Royal Oak Criminal Defense Lawyer

Royal Oak Criminal Defense LawyerCharged in Royal Oak? I know this courthouse.

Royal Oak's downtown bar district drives a disproportionate share of the city's arrests — OWI, assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting charges that land at the 44th District Court on 11 Mile. I've handled both sides of these files, first as a prosecutor and now for the accused.

44th District Court — and what happens next

The 44th District Court on 11 Mile Road handles Royal Oak misdemeanors from arraignment through sentencing, and takes felonies through preliminary examination before they head to Pontiac.

Weekend nights downtown produce a specific pattern of charges: OWI after leaving a Main Street bar, assault and battery from a sidewalk altercation, resisting and obstructing an officer, and minor in possession. Many of these involve multiple witnesses, phone video, and bar security footage that disappears within days if nobody demands it. That preservation letter is one of the first things I send.

A resisting-and-obstructing charge is a felony in Michigan even when nobody is hurt, and it is regularly charged on top of a much smaller underlying offense. Those cases turn on whether the officer's initial contact was lawful — a question worth fighting rather than pleading through.

The charges that come out of this city most often

OWI / DUI

Downtown Royal Oak OWI arrests, high-BAC Super Drunk, and second-offense cases.

Assault & battery

Bar and sidewalk altercations, aggravated assault, and felonious assault charges.

Resisting & obstructing

Felony R&O charges stacked onto a smaller underlying offense.

Drug charges

Possession and delivery charges arising downtown and along Woodward.

Disorderly conduct & MIP

Disorderly person, urinating in public, and minor in possession tickets that follow you longer than you'd think.

Expungements

Clean Slate petitions to set aside an old Royal Oak conviction.