Des Moines Iowa Law Blog

Is it your fault that your child got arrested?

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Juvenile Charges on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

When a child gets in trouble with the law, parents often blame themselves. They think they did something to turn the child into a criminal or to encourage that behavior. They feel like they failed as parents.

However, researchers say that it is not always the parents' fault, and it is not fair for them to blame themselves. They may have done absolutely nothing wrong. All children are different. They come with different attitudes, behaviors, personalities and temperaments. Parents cannot change many of these factors. In fact, some researchers have found genetic components. To a large degree, the path that the child takes is out of the parents' hands, even from an early age.

Never deny visitation after divorce

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Family Law on Sunday, September 8, 2019.

In your divorce, the court gives you primary child custody rights, but not without making some rules for your ex. The child will live with you; you and your ex have to work together to make decisions about the child's future. In addition, your ex gets visitation rights to see the child for two days per week.

On top of all of this, your ex earns significantly more money than you and gets ordered to pay support. Not two years into the agreement, the payments stop coming entirely. That court order still stands, but your ex refuses to pay.

Can jokes lead to teen arrests?

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Juvenile Charges on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

Teens like to make jokes. They like to get a reaction out of others. Sometimes, this leads to them making "edgy" jokes that may be rather appalling to some adults. But are these jokes actually illegal in some cases? Can they lead to an arrest?

They absolutely can. For instance, a 15-year-old student in Florida recently commented online about using an M-15 rifle to shoot other students at his school. It is unclear if he was talking about the military's M-16 rifle, simply getting the name wrong, or if he was referring to the actual M-15 made by Armalite. In either case, he claimed that his father owned the gun, and he was going to take it to school.

A breathalyzer test reading may not be accurate

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Drinking and driving in the Hawkeye State is a bad idea. After all, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated is a criminal offense that carries with it a steep fine and a potential jail sentence. You may also lose your driving privileges, making everyday life more complicated.

If officers suspect you had a few drinks before climbing behind the wheel, they may ask you to submit to a breathalyzer test. While refusing to comply has some consequences, you should also know that breath tests do not always give accurate results. Here are some factors that may cause a breathalyzer test to give an unreliable reading:

In Iowa you can still face arrest on drug charges involving weed

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Drug Charges on Monday, August 12, 2019.

States all across the nation have relaxed their stance on marijuana as a controlled substance. Some states have made medical marijuana legal while others have gone a step farther and made recreational use legal as well. We want to make certain you understand that the state of Iowa has not yet taken these steps. This means that the authorities can still take you into custody if they catch you with marijuana.

We believe that knowledge about these matters is the best way to avoid a conviction on drug charges. When you know and understand the laws, you can make well-informed decisions about whether to use or not to use illegal substances. It is also worth noting that selling marijuana remains completely illegal. Those convicted for selling weed typically face severe penalties such as lengthy prison terms and expensive fines.

Men take more risks and drive drunk more often

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

A lot of research has gone into understanding how drunk driving works. Why do people do it? What outside forces influence it? What trends can we find?

One thing that has been discovered is that men tend to drive under the influence far more often than women. Now, clearly the statistics can't take into account every case of intoxicated driving, but looking at arrest statistics and crash data can help to paint the picture. Men appear to be a bigger risk.

Could a lack of support lead to divorce?

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Divorce on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

In many cases, one of the reasons people get married is that they want to support. This does not necessarily mean financial support. It just means they want a partner to help them through life. They want someone who will have their back when things get tough.

For those who do not get that type of relationship, is that a reason for divorce?

Woman arrested for third drunk driving incident

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Drunk Driving on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

A woman from Le Mars, Iowa, was arrested in Alton on Sunday, June 23. The arrest happened early in the morning, per reports that came out quickly the following day.

Those reports indicated that other drivers called into the Orange City Police Department. They said that a car was "all over the road" while it was heading down Highway 60, tipping the police off that the driver may be under the influence. The police began looking, found the car and initiated a traffic stop in Alton.

A guide to field sobriety tests in Iowa

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. on Friday, June 28, 2019.

Drunk driving has serious consequences. One drunk driving incident resulted in an Ely resident's car going off the road and into a ditch. Fortunately, the family made it out all right, but police continue the search for the hit-and-run suspect.

Iowa police take drunk driving cases extremely seriously. Thousands of people around the country lose their lives each year to drunk drivers, so the cops are always on the lookout for anyone who could be under the influence of alcohol. If you find yourself pulled over by the cops, then you should expect to undergo field sobriety tests. These are the most common ones used in Iowa that you should expect.

People go to great lengths to hide assets

On behalf of Carr Law Firm P.L.C. posted in Family Law on Thursday, June 20, 2019.

If you're involved in a contentious divorce, your spouse may attempt to hide assets from you. This is often illegal and definitely morally questionable, but people do it because they want to get as much as they can out of the relationship -- or because they want to keep their spouse from getting something. Either way, it may violate your rights.

How do they do it? That depends. People are very creative, and you'll find that they'll go to great lengths to keep you from getting what you deserve.