Author: Matthew Meyer

Shiffra appellate decision The Court of Appeals decided: “We conclude that the defendant’s burden should be to make a preliminary showing that the sought-after evidence is relevant and may be helpful to the defense or is necessary to a fair determination of guilt or innocence.” They went on and applied the standard to Mr. Shiffra…

What does the Sixth Amendment say? The language of the Sixth Amendment itself is pretty straightforward: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained…

Burglary vs. robbery explained. This is a question frequently asked of our criminal defense attorneys in Milwaukee, WI.  What’s the difference between burglary and robbery?  Frequently people use the terms interchangeably.  Unfortunately, they’re not the same. Criminal defense lawyer Matthew Meyer explains burglary vs. robbery in this blog post.  If you are charged with either…

Court of appeals Anderson challenged the search at the trial court level and lost the argument. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court decision.  That court found that “Seeger had sufficient basis to believe that Anderson was subject to Act 79.”  Further supporting that decision, the court found “Seeger was familiar with Anderson, having…

What is vaping? Vaping a legal substance certainly isn’t a crime.  Further, many proponents of vaping indicate that it’s relatively safe. According to the Center on Addiction: Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. The term is used…

Operating a vehicle without owner’s consent: the charge for stealing a car in Wisconsin Section 943.23(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes prohibits operating a vehicle without owner’s consent: “…Whoever intentionally takes and drivers any vehicle without the consent of the owner is guilty of the following:” a first offense a Class H felony.  A second or…

The 72-hour no contact order. The 72-hour no contact order only applies to domestic abuse cases.  And particularly, it only applies when officers arrest the defendant. The order requires the arrested person to avoid the residence of the victim and any premises temporarily occupied by the alleged victim.  The order also certainly requires the arrested…

And what happens if I lie to the police? As we previously discussed, you’ve committed a crime.  It’s called obstructing an officer, and it’s punishable by up to 9 months in jail, a $10,000.00 fine, or both.  Section 946.41 of the Wisconsin Statutes prohibits obstructing an officer.  Section 946.41 reads: … whoever knowingly resists or…

And what happens if I don’t wait for the order is officially dropped? If you’re caught you could face charges.  Remember – the person that just told you she dropped the order?  She’s the same person who went through the hassle at the courthouse to obtain an order against you.  Or, she called the police. …