Wayne County’s Solutions Oriented Domestic Violence Prevention Court

As part of a larger court of specialized courts such as the Drug Court, or Mental Health Court, Wayne County recently instituted the Wayne County’s Solutions Oriented Domestic Violence Prevention Court. On April 25th, 2011 it heard its first case.

Funded by federal grants, the Court is meant to address the larger problem of domestic violence within families through combining all cases involving the parties which will then be heard by one of three judges who are specially trained in issues of domestic violence.

SEE: http://www.legalnews.com/oakland/936203

Cases are selected for referral to the SODVPC at the time a Personal Protection Order petition is filed. If the filing clerk believes there is a high probability of fatality, or the abuse alleged is very severe, a representative will interview the Petitioner to further assess the probability of mortality. If it is considered probable, the Petitioner will be offered the opportunity to transfer the case to the SODVPC.

If it is transferred, all pending cases will be consolidated and heard by one of following Judges: Halloran, Elder, or Kelley. Other than that, the PPO matter will be handled in the same way as usual.

As a new court it is hard to know whether SODVPC will turn out to be advantageous or disadvantageous to a Defendant/PPO Respondent. On one hand, if your case is assigned to SODVPC it means it has been evaluated and found to be very severe. However this does not mean the allegations are true or not. If Petitioner’s claims are false, you stand just as good of a chance of being exonerated in SODVPC as any other court. Additionally, the Judge’s additional training may be to your advantage in rooting out the truth of what really happened.

Have a case involving the Wayne County’s Solutions Oriented Domestic Violence Prevention Court? To retain Garmo & Kiste, PLC call us at (248) 398-7100  for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.

If you have violated a Personal Protection Order, you could be in real trouble. Courts do not take lightly such a violation, and you could very likely end up spending 93 days in jail for contempt of court. PPO’s are often unrealistic, or fail to take into consideration factors such as children in common. However, even violating these unrealistic or formalistic provisions carries serious consequences. Judges are often hesitant to excuse any violation even if it is harmless or victimless because they don’t want run the tiniest risk of being the Judge who excused a violation for a person who ultimately hurt someone. Judges are always thinking about their re-election campaigns and how they are going to explain their actions to their constituencies. An experienced attorney can negotiate with the prosecutor to attempt to negotiate a plea deal where the charges may be reduced, modified, or even dismissed. Our attorneys have experience these matters and have worked with the prosecutors and judges assigned to your case.

Need a PPO Violation Attorney in Michigan?To retain Garmo & Kiste on these or other matters, PLC call us at (248) 398-7100 for a free consultation or contact us with a private message.

Can I Join the Military / Army / Navy / Air Force / Marines / National Guard / Coast Guard with a Criminal Record, current/pending Criminal charges or an active Personal Protection Order (PPO)?

Unfortunately, having a criminal record, pending criminal charges or an active PPO could disqualify you from military service. Each branch requires applicants to meet rigorous moral character standards. At some point in the process of joining any one of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, you will be interviewed and required to write down any arrests, charges, juvenile court adjudications, traffic violations, probation periods, and dismissed or pending charges or convictions, including those that have been expunged or sealed.

Our attorneys have helped numerous clients facilitate their transition into the armed forces despite initial hold ups because of a criminal record, pending criminal charges or an active PPO. So should an expungment be necessary (for more information, click here), should a PPO need to be removed (for more information), or should you need legal counsel to deal with pending criminal charges call Garmo & Kiste, PLC at (248) 398-7100 or contact us with a private message.

Offenses/Moral Behavior Which Could Be Waived:

Minor Traffic Offenses. A civil court conviction or other adverse dispositions for six or more minor traffic offenses where the fine was $250 or more per offense.

Minor Non-Traffic Offenses. Received four or more civil convictions or other adverse dispositions for minor non-traffic offenses.

Misdemeanor Offenses. Those with two, three, or four, civil convictions or other adverse dispositions for what the Army considers to be a misdemeanor offense require a waiver. Waivers are not authorized for individuals with more than four civil convictions or other adverse dispositions for misdemeanor offenses.

Combinations. Received a total of four civil convictions or other adverse dispositions for a combination of minor non-traffic and misdemeanor (for example, 1 misdemeanor and 3 minor non-traffic).

Serious Offense. Any conviction or adverse disposition for what the Army considers a felony, requires a waiver.

Are you dealing with pending criminal charges? Don’t hesitate to call one of Garmo & Kiste, PLC’s attorneys at (248) 398-7100 or contact us with a private message. Your future and career could depend on it.