Tag: NFG

OWI Blood Test Result – Not Guilty

Indianola, Warren County, Iowa.  A Warren County Jury found GRL’s client NOT GUILTY at trial.  In an unusual case, GRL’s client was prosecuted for OWI after another driver who was high on methamphetamine, crossed the center line and hit him in a head-on collision.  GRL’s client was taken to the hospital for medical treatment and even though officers did not observe any evidence of impairment, a search warrant was obtained and his blood was withdrawn.  The test result was .084 nearly four hours after the accident.  After careful consideration of all of the evidence the jury found GRL’s client NFG.

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NFG! Reasonable Doubt Driver Traveling 111 MPH in 65 Zone

There is something incredibly satisfying about beating a speeding ticket at trial. Especially when the driver is facing a 310-day license suspension for 46 mph over the legal limit and you’ve tried everything possible to negotiate a resolution to avoid the suspension. That’s what we faced when called to a bench trial recently in west central Iowa.  Our client paid the speeding ticket without knowing he would be suspended by the DOT.  Fortunately, we were able to get the conviction set aside.  That story is probably worth a blog post on its own! But the State wouldn’t budge on the […]

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Never Disclose Prescription Medications to Law Enforcement During a Traffic Stop

Winterset, Madison County, Iowa.  GRL has been warning anyone who will listen NOT to disclose prescription medications to law enforcement during a traffic stop.  This most recent GRL NFG demonstrates precisely why this is.  GRL’s client provided a breath sample of .037 but disclosed that he was taking his non-controlled substance medication.  The urine test that GRL’s client consented to confirmed the presence of only the prescription medication.  A young and aggressive officer, fresh off of training for driving while drugged investigations, even with the test results, still charged GRL’s client with Operating While Intoxicated and Child Endangerment.  Thankfully, GRL […]

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NFG! First Three-Word Verdict of 2023 in Guthrie County OWI

A unanimous Guthrie County jury returned the first NFG of the year yesterday following a two-day OWI trial. It took just under 30 minutes for the jury to say GRL’s client was not guilty. Two seasoned Guthrie County Sheriff deputies testified that they believed the driver was intoxicated based on their training and experience. And the State argued the jury could consider his eventual refusal to submit to breath testing was a tacit admission that he would blow over the legal limit. As you have come to expect, GRL took another very difficult defense case and turned it on its […]

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CDL Saved After Urine Test Results Suppressed

In the process of saving a CDL from being disqualified, the impaired driving attorneys at GRL exposed a potential flaw in the implied consent advisory for commercial motor vehicles. The advisory provides that commercial driving privileges will be disqualified if the drivers tests over 0.04 for alcohol or refuses testing while operating a CMV. However, it says nothing about a DQ for a positive urine test. So, is a commercial driver’s decision to consent to urine testing reasoned and informed under the circumstances?  We think not. As a result, we were able to not only suppress the urine test, but […]

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Prosecutor Rebuffs Reasonable Resolution, Loses Entire Case. Operating While Intoxicated Charge and License Suspension Beat

Corning, Adams County, Iowa.  Prior to a hearing on defendant’s motion to suppress evidence, defendant offered to plead to an amended charge of Reckless Driving with the requirement of completing the operating while intoxicated weekend class.  The prosecution would have none of it choosing instead to go forward with the hearing.  At the hearing, the Sheriff’s Deputy was caught changing his sworn testimony multiple times.  Ultimately, the court concluded that the Deputy did not have a lawful reason to pull the defendant over and excluded all evidence obtained as a result of the stop.  Prosecutor is left with no evidence […]

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2022 Year in Review

What. A. Year!  2022 was a whirlwind at GRL.  The year seemed like it was in non-stop fast-forward from the very beginning.  Cases backlogged by COVID were finally able to proceed.  Insurance companies that had been sitting on their reserves throughout COVID finally found themselves staring down the reality of a jury trial on civil cases and saw the writing on the wall.  When trials are available, things begin to move.  Move they certainly did. The Civil Division secured over 5 MILLION dollars in verdicts and settlements making a positive impact for GRL’s clients and the community.  Founding Partner Cory […]

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Toxicology Results Released in Fatal Johnston Motorcycle Accident

When a very experienced prosecutor from a county attorney’s office that aggressively prosecutes vehicular death cases dismisses a death-related charge outright, one should stop, contemplate, and ask, what more to this story has not been told?  For Makenna Streff, there is much more to the story than has been reported relating to the traffic accident that took the life of Landon Crabtree.  It is her turn to share her side of the story. Headlines have read: “Woman who caused deadly motorcycle crash to stay out of prison.”  “Iowa mother furious over charges in deadly crash.” They plaster Makenna’s name and […]

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Don’t Answer this Question During an OWI Traffic Stop

The drunk driving lawyers at GRL Law routinely advise people what to do during a traffic stop. For example, you should provide your license, registration and proof of insurance upon request.  And, if the officer asks you to step out of your car, then follow those directions. But when it comes to field sobriety tests, you can politely decline.  A preliminary breath test?  Sure, if they agree to show you the result. However, there is one question that you should never answer at the roadside. “So, on a scale of zero to ten, with zero being the most sober and […]

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Rolled to NFG

Wayne County, Iowa.  Attorney Matt Lindholm (aka The Wolf) recently obtained a NFG (Not Friggin Guilty) verdict from a Wayne County jury for a client facing an OWI second offense charge.  The client was charged following a roll over accident.  At trial officers testified that the client’s speech was slurred, he had blood shot eyes, failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, and refused to submit to a breath test.  Video was shown to the jury depicting the client’s speech, his eyes, and the circumstances surrounding his refusal to submit to a breath test (i.e. because he was unable to speak […]

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