As this year ends, we proudly share the variety of ways we helped people achieve justice who were accused of crimes over the past 12 months. There is no greater honor than representing another human being. We take pride in ethically and zealously defending the accused. The best plea bargains are offered when prosecutors know that the criminal defense firm has a history of success at trial.
The following are real examples of people we helped in 2022:
OVI and Reckless Operation – Not Guilty
Pulled over for squealing tires. Alcohol was found in the car and the officer claimed he was impaired based upon slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, admission to drinking, and odor of alcohol. Following a trial, Not Guilty of all counts and the court terminated the Administrative License Suspension and waived the reinstatement fee.
Sexual Offense – Not Guilty
Montgomery County man was charged with a sexual offense stemming from accusations levied by an individual in a position of power. Man faced prison time if convicted. After a jury trial, the jury came back with a unanimous Not Guilty verdict on all counts.
Juvenile Rape Trial – Not Guilty
Juvenile falsely accused and charged with rape facing a non-expungable sex offense and lifetime sex registration. Following a trial, he was found Not Guilty of all counts.
Attempted Aggravated Murder – Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
A 47-year-old mother was charged with attempted aggravated murder for stabbing her three year-old neighbor. Following a bench trial, she was found Not Guilty by reason of insanity.
Rape – Not Guilty
A father of three children was accused of rape and faced lifetime registration and prison. Following a trial he was found Not Guilty on all counts.
Aggravated Murder – Hung Jury
A man who immigrated from the country of India was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and faced the death penalty. The Butler County jury could not come to a consensus on the verdict and a mistrial was declared as a result.
Sexual Offense – Dismissal
A Man was charged with a sexual offense that resulted in potential jail time and termination from employment where he worked for more than 50 years. He came to Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima after a previous attorney failed to diligently pursue his defense. Upon taking the case, a proper investigation was conducted, new evidence found, and the man was exonerated. The State dropped all charges.
Criminal Trespass – Dismissal
Represented a police officer who was charged with criminal trespass. His job was in jeopardy if convicted. Charge dismissed.
Domestic Violence – Dismissal
Representation of a husband charged with domestic violence after getting into an argument with his estranged spouse. Charge dismissed.
Felonious Assault and Domestic Violence – Dismissal
A man was charged with felonious assault and domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend who had been stealing from him and was an addict. Police came to the man’s home, kicked down his door, and dragged him out of his home only to file serious charges carrying up to 10-15 years in prison. Prior to the case being sent to the grand jury, we conducted our own independent investigation and found an unknown and independent witness that observed the alleged incident and testified as to the truth. The man was exonerated, and all charges were dropped.
Underage Consumption and Fake ID – Dismissal
A 19 year-old college student was charged with underage consumption of alcohol and having a fake ID. We were able to negotiate a program whereby all charges were dismissed upon successful completion.
Theft – Dismissal
An 18 year-old college student was charged with underage consumption of alcohol and having a fake ID. We were able to negotiate a program whereby all charges were dismissed upon successful completion.
Misuse of Credit Card – Dismissal
Our client recently learned she had an outstanding warrant on a misuse of credit card charge from several years ago. We were able to successfully convince the prosecutor to dismiss the case due to the time that had elapsed since the charge was filed.
Criminal Trespass – Dismissal
Representation of the adult son of a business owner was charged with assault and criminal trespass. Charges dismissed.
Child Endangering –Dismissal
Parents of two young children were charged with child endangering after leaving the children alone at home while taking their other child to the doctor. Following discussions with the prosecutor, the case was dismissed.
Child pornography/child sex abuse – No Charges
Representation of a public figure in a child pornography and child sex abuse investigation. No criminal charges pursued.
Sexual Assault – No Charges
A 70 year-old retiree was accused of inappropriately touching a young family member. We became involved during the investigation and were able to successfully avoid charges being filed.
Juvenile Sexual Assault – No Charges
Our client, a juvenile, was accused of inappropriately sexually touching another juvenile. We were able to successfully convince law enforcement that charges were not warranted.
Rape Investigation – No Charges
A man accused by teenage daughter of rape. Our client passed a polygraph and we worked with the prosecutor in assisting with the investigation, showing het was innocent. The prosecutor declined to present charges to the grand jury.
Nurse Accused of Stealing Narcotics – No Charges
Our 50 year old nurse who was falsely accused of stealing narcotics and we cleared her name when we showed it was the nursing home director who stole them. We investigated and were able to show the director of nursing, had access to the medication, quit his job the week the medication went missing, and subsequently ignored a detective’s calls for questioning. No charges filed
Juvenile Rape Investigation – No Charges
A 15 year old was accused of raping a girl at his house while his mother was home. The boy passed a polygraph and we obtained footage showing the girl leaving his house, unalarmed as she calmly walked out his front door. We also presented to the prosecutor an affidavit signed by the boy’s mother, who attested to the fact the girl was calm, happy, talkative, and nice the entire time she was visiting. The prosecutor declined to file charges.
Rape Investigation – No Charges
18 year old investigated and interviewed by the police for allegedly raping a girl in his car, in a movie theatre parking lot. After he gave an interview, the police wanted to interview him a second time. We got involved and assisted the prosecutor in understanding that charges were inappropriate as there was no credible evidence in the case and the allegations lacked merit. The prosecutor agreed to not present the case to the grand jury.
COLLEGE STUDENT REPRESENTATION
College Student: Title IX Sexual Assault – Not Responsible; No Charges
College student: Accused of sexual assault was found “not responsible” for violating Title IX by a university disciplinary hearing panel. No criminal charges were filed.
College Student: Title IX Sexual Assault – Not Responsible; No Charges
College Student: Title IX Stalking and Sexual Harassment – Dismissed
College student: Accused of sexual assault was found “not responsible” for violating Title IX by a university disciplinary hearing panel. No criminal charges were filed.
College student: Accused of stalking and sexual harassment had Title IX offenses dismissed during investigatory phase.