April

Articles Posted in April 2013

Michigan DUI Sweep Results In 433 Arrests

April 30, 2013

A total of 433 motorists were arrested for drunk driving in Michigan during a recent three-week police crackdown. This is an increase from the 405 DUI arrests made during a similar enforcement effort in 2012. Seventy-two (72) drivers arrested in the sweep – which lasted from March 13 to April 8 – were charged under Michigan’s Superdrunk law for having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .17 or higher. There were 12,296 traffic stops and 6,350 citations and arrests, including 296 for other alcohol- and drug-related charges, such as open intoxicants. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) coordinated the effort, which involved...

Posted in: DWI

7 Facts About Retail Fraud in Michigan

April 15, 2013

by Michigan Defense Law

A new law designed to crack down on organized retail crime in Michigan has taken effect. The measure makes it a felony to wrongfully take retail merchandise with the intent to resell, distribute or transfer it to another retailer or seller. Penalties include up to five years in prison. The bill also covers use of the mail or any electronic medium such as the Internet in such an enterprise. Organized retail crime is responsible for a large and growing share of the estimated $15–30 billion in annual retail theft nationwide. “We’re not talking about conventional shoplifters, we’re talking about sophisticated rings of...

Posted in: Theft

10 Most Stolen Vehicles in Michigan

April 10, 2013

by Michigan Defense Law

Auto thefts have steadily declined in Michigan over the past 30 years – including a nearly seven percent drop from 2010 to 2011, the most recent reporting period. And state officials are giving much of the credit to the Michigan Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA), which was formed in 1986. ATPA was created in 1986, at a time when Michigan had the highest stolen car rate in the country. The program was funded by an annual $1 assessment on each insured noncommercial passenger vehicle in the state. The money goes to law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and nonprofit community organizations. The goal:...

Posted in: Theft

Medical Marijuana Future Cloudy After Michigan Supreme Court Decision

April 5, 2013

by Michigan Defense Law

A Michigan Supreme Court ruling could result in the closure of the state’s approximately 100 medical marijuanadispensaries. The high court ruled in February that while the sale of medical marijuana is allowed under state law, it cannot happen in a business that facilitates patient-to-patient pot sales. The 4-1 decision affirmed a Court of Appeals ruling that a Mount Pleasant dispensary, Compassionate Apothecary, could be shut down as a public nuisance. The case is State of Michigan v. Brandon McQueen and Matthew Taylor, d/b/a Compassionate Apothecary, LLC. In a news release, Attorney General Bill Schuette praised the ruling and said it virtually prohibits all...

Posted in: Drug Crimes