Law & Legal & Attorney Criminal Law & procedure

Kentwood, Michigan Criminal Defense

Kentwood, Michigan Criminal Defense

The most common criminal charges issued in Kentwood, Michigan are domestic violence, retail fraud, driving on a suspended license, possession of marijuana, use of marijuana, assault and battery, Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and finally child abuse in the fourth degree.

The first court appearance anyone has when they are facing a criminal charge is the arraignment process.  At the arraignment, the judge will explain to the defendant what they are being charged with.  This explanation includes the maximum possible jail time the defendant may receive and how high the fines could be.  Next, Judge Kelly will go over the advice of rights form. The advice of rights form explains the rights a defendant has regarding their criminal case.  Finally, the defendant will enter a guilty or not guilty plea.

If the defendant enters a guilty plea, Judge Kelly will likely sentence the person on the spot.  There are some exceptions.  If the crime is domestic violence or drunk driving, the defendant will have a pre-sentence investigation report done and come back for sentencing on another date.

If the defendant pleads not guilty, there will be two pre-trial conferences.  This is a chance for the defendant's attorney and the prosecutor to discuss the charges and see if they can come up with a deal to settle the case short of trial.  If no agreement is reached, the case will be set for trial. The vast majority of cases do not go to trial and settle before jury or bench trial. 

In Kentwood, jury pick and trial can be held on the same day. If more than one trial is set to go on the same date, the oldest case will go first and the newest case will have trial another day.  After trial, Judge Kelly will sentence the defendant if the jury comes back with a guilty verdict after.  Judge Kelly will have the defendant go through the pre-sentence investigation and come back later for sentencing on drunk driving and domestic violence jury convictions.  Sentencing is where Judge Kelly decides if the defendant is going to get probation and fines or receive jail, probation and fines.

Judge Kelly has a reputation for being a fair and balanced Judge. Most Kentwood, Michigan criminal defense attorneys enjoy practicing law in his courtroom. He is laid back, but firm and runs a courtroom that has advanced technological features.


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