Tag: Colin Murphy

Murphy Presents on Search and Seizure to Floyd County Criminal Law Seminar

On May 14, 2021 Colin Murphy presented at the Floyd County Spring Criminal Law Seminar in Charles City. The presentation focused on developments in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.  In particular, Colin demonstrated how defense attorneys can apply trespass principles to prevail in seemingly unwinnable search and seizure cases.     GRL Law takes great pride in helping to educate both the bench and bar on emerging legal issues.  We think outside the box to deliver uncommon results.

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The Reciprocity Defense for Possessing Out-of-State Medical Marijuana in Iowa

When it comes to possession charges for out-of-state medical marijuana, you should look no further than GRL Law. Many prosecutors will charge these possession offenses under Iowa Code section 124.401(5).  This effectively treats medical marijuana like a street drug rather than a therapeutic purchased at a licensed dispensary.  Most attorneys who dabble in criminal defense accept this framing and go to work negotiating a mandatory minimum plea or deferred judgment. Not GRL Law. We won’t rest without fighting to get the charges dismissed. How do you choose the right attorney for this specialized possession charge in Iowa?  Just ask them […]

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Second Offense OWI Amended Following Suppression of Test Refusal

To the impaired driving defense attorneys at GRL Law, the name of the game is relentless pretrial discovery.  It’s what we do.  Essentially, if there’s a defense, then we’ll find it and leverage it to produce uncommon results. A recent OWI Second Offense charge in western Iowa provides a perfect example of this approach.  After exhaustively reviewing 911 calls, dispatch logs, the dash camera and body camera videos and cross-examining the officer at the DOT hearing (yes, we vigorously defend DOT revocations at hearing), we discovered: The basis for the stop, a “verbal domestic,” was questionable; The officer had no […]

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NFG! 78 in 70 Reversed on Appeal

Frequent readers of the GRL Law blog are familiar with the term “NFG.” We also explain it in detail here.  A NFG can occur at trial.  Or, like this case, on appeal. At the close of the state’s case at trial, the criminal defense attorneys at GRL Law moved to dismiss the speeding charge.  Why?  The trooper testified on cross-examination that he was not sworn before a notary at the time he signed the complaint before filing it with the magistrate.  The Iowa Constitution requires a sworn verification. The magistrate refused to grant the judgment of acquittal for our client […]

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GRL Wins DOT and Saves CDL

Iowa provides a limited statutory right to speak with a family member or attorney before submitting to breath testing.  Most of the time, the driver must first trigger the right by asking for a phone call. In this case, our client told the officer he had an out-of-state CDL.  He asked whether implied consent would affect his commercial driver’s license.  When the officer said that he couldn’t answer that question, our client replied that he would wait for the lawyer to arrive. The officer immediately requested a breath specimen.  Our client refused. GRL Law recently appealed the one year revocation […]

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GRL Saves License After Driver Cited for 30 mph Over

The traffic ticket defense attorneys at GRL Law save yet another driver’s license from suspension.  A conviction for driving more than 24 mph over the posted speed limit carries a hefty fine.  It also constitutes a “serious violation” for DOT purposes.  The Iowa DOT typically suspends a license for 90 days for a conviction of 30 mph over.  And requires expensive SR22 insurance for two years.  Speeding is a moving violation, too, so a conviction can also be used to separately suspend driving privileges for young drivers with a restricted license. In this case, we were able to negotiate a […]

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CDL Saved After OWI Amended to Public Intoxication

The impaired driving attorneys at GRL Law successfully negotiated another resolution to preserve a client’s CDL.  After winning the DOT hearing, we leveraged that result by convincing the county attorney to amend the OWI to public intoxication with a minimum fine of $105 and no jail time.  The DOT would have disqualified the client’s CDL had he pleaded guilty as charged.  The negotiation saved his commercial driving privileges. A tip of the hat to the county attorney who was willing to reevaluate the charge in light of our efforts with the DOT.

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Postal Service “Profile” for Mailed Drug Packages

Did you know the postal inspector examines hundreds of suspicious packages each week at the Des Moines mail processing center for narcotics and drug proceeds?  What factors make some packages stand out from others?  Here are the top 5: Fictitious name, address or telephone number.  People who ship narcotics often provide fake information to avoid detection if the package is traced.  It might be a fictitious name for the return label.  Perhaps the return address isn’t associated with the sender’s name or simply doesn’t exist.  The packing slip may provide a disconnected phone number or none at all.  While the […]

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Public Intoxication Charge Dismissed at State’s Cost

Sometimes police are way too aggressive in their attempts to ferret out crime.  When that occurs, the criminal defense attorneys at GRL Law are often called to secure justice for the accused. A perfect example of this happened recently in Ankeny. Our client was simply walking on a sidewalk when the police approached in a patrol car.  Small talk soon led to a request for field sobriety and breath testing, both of which were politely refused.  When the officer announced he was making an arrest, our client offered a breath test. The result? 0.019 percent alcohol.  Maybe a beer’s worth.  […]

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Seizure Notices from Customs and Border Protection

If you order a controlled substance from an overseas pharmacy without a valid prescription, then you risk having the package intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Code of Federal Regulations, particularly 21 C.F.R. sections 1312.11 and 1312.12, prohibits the importation of controlled substances without the express authorization of the DEA.  The unauthorized importation is subject to seizure and forfeiture under 19 U.S.C. section 1595a(c)(1)(B). You may simply receive a compliance notice in the mail that allows you to abandon the package and waive any claim for its return if it appears the amount is for personal use.  If […]

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