If I'm not holding it, can I still get in trouble for it? Quick Answer: Yes. Under the legal doctrine of constructive possession "when a person knowingly exercise[s] dominion and control over an object, even though the object may not be within the person's immediate...
Miami University
So I Made it Through My University Discipline Hearing – All is Well Now, Right?
Wrong --- IF your discipline was related to a criminal charge that counts as a "1219 offense" in Ohio. Under Ohio law, if you are convicted of, or plead guilty to, a so-called 1219 offense that occurred on or about campus, you will be subject to a mandatory,...
Love and Honor…your right to counsel
Thanks to Hollywood, most Americans have heard the police say the phrase "you have a right to an attorney..." as a suspect is being arrested on-screen. That referenced right to counsel in a criminal proceeding is a constitutionally guaranteed right under the Sixth...
Will My Arrest Affect My Future?
A recent article pointed out that well over half of four-year undergraduate institutions ask questions about criminal history (https://www.brookings.edu/research/thinking-beyond-the-box-the-use-of-criminal-records-in-college-admissions/amp/). Anyone who has applied...
Diversion Dismissal ≠ Clean Record
The large majority of first-time offenders in the Butler County Area Courts have been cited with offenses that are eligible for the Butler County Prosecutor's Office ("BCPO") Diversion Program. However, because participating in the BCPO Diversion Program requires a...
But I wasn’t on campus when it happened.
House parties; Uptown establishments; Spring break trips; Summer vacation destinations...what do all of these places have in common-aside from a high probability of underage alcohol consumption? All of these places are off-campus. And yet, receiving a citation or...