Case Results in Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas
Disclaimer: The facts and circumstances of each case are different as such each case must be evaluated upon the unique circumstances and facts. The results summarized here are not necessarily representative of the results obtained in all cases.
Winston-Salem Traffic Attorney Saves Senior’s Holiday
Winston-Salem Traffic Attorney Races to Save One Senior's Holiday Season Our Traffic Attorneys always strive to provide the best defense possible for each and every one of their clients. Generally, though, they can't perform miracles. But a Holiday miracle is exactly what Winston-Salem Traffic Attorney Tyler Chriscoe managed for one Stokes County Senior. The Incident A senior citizen of Stokes County found herself with a unique problem this Holiday Season and was at a loss as to what to do. You see, back in October, she was doing her normal errands, nothing unusual, when she was cited for speeding 15mph over the limit and failing to wear a seat belt. Taking care of this type of thing was not within her knowledge base since she had not had a traffic citation in nearly 36 years. The ticket said she could pay it [...]
Mistaken Identity: Clearing our Client’s Name
Attorney: Tyler Chriscoe Type of Case: Misdemeanor Larceny Case Result: Voluntary Dismissal with Court-Ordered Expungement Location: Winston-Salem, Forsyth County A Promotion Denied Our soon-to-be client, a normally hardworking guy, was ecstatic when his name came up for a significant promotion at work. Not only would he receive more money but more responsibility and faster advancement. There was only one hurdle left, a review with his bosses that included a background check. He was not concerned, he had a troubled past, but nothing new. He had been through these reviews before, his bosses knew about his history and more importantly, how he had cleaned his life up. This should have been a formality. However, when they showed him the background check, he was dumbfounded. It showed he had a pending larceny charge. Stuck in a state of utter confusion, he simply couldn't understand what had happened. [...]
Clients Not Guilty for Possession of Marijuana
Our clients were cruising along when they were abruptly rear-ended. A deputy arrived on the scene and said he smelled marijuana. He ordered the two clients out of the vehicle. One client admitted that she had been smoking a hemp cigarette. Eventually, after an illegal search, the deputy found what he thought was marijuana in two places in the vehicle. As a result, the two individuals were charged with Possession of Marijuana in Forsyth County. Our client owns several hemp shops and maintains an ABC permit. A conviction for Possession of Marijuana meant they’d likely lose their ABC permit and face huge financial losses. So, they turned to criminal defense attorney Clarke Dummit for help. You Can’t Tell by the Smell At trial, the deputy was testifying about his training and experience in smelling and identifying marijuana based upon the smell and appearance. During a [...]
Mother, Daughter Narrowly Avoid Vehicle Forfeiture
Attorney: Clarke Dummit Type of Case: Vehicle Forfeiture Case Result: Successfully received a court order returning the car County: Forsyth County A mother and her daughter were both on the title of a car. However, it was primarily the daughter's vehicle. A friend of the daughter took it without permission and got charged with DWI. At the time, the friend was driving with a revoked license due to a prior DWI. So, the police seized the car and towed it to Charlotte for forfeiture. The daughter petitioned to get the car returned, but she was denied. Appealing to Avoid Vehicle Forfeiture After getting denied, the daughter decided to seek help from attorney Clarke Dummit. He advised her on how she needed to fix the problem in the petition and told her to try. But because her petition had already been denied, the clerk would not allow her to [...]
Mother Wins Third-Party Custody Battle in Forsyth County
Winston-Salem Family Law Team Type of Case: Third-Party Custody Case Result: Opposing party's claim for custody dismissed County: Forsyth County Our family law team recently helped a woman fight for custody of her child after being incarcerated for six years. While incarcerated, the woman's cousin attempted to take custody of her child. The cousin hadn't been in the child's life for very long. Yet, she refused to give the child back to the mother after the mother's release from prison. Our client, the mother, had worked extremely hard during and after her incarceration towards her rehabilitation. She wanted to make a better life for her and her child, and she was not about to give up that easily. So she reached out to our family law team for guidance on a third-party custody case. Third-Party Custody in NC Our team knew the mother could potentially lose her constitutionally [...]
Dismissed – DWI won for Corpus Delicti
Our founder, Clarke Dummit, won another DWI case based upon the Corpus Delicti rule. Our client got charged with DWI after the Winston-Salem police officer heard the crash and drove over to the scene of the wreck 3 minutes later. When the officer arrived our client was out of the car with the hood open looking at the damage to the grill. There was another person at the scene who could have been driving, but our client said he was driving. There was no physical evidence that our client was driving, and the only circumstantial evidence (that our client owned the car, and was at the scene) led equally to the conclusion that he was a passenger. Our client was arrested and blew a .17 at the station. What is Corpus Delicti? Mr. Dummit of Dummit Fradin made a motion to dismiss at the close of the State’s [...]
From Crash to DWI Trial: Winning With A Tactical Cross
From A Car Crash to a DWI Trial: Winning through the Art of Tactical Cross-Examination Facing criminal charges is always stressful, but it's especially difficult when it's a Driving While Impaired (DWI) charge. The consequences can feel overwhelming: the client will have to pay court fines and legal fees, will face at least one license suspension, and probation or jail time depending on the circumstances, unless a plea bargain can be arranged. Additionally, there are potential future consequences to employment, custody battles, housing, or anything where having a criminal record might be a problem. A guilty verdict after a DWI trial can and will upend a person's entire life. Therefore, it's imperative when facing this kind of charge, that your attorney is experienced in DWI defense so they have effective strategies at every stage in the case. Recently, [...]
Cyberstalking Dismissal as Custody Battle Rages on
Child custody cases often become difficult and messy, but rarely do they lead to cyberstalking charges. In one recent case, however, our Winston-Salem-based Criminal Defense Attorney Tyler Chriscoe had to step in and help out a client who experienced exactly that. Custody Dispute Gets Complicated Our Firm was assisting a client with an ongoing child custody dispute. Sometimes it becomes necessary for one parent to investigate the activities of another when it pertains to the safety and well-being of their mutual children. As part of that investigation, our client hired a private investigator to gather information about the other party involved. The private investigator placed a GPS monitor on the other party's car as part of their contract. This is legal when done for a lawful purpose. However, the other party discovered the tracker and accused our client of cyberstalking. Unfounded Cyberstalking Accusations Fortunately, [...]
Careless & Reckless Driving Charge Dismissed
Attorney: Clarke Dummit Type of Case: Careless and Reckless Driving Case Result: Dismissed County: Yadkin County Our client in Yadkin County was in a single-car accident. She hydroplaned on some water, hit a guard rail, and flipped the vehicle. She was hospitalized and not interviewed about the wreck for several days. Eventually, the Trooper completed the accident report. In the report, the Trooper estimated our client was going 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. As such, our client faced a Careless and Reckless Driving Charge in Yadkin County. With this charge, there was the possibility that her insurance premiums would skyrocket. Aside from the Troopers estimate, there was no evidence of careless and reckless driving except the fact an accident occurred. Attorney Clarke Dummit was prepared for trial on the issue that it was not possible to estimate speed in a hydroplane situation; with no skid marks [...]
DWI for a Local Guy but the Numbers Just Don’t Add Up
A Bad Day Just Gets Worse With an Unjustified DWI Imagine you’ve had a hard day at work, and you stop for dinner, a little bite after a bad day. We’ve all done it. Perhaps you’ve decided to have a drink with your food. You’re an adult, it’s legal. You aren’t impaired in any way. You can drive home. Now imagine on that drive home you get into an accident. It’s the cherry on top of the sundae, the icing on the cake, the very worst thing on this already bad day. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to one Forsyth County man, and his day was about to deteriorate even further. Investigating the Truth or Investing in an Arrest? When the police officer showed up, naturally, he began to ask questions. After all, he had a job to do, find [...]
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