person. While there are times when the court may waive that requirement, in most cases, a warrantless search is a civil rights violation. If an […]
It seems that there is a different DWI checkpoint conducted by a different law enforcement agency in the Greene County area every single week. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, a checkpoint was conducted in a residential neighborhood in West Springfield from 4:00 p.m. until about 8:00 p.m. Not only can these checkpoints […]
Springfield DWI Attorney Adam Woody was recently interviewed by a Springfield News-Leader reporter for an article titled “Driving Safe: Alcohol Test Change Lowers DWI Arrests.” On November 6, 2014, soon after the “no-refusal policy” took effect, we posted our thoughts on the policy. Many of our concerns have proved true. The results of many of […]
Police entering apartments or homes, particularly of college students, is becoming an increasingly hot topic in and around the Springfield area. At this point it seems prudent to briefly discuss the current state of the law regarding when police can legally enter your home and to outline the rights of individuals faced with a decision […]
As a DWI attorney the major question I get is, “if I’m pulled over and investigated for DWI, should I blow or refuse”. I would always explain that for various reasons there is no cookie cutter answer and that all cases are different. Typically, with everything being equal, I would usually advise to refuse the […]
In light of the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri where an unarmed 18 year old man was gunned down by police, it is important that we stop and remember that there are ways to combat excessive force by police. When race is involved, it is obviously a polarizing issue. Media and news outlets from across […]
On January 21, 2014 the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments in the case Navarette v. California. In that case an anonymous caller dialed 911 to inform the police that a person was driving recklessly and had almost ran the caller off the road. The caller provided only a vague description of the vehicle. […]