In 1999, the country was in shock when the nation’s first major school shooting took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Two teenage boys shot and killed 13 people and injured more than 20 others before they committed suicide. Since then, more events involving gun violence have taken place, many in schools. In the past couple of years, there have been dozens of incidents in which high school students have committed acts of violence using a weapon at school. In one recent event, a Waukesha, Wisconsin teen threatened fellow students with a pellet gun, resulting in an altercation with a police officer. 

Teen Shot Three Times By Police

Early in December of 2019, a Waukesha South High School student brought a pellet gun into school to scare the other students because he “was tired of being picked on,” according to authorities. The boy became upset when another student asked him about his plans for his 18th birthday. According to the charges filed, the teen pulled a pellet gun that looked like a handgun from his backpack and pointed it directly toward the student’s head.

Our founding fathers established certain requirements when it came to creating a new country and a new government. Many of those provisions dealt with the individual and collective freedoms of citizens of the United States. These rights were given to people through the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. Some of the most important rights to those accused of criminal offenses in this country are referred to as “Miranda rights” after the conclusion of the 1966 Supreme Court case, Arizona v. Miranda. This landmark case established the requirement that suspects must be informed of their rights, a protocol used by all police forces around the country.

What Are Miranda Rights?

Your Miranda rights are those rights that are guaranteed to you in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These include the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right against self-incrimination. The case Arizona v. Miranda established that all police officers are required to inform you of these rights. All police departments have a different variation of the text used, but it typically sounds something like this:

Most of the time, the only contact people have with police are interactions that take place when police believe an individual has done something illegal. Because of this, people tend to have a somewhat fearful reaction to law enforcement. Even if you did not do anything wrong, being approached by a police officer can often elicit fear or anxiety. If you are stopped by police or arrested for a crime, there are certain things you should not do, and there are certain ways you should behave to avoid any further trouble. It is important that you understand your rights as a citizen if you are ever arrested for a crime. The following are a few things you should know if you are arrested in Wisconsin:

1. You should never try to resist a police officer who is attempting to perform an arrest. If you do resist a police officer, you can actually be charged with a crime, and you may also end up having to pay fines. If you are detained by a police officer, you are permitted to ask if you are free to go. If the officer says you are not free to go, that means you are being arrested, and you must comply. Doing so can save you a lot of headaches and legal trouble in the future.

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Holding a driver’s license is a privilege that many people take for granted. When you receive a driver’s license, you agree to multiple things, perhaps the most important being that you will operate your vehicle in a safe and responsible manner. Risky driving and/or breaking Wisconsin traffic laws can lead to serious reckless driving charges. As is the case for many states, the definition of reckless driving can encompass a variety of actions and behaviors on the road. 

Reckless Driving Definition

When it comes to reckless driving, the Wisconsin laws can be somewhat open to interpretation due to the many actions that could lead to this charge. At its base, reckless driving in Wisconsin constitutes any behavior that endangers the safety of any other people or property through the negligent use of a vehicle. Further, the law states that “no person may cause bodily harm to another by the negligent operation of a vehicle,” meaning that reckless driving charges may apply whether or not a driver's negligence led to actual harm.

Fake or false identification cards have been around for as long as government entities have issued real ID cards. There are many things a person needs an ID to for, like purchasing alcohol or cigarettes, cashing a check, and boarding an airplane. Most of the time, fake driver’s licenses and IDs are procured by minors who want to purchase alcohol or get into bars, but they are also used in committing fraud and other offenses. 

The State of Wisconsin takes the production, sale, and possession of fake IDs seriously. If you have been charged for any offense involving fake identification, it is important to seek representation from an experienced criminal defense attorney.