Michigan Sex Crime Attorneys Blog

Recent news from Chicago reveals that a Kalamazoo man was arrested near Chicago on charges of prostitution and sex trafficking. According to reports, the man brought women under the age of 18 across state lines to allegedly perform sexual services at a bachelor party. The "bachelor party" was actually a sting and allegedly set up to trap the man.

If you have been charged with prostitution, solicitation or a federal or state sex trafficking offense, it is important to immediately contact an aggressive Michigan prostitution and solicitation defense attorney to protect your rights and your reputation.

Police agencies throughout Michigan have a reputation of setting up stings to lure otherwise law-abiding citizens to allegedly solicit a "prostitute" who is actually or undercover police officer. Further, in many case confusion exists over the intention of the parties and what is intended to be a social engagement may be mischaracterized as a sex crime. The bottom line - it is critical to defense yourself against any type of sex crime.

Continue reading "Kalamazoo Man Arrested For Prostitution And Sex Trafficking" »

The Michigan Supreme Court has recently ruled that homeless sex offenders must report where they live under the Michigan Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA). A divided Supreme Court wrote that homelessness "in no way prevents (an) offender from physically entering a law enforcement agency and truthfully reporting information regarding the offender's residence."

If you have if you have been charged with a sex crime or have questions concerning Michigan sex offender registration, it is important to speak with a Michigan sex crimes defense attorney to help ensure you follow the proper procedures and prepare an aggressive defense.

The recent Supreme Court case arose out of a situation where Randall Dowdy, a man who had served 18 years in prison for kidnapping and rape, was charged with violating sex crimes registration laws when he failed to report his whereabouts and change of address after leaving a Lansing shelter. Although requirements exist that sex offenders contact law enforcement every four months to provide a residential address, Dowdy did not do so because as a homeless man, he had no address. The charges against him were dropped by an Ingham County judge and affirmed by the court of appeals precisely because residency reporting requirements cannot logically be applied to a sex offender without a residence.

Continue reading "Homeless Sex Offenders Required To Register" »

Bay City news reports that a Midland woman - Heidi L. Lewis - has been bound over for trial on six charges of third degree criminal sexual conduct. Lewis had served as a substitute teacher at Bay City Highschool and allegedly had sex with three 17-year-old boys in the summer months following her stint as a sub while the regular teacher was on medical leave.

Criminal sexual conduct is a generic term referring to sexual crimes - criminal sexual conduct first degree and criminal sexual conduct third-degree involve some form of penetration, with first degree sometimes referred to by lay people as "rape" and third degree as "statutory rape."

If you have been charged with any form of criminal sexual conduct it is critical to contact an experienced Michigan criminal sexual conduct defense lawyer immediately to protect your rights and your future.

Here, the alleged conduct occurred after school was out for the summer and with boys generally above the age of consent. The age of consent though is raised to 18 where the incident involves a student and teacher, substitute teacher or administrator of the school the student attends.

Continue reading "Bay City Substitute Teacher Charged With Third Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct" »

Thanks to much needed legislative changes, the Michigan Sex Offender registry will be adding new information concerning those individuals listed on the registry in an effort to provide a more complete picture of each person - including new information about employment, vehicle information and email addresses. News reports that the effort to implement the new sex offender verification procedures is tying up law enforcement agencies - requiring two to three times more staff than usual.

If you are required to have your name placed on the Michigan sex crimes registry, it is important to contact an experienced Michigan sex crimes registry attorney to ensure you meet all required guidelines. Although some additional effort may be required to comply with the new law, in the long run the new system is intended to provide a more accurate reflection of each individual's risk - providing more freedom of movement to those grouped as less serious offenders.

In addition to providing registry information such as vehicle and employment information, sex offenders are required to have palm prints on file with the Michigan State Police to be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as all social media account, screen names and passwords.

Continue reading "Michigan Sex Registry Changes Effective July 1 Require More Information" »