Three Common Field Sobriety Tests
If you’re of legal drinking age, you know well that drinking alcohol causes a lot of changes to a person. Not only do they typically act in a different way, but drunk people also will experience a...
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Man Drives Vehicle Into Cole County Home in Possible DWI Case
During this time of year, we typically see car accidents happen due to poor lighting, winter weather conditions, or roads deteriorating due to ice and slush. There is a lot that can go wrong in a car...
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Thanksgiving Fatalities Drop in Missouri for the First Time in Three Years
 As we’ve discussed before, Thanksgiving can be one of the deadliest times to drive in the United States. In Missouri, it can be particularly rough. Data pulled from FASS (the Fatality Analysis Reporting System), Missouri is actually...
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Veterans Day Brawl Injures Four Columbia Police Officers
For many Columbia residents, the weekend of Veterans Day is meant to celebrate our service members, both past and present. Many people hold barbecues and parties to celebrate their family members who served in the military. For...
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Beware Thanksgiving Eve and the Dangers of Driving While Intoxicated
There’s so much to enjoy about the holidays, and certainly there’s plenty to love about Thanksgiving. Whether your gathering is big or small, it’s a time to come together with your family, express your gratitude for the...
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Columbia PD’s Use of FUSUS: How Does it Impact Personal Injury and Criminal Cases?
After several informational meetings in the last month, it appears likely that the Columbia Police Department will soon be able to access and view footage from many of the city's businesses' security cameras. This new technology, called...
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Mizzou Homecoming: 5 Ways to Stay Safe and Out of Jail
Fall is here and the new school year in Columbia is already in full swing. With Mizzou's homecoming just around the corner, students are gearing up for a weekend of fun. However, along with all the excitement,...
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Missouri’s Good Samaritan Law
In March 2022, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, handed down a decision in State v. Gill that significantly limited the availability of the Good Samaritan defense in drug possession cases for those who choose to...
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I’m Being Pulled Over – What Should I Do?
First of all, remain calm. Commuting can be hectic and seeing those flashing lights behind you in that hectic moment could trigger a slight panic attack. Our clients ask us all the time: What should I do...
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A Second Chance for Felons
Two house bills were passed through the Missouri House of Representatives last year that would give felons a second chance at rehabilitation outside of a prison facility. The bills were introduced to the legislature in an effort...
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458 Crashes on Missouri Roadways over New Year’s Weekend
In Missouri, traffic crashes increase every year around the holiday season. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are some of the most dangerous times to travel in Missouri. Tons of families take to the roads to visit loved...
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Terrorist Threat in Fulton: The Criminal Consequences of the Things We Say
Gene McGrath was arrested in Fulton, Missouri for making terrorist threats at a bar. According to KOMU, McGrath threatened to “get his gun and shoot the place up.” Employees of the bar safely evacuated all patrons after...
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19 Missourians Indicted in $1.2 Million Insurance Fraud Conspiracy 
In the United States, insurance is used as a safety mechanism for unforeseen, and often expensive, circumstances such as car wrecks, medical conditions, and damages to other assets. People purchase insurance policies on their homes, cars, boats,...
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Thefts from Cars Increase by 25% in Columbia in 2020
The Columbia Police Department (CPD) released a report indicating that thefts from cars increased by 25% in Columbia over the 2020 calendar year. Theft from cars, also known as car hopping, is a criminal offense common among...
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Fatal Hit and Run Results in Manslaughter Charge
A Columbia man faces manslaughter charges after a fatal hit and run on Paris Road. The incident happened on October 18, 2020. According to KOMU, James M. Pittard III, 63, of Columbia, has been charged in connection...
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What You Need to Know If You are Arrested for MIP or a Fake ID in College
After practicing law in and around a college town like Columbia, we have seen this situation time and time again. We get it; you are not 21 years old and you did not want to be left...
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Self-Defense Laws in Missouri: What You Need to Know After the Kenosha Protests
Protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot on Sunday, August 23 after police responded to calls of a domestic incident. A video showing Blake walking away from the police...
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Prison for Pot? Man Serving 7.5 Years on Marijuana Charges Says Kansas’ Sentencing Laws are Unjust
The United States has a long, tumultuous history with the prohibition of illegal substances. Prohibition, for people living in the United States, is understood to be the period in United States’ history in which sales on alcohol...
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Columbia Man Charged with Child Porn in Federal Court
Andrew Capps, 20, was arrested by the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cybersecurity Task Force for sharing sexually explicit images of children via Facebook Messenger. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children warned the Cybersecurity Task Force...
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What happened in the Jussie Smollett case?
If you have been living under a rock for the last couple of months, and more importantly the last couple of days, you may have missed a couple of things. First, you may have missed that actor...
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Missouri “REAL ID” – What you need to know
“REAL ID” is a piece of federal legislation that was passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2005. The Act sets forth stricter and uniform standards in documentation required to obtain a compliant...
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Can I Be Released From Probation Early?
In Missouri, if you are on probation you could be released early depending upon the charge you are currently serving a term of probation for and how well you are doing on your probation.  In 2012, Governor...
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Top 5 Reasons You Should Be More Aware of Information in Your Phone
Any criminal and family law attorney knows one true fact:  our client's cell phones contain a ton of information that is either really helpful or really bad evidence.  The iPhone, and other smartphones like it, have created...
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Minor in Possession – Serious Consequences
It was August, 2005.  I was just arriving to freshman orientation at Truman State University and the RA for my floor told everyone of a recent law change that was taking effect within days.  The Missouri legislature...
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Will I Get Points On My Driving Record?
Read the following statement carefully:  driving in Missouri is a privilege.  It can be easy to take that privilege for granted and not pay attention to what happens to your driving record when you receive a traffic ticket....
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Fake ID – Abuse and Lose
My summers before an upcoming Fall semester were tons of fun.  I would be able to catch up with old friends, enjoy good weather, and decompress from the life of all-nighters before the big exam.  In all...
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