Hudsonville, Michigan Criminal Law

In Hudsonville, Michigan, there are certain criminal charges that are brought up regularly. The charges that come up the most are driving on a suspended license, various theft charges, domestic violence, use of marijuana, possession of marijuana, delivery and manufacture of marijuana, assault & battery, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), child abuse and aggravated assault.

In Hudsonville, Michigan the first appearance a defendant has when they are charged with a crime is the arraignment. During this process, the judge will tell the defendant what they are being charged with. The judge will explain the maximum incarceration time the defendant may face and how much money in fines this person charged with the crime could pay. The next step of the arraignment process is where the defendant will examine the advice of rights form. The advice of rights form tells the defendant what rights the defendant has during the criminal case. These rights include having a jury trial, being able to examine witnesses called against you and being able to call witnesses to testify on your behalf. The last step in the arraignment process will be where the defendant will plea not guilty or guilty to the criminal charge.

If the defendant pleas guilty, Judge Kenneth Post will likely sentence the person on the spot. If the crime is drunk driving or domestic violence, the defendant will have to come back for sentencing on another date.

If the defendant pleads not guilty, there will be pretrial conferences. In Hudsonville, Michigan there can be up to two pretrial conferences. These conferences are a chance for the defendant's attorney & the prosecutor to examine the evidence & see if the two sides can come up with a deal to settle the case short of a trial. If no agreement is reached, the case will be set for trial at a future date. Most cases never end up having a trial. Criminal charges usually end with a plea deal. Once in a great while, the criminal charges may be dismissed by the prosecutor.

After trial, Judge Kenneth Post will sentence the defendant when the jury finds the defendant guilty of the charges brought before it. Judge Post will have the defendant come back later for sentencing on drunk driving & domestic violence jury convictions.

Sentencing is where Judge Post orders the convicted defendant to probation and fines or get probation, jail and fines.

Judge Post has a reputation for being a tough judge. Judge Post was disciplined for throwing a lawyer in jail once. His sentences are tough ones and the probation department in Hudsonville, Michigan is one of the strictest in the state of Michigan.

The prosecutors in Judge Post's courtroom are also difficult to deal with. They always say their hands are tied up by Judge Post and it's hard to get good plea deals because of this.