What’s an animal? Believe it or not, the statute specifies what constitutes an “animal.”  Animals include every living warm-blooded creature, reptiles, and amphibians.  The statute excludes humans from this definition.  The statute also explains that Chapter 951 does not controvert any law regulating wild animals under Chapter 169.  It also does not apply to the…

Is gambling legal in Wisconsin?  What is the definition of gambling?  What penalties do you face if charged?  This post will answer these and other questions about gambling in Wisconsin. Gambling – What is it? Gambling in Wisconsin is regulated in Section 945 of the Wisconsin Statutes.  First, we need to define a few terms. …

Drunk driving homicide penalties change A new law was enacted in Wisconsin that changes the sentencing structure for drunk driving homicides.  Signed into law by Governor Tony Evers on November 20, 2019, the bill created a presumptive minimum penalty for all drunk driving homicides.  This post will explain the new law, how it changes the…

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. One of our top criminal defense attorneys explains burglary vs. robbery in this blog post.  If you are charged…

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…

Did you know that if a police officer detects the smell of marijuana in your car during a traffic stop, he can search your car?  So long as marijuana remains illegal in Wisconsin, police can search your car based on the smell alone.  This post looks at car searches based on the smell of marijuana….

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…