Mike Brandt’s client was charged with Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle – a felony – for an incident that occurred on a small motorcycle. During the course of his client’s arrest, the deputy was injured (as well as the client). Because of the injuries to the deputy, the state would not negotiate and wanted a plea to the felony charge. The case was problematic because Mike’s client was shown on the squad video attempting to flee from the officer on his motorcycle.
In preparation for the case, Mike had his client take several proactive steps, including obtaining a chemical dependency assessment, attending the class that was recommended, attending a MADD Victim Impact Panel, and getting numerous letters of recommendation attesting to Mike’s client’s good character. Mike submitted these materials to the court and argued to the judge that Mike’s client deserved a break due to all the circumstances. Based upon that information, Mike was able to convince the judge to stay adjudication of guilt on the Fleeing charge. This means that the Fleeing charge will not be entered as a conviction on his client’s record and will not be entered on his driving record. This saved Mike’s client a felony conviction and also avoided a longer license revocation for the client.
This case is a good example of a case with horrible facts where the case was unwinnable. But with the proper preparation, Mike was able to win the right result for his client.