Author: Colin Murphy

Murphy Rings in New Year with First DOT Win of 2025

The impaired driving attorneys at GRL Law win their fair share of DOT hearings each year. Sometimes it takes awhile for the first win of the year to appear. This year? BANG!  Day one. On January 2, 2025 an administrative law judge found that despite being told he had until 1:30 a.m. to make telephone calls, our client was handcuffed to the bedrails of a hospital bed and unable to physically place any call. You can even hear him attempting unsuccessfully to use voice activation to contact both family members and an attorney with his cell phone. With two officers […]

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COURT ORDERS RETURN OF $$$ SEIZED DURING TRAFFIC STOP

The civil forfeiture attorneys at GRL score another big win against the Iowa State Patrol. This case involved the return of $7,500 seized during a traffic stop for marijuana. Even though our client received a deferred judgment at sentencing, the patrol must still follow the law if it wants to keep the money. Due process and fundamental fairness require notice and an opportunity to challenge. Here, the patrol waited more than three years to serve a Notice of Forfeiture in late 2024. Even though the law requires this to occur within 90 days of the seizure. We know this law […]

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GRL Caps Brilliant 2024 with Felony Drug Case WIN

Frequent visitors to the GRL Law Blog are no doubt familiar with the firm’s successes throughout 2024. But did you know about the most recent multi-drug felony dismissal from early December? It’s an absolute banger. Our client faced no fewer than 6 felony drug charges following a raid by members of the DMPD Vice and Narcotics Control Unit. And a looming sentencing recommendation for prison. Undeterred, the drug defense attorneys at GRL Law rolled up their sleeves and went to work. Cracks soon appeared in the four corners of the search warrant that led to the raid. And when presented […]

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NEED HELP RECOVERING MONEY SEIZED IN A BITCOIN SCAM?

As Bitcoin continues to increase in value during this 2024 bull run, you can be sure that scammers will look to take advantage of the situation in finding new ways to bilk people out of thousands of dollars. GRL Law is aware of instances where fraudsters threatened unsuspecting Iowans with fake FBI investigations unless they deposit large sums of cash into Bitcoin ATMs and direct the transfer of purchased Bitcoin into a private wallet controlled by the criminals. Some have deposited as much as $15,000 before discovering the scam. The seized property attorneys at GRL Law can help you recover […]

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Murphy Presents at 2024 ISBA Seminar

On September 12, 2024 Colin Murphy presented at the annual Iowa State Bar Association’s Bridge the Gap Seminar in Des Moines. The presentation focused on recurring issues in drugged driving cases.  In particular, Colin demonstrated how defense attorneys can defend against OWI-drug charges involving marijuana. The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law frequently speak at these events to educate both the bench and bar on emerging legal issues.    

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Another Marijuana OWI Win!

The district court in northwest Iowa recently granted the State’s Motion to Dismiss following a ruling suppressing the results of a blood test obtained through implied consent. The drugged driving attorneys at GRL Law challenged the test results under Iowa Code section 321J.11, the state’s independent testing law. The state trooper originally requested a urine sample.  Our client agreed and also requested a blood sample. Under Iowa law, you can get an independent sample as long as you take the officer’s requested test. Rather than obtain both a urine and blood sample, however, the trooper simply changed his request to […]

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Drug Charges Dismissed Following Suppression Win

When it comes to warrantless searches, the drug crime attorneys at GRL Law really know their stuff. A recent example from North Iowa shows just how they leverage their knowledge to secure a dismissal by shining a bright light on illegal police conduct. Our client was the passenger in a vehicle that was parked one minute past the deadline in a city park.  Rather than simply wave on the driver, police decided to engage the occupants instead and request identification. When the driver rolled down the window, the officer smelled marijuana. Now, the driver owned up to a vape pen […]

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Felony OWI Amended to Public Intoxication

Follow the process.  That’s what the drunk driving defense lawyers at GRL Law do with every OWI. We meticulously sift through every bit of evidence in a case.  Every second of video.  Each word of an officer’s narrative.  All in search of a defense.   And when we find that gold nugget?  It can change everything. Take a recent felony OWI matter in southern Iowa.  The Iowa State Patrol claimed our client “refused” a urine test for marijuana metabolites. The stakes were definitely high.  Felony OWI convictions can result in lengthy prison or jail sentences and long license revocations. By applying […]

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Marijuana OWI Dismissed

GRL recently secured another NFG when the Bremer County Attorney dismissed a marijuana OWI on the eve of trial. While there were a number of problems with the state’s case, the one that tipped the scales the most was the officer’s plain view observation of “marijuana bud” in the passenger compartment.  That turned out to be a piece of Lactuca sativa otherwise know as . . . Wait for it. Lettuce. That’s right.  He seized that other green leafy substance popular with salads and wraps.  And framed the rest of his investigation from the standpoint of marijuana impairment. At least he […]

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Felony Drug Charges Dismissed After Deputy Whiffs on Odor

When law enforcements applies for a search warrant based on the odor of marijuana, they must describe to the magistrate how they know recognize the odor. Things like training, experience, etc., in drug interdiction are critically important to establish probable cause to issue the warrant. What happens when the application is silent on training and experience? The drug crime attorneys at GRL Law recently convinced a district court in northwest Iowa to dismiss felony drug charges following a search warrant raid. A deputy sheriff claimed to have detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside a residence during an […]

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