Criminal Defense
-
Felony Harassment and Stalking in Missouri
Harassment and stalking charges in Missouri often grow out of breakups, family disputes, and online conflict. They can be felonies: first degree harassment is a class E felony whenever the conduct actually causes emotional distress, and first degree stalking is a felony when it involves threats, a protection order, a minor, or certain other factors.…
-
Endangering the Welfare of a Child in Missouri
Endangering the welfare of a child is often charged alongside a drug case. In Missouri, possessing methamphetamine or fentanyl in a home where a child lives, or in a child’s presence, is itself a felony, and since a 2025 amendment, a fentanyl-related charge is a class B felony with at least five years before parole…
-
Federal Drug Distribution Resulting in Death: The 20-Year Minimum
When someone dies after using a drug, federal prosecutors can charge the person who distributed it with distribution resulting in death. Under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b), that carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life, even when the drug quantity is small. These cases have become common with fentanyl. This guide…
-
Leaving the Scene of an Accident in Missouri
Leaving the scene of an accident in Missouri is a crime even when the driver did nothing to cause the crash. The law requires a driver involved in an accident to stop and give identifying information, and leaving without doing so can be a felony when someone is hurt, the damage is over $1,000, or…
-
Concurrent vs. Consecutive Sentences in Missouri
When a person is sentenced on more than one count or more than one case, whether the sentences run concurrently (at the same time) or consecutively (one after another) can matter as much as the length of each sentence. In Missouri, the default is concurrent, but there are important exceptions. This guide explains concurrent and…
-
Jail Time Credit in Missouri: Does Time Served Count?
Time spent in jail before sentencing usually counts toward a Missouri prison sentence. Under current law, a person receives credit for time in custody after the offense and before the sentence begins, as long as that custody was related to the offense. This guide explains jail time credit under RSMo 558.031 as amended effective August…
-
Aggravated Identity Theft, 18 U.S.C. 1028A: The Mandatory Two Years
Aggravated identity theft, 18 U.S.C. § 1028A, is often added to federal fraud indictments. It carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence that must run consecutively to the sentence for the underlying fraud, and the judge cannot shorten the fraud sentence to make up for it. This guide explains what § 1028A requires, how the Supreme…
-
Tampering With a Motor Vehicle in Missouri
In Missouri, driving, possessing, or buying a vehicle without the owner’s consent is usually charged as tampering in the first degree, a class D felony. It often comes from situations that look very different from car theft: a borrowed car, a disputed sale, or a ride with the wrong person. This guide covers tampering with…
-
DWI With Injury in Missouri: When a DWI Becomes a Felony
A DWI that causes an injury is no longer a misdemeanor. Under Missouri law, a DWI in which the driver’s criminal negligence causes physical injury to another person is a felony, and the class rises with the seriousness of the injury. This guide covers DWI with injury, serious injury, and death under RSMo 577.010, which…
-
Drug Trafficking Charges in Missouri: Weights, Classes, and Defenses
In Missouri, “trafficking” is defined by quantity, not by how big the operation was. Possessing more than three milligrams of fentanyl, or more than 30 grams of meth, can be charged as drug trafficking, a felony far more serious than simple possession. This guide covers first and second degree drug trafficking under RSMo 579.065 and…