Author Archives: Jay Butchko
What is an OWI for Drugs?
If you are stopped for driving a vehicle while you are intoxicated, then you can face charges for an offense under IC 9-30-5 known as operating a vehicle while intoxicated (or OWI). This is a type of offense that is commonly known in other states as driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while… Read More »
What is Assault with a Firearm?
While Indiana law includes a range of criminal offenses related strictly to the possession or use of a firearm, there are many criminal offenses that become more severe when they are committed with a firearm. One of those areas of criminal charges include offenses related to assault. Unlike other states that have a specific… Read More »
Understanding Requests for Specialized Driving Privileges
Whether a person loses their license for having been convicted of a criminal offense involving a motor vehicle under IC 9-30-16, or by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles for citations or fees, in order to be able to drive, the person would need to petition the court for specialized driving privileges. What do… Read More »
What is Sexual Conduct in the Presence of a Minor?
Sex crimes that involve juveniles are taken particularly seriously in Indiana, and the Indiana Code includes a wide range of specific sex offenses that involve children. While the majority of these offenses that involve juvenile victims are crimes in which the child is subject to physical harm, there are also sex offenses involving children… Read More »
School Properties and Sex Offense Convictions: What You Should Know
The Indiana Code recognizes more than a dozen separate sex crime offenses, and many of these offenses are specific felonies that involve juvenile victims. Even when a particular offense does not require a juvenile victim as an element of the offense, a violation of one of these offenses in which there is a juvenile… Read More »
Is Marijuana Possession with Intent a Crime in Indiana?
Under the Indiana Code, there is no specific offense that is called “possession with intent” or “possession with intent to distribute,” but there are other laws that prohibit such a substantial amount of a drug or controlled substance that a person can face charges for unlawful delivery, manufacture, or distribution. While these offenses are… Read More »
Understanding Sex Offender Restrictions
If you are convicted of a sex offense in Indiana, including a sex crime involving a juvenile victim, you will typically be required to register as a sex offender on the sex offender registry. For many people who are convicted of sex offenses, there may be certain restrictions associated with that classification even after… Read More »
Criminal Charges in Indiana for Making Threats
Although Indiana does not have a criminal offense defined as “assault,” which is typically the type of charge a person can face for making certain threats, you can nonetheless face criminal charges for making threats in Indianapolis. Rather than facing charges for assault, under IC 35-45-2-1, you are likely to instead face charges for… Read More »
Defense Strategies to Violations of Employment or Residency Restrictions
Anyone in Indiana who was convicted of a sex crime that resulted in the status of an “offender against children” or a “sexually violent predator” will be subject to certain employment and residency restrictions, even after they have completed the terms of a prison sentence. A person who violates these restrictions can face new… Read More »
Civil Forfeiture of Vehicles in Drug Cases
Indiana is among few states that still have strict civil forfeiture laws that can result in your assets or property being seized in connection with a criminal offense. In Indiana, civil forfeiture can occur regardless of whether or not you have been arrested for a particular offense or charged with a particular offense. To… Read More »