Accidents can be very scary. Sometimes people don’t know how to react after being involved in them. In some cases people panic and drive away, or in other instances people are unaware they were in an accident until later. Under Ohio law a person involved in an accident on public roads has an obligation to exchange information with the other driver, pedestrian, or property owner. Failure to take reasonable steps to do so is an offense. A Failure to Stop or Hit and Run case is typically charged as a first degree misdemeanor. There are some instances, however, where the offense is a felony.
There are many defenses available in hit and run cases. An experienced attorney can look at the facts, and see whether or not the State can meet its burden. He or she can successfully challenge the case, which may lead to it being dismissed, reduced, or another favorable result for you.
If the accident occurred within the past 24 hours there are other options that an attorney may be able to discuss with you, which could save you from being charged at all.
The attorneys at Deal & Hooks have experience handling these types of cases, having tried and resolved them at the misdemeanor and felony level. We have discussed options with our clients that have led to them avoiding criminal charges. We can assist you at any stage of the proceedings. It is important that you contact an attorney promptly to discuss how you should proceed. Please contact us for a free initial consultation.
Speeding tickets are probably the most common reasons why a person has any experience with the Court. They can be costly, both with fines and court costs as well as the potential impact on your insurance premiums. Additionally, the points that are assessed with speeding tickets can add up and impact your ability to have a driver’s license.
Juvenile Law is a special area of law that can mix family law and criminal law. It is typically broken down into three separate areas: delinquency, abuse/neglect/dependency cases and private custody/support/visitation cases. Delinquency is essentially criminal or traffic law involving minors. The abuse, neglect and dependency cases are those cases where Children’s Services has become involved and are attempting to impose conditions on you to keep your kids or where they have removed your children. The private cases can be establishing or modifying custody, establishing or modifying child support, and establishing or modifying visitation. Additionally, paternity actions are generally filed in juvenile court as well.
In Ohio the local county Children’s Services Agency is responsible for investigating complaints involving abuse, neglect and dependency with children. Abuse cases involve allegations of causing harm to a child, neglect cases involve allegations of mistreatment and failure to provide the proper care, and dependency cases typically involve allegations that the parent, through no fault of their own, needs the assistance of the Agency to assist with the child or children. If the complaints are substantiated the Agency will typically file a formal complaint in the county’s juvenile court. This can have serious consequences on a family, and may even lead to the permanent removal of children from their parents. Typically, the Agency will give parents certain objectives to meet to end their involvement, and to regain custody of the children.