DUI season is upon us, have a lawyer ready.

It is very easy to get in trouble for Driving Under the Influence, especially in Las Vegas and Henderson in winter when all the partying takes place.  DUIs occur after Halloween parties, Thanksgiving parties, Christmas parties, and New Years parties.  You may think you are sober enough to drive, and then, a police officer pulls you over and arrests you for DUI.

You should memorize the phone number of a good criminal defense attorney who handles DUIs. Even if you are not going to get a DUI, someone close to you may and you will be ready to assist.  Give them our phone number.

Remember, for misdemeanor crimes, you will not get a court appointed public defender.  If you want a criminal defense attorney to represent your interests, you will have to hire one in private practice. 

Las Vegas drug charge requires legal attention.

As a former prosecutor and defense counsel, Louis Schneider has handled hundreds of drug crimes over the years, from simple misdemeanor possession cases to complex federal drug charges. Louis Schneider knows what will work, what to try, and what to expect.

Our primary objective at Louis C. Schneider and Associates in every Las Vegas drug case is to get you acquitted.   We shall examine the evidence against you and review all issues regarding search and seizure, violation of your individual rights, entrapment, alibi, forensic issues.  If we determine, after  investigating and evaluating your criminal case, that a total acquittal is not possible, we will work hard to reduce your charges and your sentence, and to keep you out of jail if an alternative sentencing program is available to you.

REQUIRED DISCLAIMER

The information about criminal law contained on this page is not intended to be legal advice about family law.  Your criminal law matter should always be evaluated by a criminal law firm.  You should treat criminal law with the seriousness it requires.  Just as you would not likely conduct surgery on yourself, you should not represent yourself in court regarding your criminal law matter.  At the very least, consult with a local criminal law firm.

Remember, for misdemeanor crimes, you will not get a court appointed public defender.  If you want a criminal defense attorney to represent your interests, you will have to hire one in private practice. 

Dogs Smell Bad, why this Matters for your Drug Arrest…

Did the police use a dog to sniff out drugs and then arrest you in Las Vegas, Henderson, or Southern Nevada for possession or intent to distribute or sell? 

If so, you should immediately call a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney who has experience with dog sniff drug cases.  Say nothing to the police before, during, or after the arrest.  In fact, say nothing to everyone except your criminal defense attorney.  Failure to remain silent could greatly negatively impact your defense.

Can the police use a drug dog to sniff out narcotics or other contraband? 

Yes!

Why?

Because…under the plain smell doctrine, if contraband can be detected by smell, this provides sufficient cause for the police to conduct a search without a search warrant if exigency so demands.  (Exigency means that the search has to be done now because waiting would cause some problem—i.e. the evidence would disappear).   Often, though, and depending on State or federal law, the police officer will wait for a magistrate to sign a warrant to conduct the search.  The same rules apply if a drug dog detects the odor. The plain smell doctrine is articulated in the United States Supreme Court opinion of Johnson v. United States 333 U.S. 10, 13 (1948).  As you can see, this rule has been around since at least 1948.  It is an extension of the “plain sight rule” which says that evidence indicating a crime has occurred that is in the plain sight of the police officer can be used as evidence even absent a search warrant.

Recently, though, the courts are questioning this police dog plain smell rule.  In California, for instance, a package of marijuana reeked and the police conducted a warrantless search.  Upon conviction for possession, the defendant appealed and now the higher courts are deciding whether the plain smell rule is constitutional and a valid extension of the “plain sight” rule. People v. Robey (S197735). 

Plain smell is more problematic than plain sight. For instance, a package may smell of drugs because it was somewhere that drugs had been, but the package itself contains private belongings of an innocent person.  This is perhaps one of the more compelling reasons to prevent officers from relying on the sense of smell, whether by their own nosy noses or those of their dogs.

Attorney Louis C. Schneider has had recent success in a huge criminal case involving drugs, interstate transport of drugs, and police dog sniffing out drugs.  After rigorously reviewing the evidence, the police procedure, and filing a motion with the criminal court, it was apparent that the police procedure that the police officer and the police dog used was illegal.  Louis Schneider will use the same diligence in reviewing the evidence against you when a police dog results in your arrest for possession of drugs in Las Vegas, Henderson, Clark County, or Southern Nevada.

REQUIRED DISCLAIMER

The information about Las Vegas drug criminal charges contained on this page is not intended to be legal advice about criminal law.  A Las Vegas defense lawyer should always evaluate your criminal law matter as soon as possible.  You should treat your drug charge with the seriousness it requires.  Moreover, the information contained in this blog is not intended to guarantee any result.  Each case is unique and will require special attention by a criminal defense attorney.

When you say, I need a criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas, call us.

(702) 435-2121 "I got in trouble at Rehab at the Hard Rock." CALL.

Rehab at The Hard Rock is definitely the best place to be during the Las Vegas summer.  Young, good-looking partiers enjoy the pools, the drinks, and each other at the Hard Rock Rehab.  The police are undercover, though, and they are looking for drugs like ecstasy and marijuana that party goers bring to Rehab.  The police are also looking out for prostitution. Rehab is a pressure cooker of fun and good times and the police are there looking for crime or suspicious behavior.  Cheap thrills can become very expensive. 

You may be at Rehab at the Hard Rock for a bachelor party or bachelorette party, maybe even your honeymoon.  You may even tell yourself, “I’ve never done drugs before,” or “I’ve never solicited before,” but Rehab at the Hard Rock party atmosphere tempts you and you get busted.  You could have been having the best time of your life, too. If you are arrested or cited for any infraction of the law while at Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel, be it drug possession, solicitation, prostitution, assault, battery, resisting arrest, trespass, DUI and you can afford to hire a private Las Vegas criminal defense attorney, you should hire the Law Offices of Louis C. Schneider, which has experience with tourists and locals in trouble at Rehab at the Hard Rock.

Rehab at the Hard Rock is the destination for a cheap, unique Las Vegas experience.  You should have the best time you can, but if something goes wrong, a criminal defense attorney will help. 

Criminal defense attorneys are not just for hardened repeat criminals.  You do not have to be a villain to require the legal help of an experienced criminal law attorney.  You can simply be a good person caught up doing something that someone else believes was against the law, such as having too good of a time at Rehab at the Hard Rock.  And, guess what, it may not have been against the law—but do not argue with your accuser (police or hotel guards).  Hire a Las Vegas lawyer who is trained to argue points of fact and criminal law, hire a Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer, especially one who used to be a prosecutor and understands the system and the players, and also, an attorney with experience dealing with situations arising from criminal activity at Rehab at the Hard Rock.

Many criminal judges are elected because they say they are, “Tough on crime,” or “Hard on criminals,”  and locals do not realize that this usually means the judge will be tough or hard on them for even minor mistakes or stupid, one-time experiments.  You need an attorney who understands how the system works so that you have the best shot to free yourself of the accusation or reduce punishment. If you are cheap and want to go with a free public defender, do not expect top notch representation and do not be surprised if you end up with many years of regret.

The Law Offices of Louis C. Schneider will not judge you, we will help you when others do. 

When you say, I need a criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas, 

Call The Law Offices of Louis C. Schneider at (702) 435-2121 and mention that you saw this blog article.