Understanding how bail works in Iowa can help you or a loved one be prepared so that you can ensure a speedy release after arrest. What is bail? Bail is the amount of money you must pay to be released from jail while your case is pending. By posting bail, you are agreeing to appear …
Category: Legal
License Revocation
Iowa no longer revokes drivers’ licenses for most drug possession convictions. However, what few realize is if you have had your driver’s license revoked for a drug-related conviction, and it is still revoked as a result, you probably can have it reinstated, because the law is retroactive. Iowa House File 2502, signed into law …
What is Implied Consent?
As a condition of your ability to drive in the state of Iowa, the law implies that you agree to consent to the withdrawal of a specimen of your breath, urine, and sometimes blood to determine the level of alcohol or other substances in your system, if certain predicate circumstances exist, i.e. there are reasonable …
What You Need to Know About Coerced Confessions
A coerced confession is one that is not given voluntarily. This can be a result of physical intimidation, threats, or unlawful promises of better treatment. Iowa Coerced Confession Law In Iowa, the police are strictly prohibited from threatening worse treatment or promising better treatment to obtain your confession or get you to talk. Iowa Courts have …
How Quickly Can I Drive Again After an OWI in Iowa?
How quickly you can drive again after an OWI in Iowa depends on a variety of factors, including: your number of previous offenses or revocations your age at the time of the offense consent or refusal to take the breathalyzer test First Offense After your first OWI offense, with some exceptions, typically you will lose your …
What You Need to Know About Your Miranda Rights
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights …
Bill Proposes all OWI Offenders Install Ignition Interlocks
Legislators in the Iowa House recently introduced a bill that would require anyone arrested for drunken driving to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle. Iowa’s law currently states that first-time offenders, who were not involved in an accident and whose blood-alcohol level was between .08 and .10 at the time of the arrest, …
Illegal or Not? CBD Oil Seized by Police
Police in Carroll and Muscatine recently went into five stores and seized CBD-oil products, claiming they contain illegal marijuana. This has stirred debate and concerns around the entire state of Iowa, for business owners and their customer base. The main cause for concern is two-fold; business owners were under the impression they were selling products …
Iowa Felony Convictions Nearly Tripled Since 1980
Iowa and many states across the country have experienced a dramatic increase in felony convictions in the past few decades. A study in 2010 showed that felony convictions in Iowa had almost tripled since 1980, going from 2.05% to 5.72% in just three decades. This steady increase in felony convictions has caused many states to …
Old Law Gets Iowa Man a New Trial
Robert Reynolds, who was charged with killing a family friend in 2014, will have his new trial held in Avoca, Iowa, rather than Council Bluffs. This change occurred after he appealed based on a law from the 1880s that split Pottawattamie County by east and west, allowing everyone to be able to reach their courthouse …
Violating Probation May Result in “No Bond” in Linn County
A new policy in Linn County is attempting to prohibit bond for offenders who violate their probation. Many times, these offenders are committing the same crimes while on bond that they were arrested for in the first place. Bond is not a right given to all offenders; it is granted to offenders by the judge …
Missouri Public Defenders Suffer Under Heavy Caseload
The Missouri state Supreme Court recently suspended public defender, Karl William Hinkebein, for failure to provide adequate representation to 6 clients between the years 2011 and 2013. Hinkebein is just one of the 370 Missouri public defenders handling more than 80,000 criminal cases a year. As a result of the prosecution of Hinkebein, many public …