Champaign Criminal Lawyer

Former Champaign detective admits to driving drunk

Posted on June 7th, 2011 No Comments

A 41-year old former Champaign police detective recently admitted to driving drunk. Last month, the former detective plead guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge.

The charge of driving under the influence was made last December when the former officer hit an SUV driven by a teenager from Mahomet. The accident occurred at around 9:30 in the evening on County Road near Bondville.

The former detective issued the guilty plea under an agreement that she serve 180 days in jail and 160 days in remission. Also in the plea deal was a $1,000 fine, 2 years of probation, 150 hours of community service, $1,609 of restitution, and dismissal of felony charges related to the accident.

Contact the Champaign drunk driving attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 today, if you or someone you know has been charged with drunk driving and needs experienced legal representation to defend them.

UI police searching for dorm room intruder

Posted on June 1st, 2011 No Comments

After receiving reports about two men intruding in dorm rooms at the University of Illinois, police are looking for a second suspect. University officers already arrested one 20-year old man who they believe broke into a dorm room and stole some items in the room.

Officers began looking for two men after one student called police to tell them that as he woke up from a nap one afternoon, he saw two unknown men in his dorm room in Oglesby Hall. The first suspect was said to have attempted to steal the student’s computer, but dropped it on the way out. The other suspect was reported to have taken the student’s cellphone.

The suspect that police arrested was charged with residential burglary.

If you or someone you know has been charged with petit theft or a related charge, contact the Champaign petit theft lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights to criminal defense.

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Gov. Quinn suggests workers' comp reform

Posted on May 24th, 2011 No Comments

Earlier this month, Governor Pat Quinn proposed a workers’ compensation reform plan at a meeting with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Manufacturers Association.

In his plans, the Governor proposed making changes to workers’ compensation legislation in Illinois that would require workers eligible to receive workers’ compensation to have been injured on the job. The proposition is being referred to as the “causation” requirement. The President of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association expressed disapproval of the governor’s proposal.

In addition, Quinn stated that he would like to see a workers’ compensation reform written up and enacted before the legislative session ends on May 31st.

If you or a loved one has questions about applying for workers’ compensation benefits in Illinois, contact the Champaign workers’ compensation attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 and set up an appointment to meet with one of our lawyers today.

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I-74 accident results in traffic violation charges

Posted on May 17th, 2011 No Comments

This past Sunday afternoon, an accident occurred on the ramp from I-57 to I-74. According to Illinois state police, the accident happened at around 4:50 P.M. when 37-year old Bloomington woman took the ramp from Interstate 57 north to Interstate 74 west.

The woman’s vehicle was seen hydroplaning across the lanes of the highway. The driver of a semitrailer from Indianapolis had to swerve to avoid the woman’ vehicle and crashed into a wall along the roadway in the process. The woman’s vehicle continued to spin out of control until hitting a median wall and then bouncing back into a bridge wall.

Both drivers were taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana for treatment of unspecified injuries. The driver from Bloomington may receive charges for reckless driving and improper lane usage.

If you or someone you know has been charged with reckless driving in Champaign, contact the Champaign reckless driving defense attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about how we can help defend you against traffic violation charges.

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Regional superintendent of schools pleads guilty to DUI

Posted on May 10th, 2011 No Comments

Yesterday, an Illinois regional superintendent of schools plead guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge. The 49-year old superintendent oversees four west-central Illinois counties.

The superintendent was charged with driving under the influence last month after being pulled over at 12:30 A.M. on Concord-Arenzville Road. In a plead deal, improper traffic lane use and operating an uninsured motor vehicle charges were dropped.

The court sentenced the superintendent to one year of court supervision. If he completes the court supervision without breaking its terms and conditions, the conviction will be removed from his record. In addition, the superintendent was issued $1,140 in fines and will have an ignition-interlock device in his vehicle for six months.

If you or someone you know has been charged with drunk driving, experienced legal representation can help defend you against these charges. Contact the Champaign drunk driving attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.

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More surgical errors committed after night of drinking

Posted on May 3rd, 2011 No Comments

The Archives of Surgery recently published a study showing a correlation between surgical errors and hangovers. According to the study, surgeons who perform an operation the morning after a night of drinking commit about 50 percent more errors than they would normally.

The study asked 8 surgeons and 16 students to go out to dinner one evening. Half of the students were instructed not to drink any alcohol. The rest of the group was told they could drink as much as they wanted up to the point of being drunk. The following morning, surgeons and students performed surgery on a virtual reality patient.

Researchers found that both surgeons and students committed more surgical errors than when tested before, despite the fact that only one of the participants had a detectable level of alcohol in their system.

To discuss the steps to take after being the victim of a surgical error, contact the Champaign personal injury attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 today.

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'Dooring' accidents now required to be reported

Posted on April 25th, 2011 No Comments

“Dooring” accidents occur when a door on a parked vehicle is opened into the path of a bicyclist; these accidents often inflict serious pain and injury on bicyclists. The Illinois Department of Transportation did not include these accidents in their annual summaries of accident statistics because they do not involve vehicles in motion.

However, Governor Pat Quinn recently changed this and ordered all police departments to report dooring accidents on the state’s crash forms. As a result, dooring accidents will now be included in IDOT’s accident data.

Quinn stated, “Anyone who rides a bike can tell you that dooring is a serious issue. One of the best ways we can increase public safety is by making sure we’ve got the best and most comprehensive data possible. That’s why we’ve made this change.”

If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident caused by another’s negligence or wrongdoing, contact the Champaign injury lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 and we can help you receive the financial compensation you deserve.

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Social media activity could be incriminating

Posted on April 18th, 2011 No Comments

With more and more people becoming involved in posting content, comments, photos, pictures, and personal profiles on the internet, courts are using this online activity as evidence. In criminal courts, social media activity on websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, as well as other online activity on dating sites or video/photography uploading sites like Youtube, can either help in your defense, or at times, be incriminating.

Experts warn individuals to be aware of what they are posting online. For example, posting a photograph taken from a phone with GPS on a website like Facebook allows investigators the ability to see exact coordinates of where the pictures were taken and at what time.

A law professor at Arizona State University said of this new type of evidence, “It opens a new avenue because it’s a way in which people are voluntarily posting information which could incriminate them not realizing that law enforcement has access to it.”

If you or someone you know has been charged with a crime in Champaign, contact the Champaign criminal defense lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to set up an appointment to speak with an experienced defense attorney.

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Riverside Police step up traffic violation enforcement

Posted on April 12th, 2011 No Comments

Last month, the Riverside Police reported making an effort to increase enforcement of traffic laws in the city. Officers focused on four of the city’s most problematic areas and issued 22 traffic citations in the first week of the crackdown.

Police said that they decided to step up enforcement after requests from several of the city’s residents. The four areas that law enforcement officers focused their efforts on were Harlem Avenue, Riverside Brookfield High School, the 100 block of Barrypoint Road, and the 300 block of Longcommon Road.

Most of the traffic citations were given for speeding, running through stop signs, and using cell phones in school zones. One citation for driving without a license resulted in arrest.

Contact the Champaign driving without a license lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 if you or someone you know has been charged with, or arrested for, driving without a license or driving with an expired license.

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Federal investigators to look into state's compensation system

Posted on April 5th, 2011 No Comments

Federal officials recently began an investigation into the Illinois workers’ compensation system. Investigators arrived in southern Illinois this week with subpoenas to view records of workers’ compensation claims from January 1st, 2006 to the present.

Governor Quinn expressed approval of the investigation stating, “We want to make sure everything is done right when it comes to workman’s compensation. Those who are injured we want to make sure get fair compensation. At the same time, if there’s any fraud, if there’s any abuse, if there’s any monkey business, if there’s any wrongdoing, it’s got to be prosecuted.”

Most of the subpoenas were for records at government agencies with high numbers of employees filing for and receiving workers’ compensation benefits.

If you or someone you know needs assistance filing for workers’ compensation or appealing a decision regarding workers’ compensation benefits, contact the Champaign workers’ compensation lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.