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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Winterset, Madison County, Iowa. What may be the most ridiculous and worst investigated Domestic Abuse Assault case that GRL Law ever defended, went to trial and the jury acquitted GRL’s client in under a half-hour of deliberation. The accusation was that GRL’s client fired four shots while standing on a hill in the woods, along […]
There was a time when the observation of marijuana seeds on the floorboard of a vehicle provided probable cause to search. Why? Because the definition of “marijuana” under Iowa law includes cannabis seeds. However, with the passage of the Iowa Hemp Act, Iowa Code chapter 204, that may no longer be the case. “Hemp” in […]
There is a growing trend in Iowa when it comes to OWI investigations, particularly those involving drugs other than alcohol. Peace officers are bypassing the standard implied consent procedures and seeking search warrants for blood instead. It’s not just for situations involving deaths or potentially fatal injuries. Yes, there’s a law authorizing search warrants in […]
