Attorney Joseph Peggs Welch's Legal Cases

Criminal defense

Dismissal of felony MDMA and mushroom cases

Nov 08, 2023

OUTCOME: Complete dismissal by prosecutor

Felony possession of MDMA and possession of mushrooms case completely dismissed after the officer forgot the suspected drugs were on top of his car and drove off, leaving them behind on the highway for ... several hours. Although the state tried to prove the suspected drugs were in a unique bag and undisturbed when the officer found them again it would have been unlikely they could have proven chain of custody at trial.

Criminal defense

Felony gun case reduced to minor misdemeanor

Nov 03, 2023

OUTCOME: Felony reduced to misdemeanor

Felony unlawful use of a weapon case reduced to peace disturbance with 1 year of probation and no conviction.

Criminal defense

Serious sex offense reduced to minor felony

Apr 01, 2022

OUTCOME: Probation for minor felony without sex-offender registration

Client was charged with a serious sex crime and the prosecutor was asking for fifteen years in prison. After the defense refused the offer and held out for a trial the prosecution reduced the charges ... to non-sexual minor felony and his client received probation with no jail time.

Criminal defense

Growing case and 5 other felonies dismissed

Nov 07, 2016

OUTCOME: Dismissed with prejudice

Growing case completely dismissed, with prejudice, for violation of the Sixth Amendment. Six felony counts totally 50 years in an extremely conservative jurisdiction that regularly sends people to pri ... son on first offenses.

Criminal defense

Two Occupy St. Louis protesters acquitted

Dec 12, 2012

OUTCOME: Acquittal for both clients on all charges - the jury high-fived my clients and their friends outside the courthouse afterwards.

After a three day jury trial, both of my clients were acquitted of assaulting an officer and resisting/ interfering with an arrest. However, I was convicted of contempt of court because of my closing a ... rgument, where I splashed water on one of the prosecutors and broke the court’s lectern. My closing argument was described as “theatrical” but was really just a re-enactment of the crime scene where the officer was spit on by an unknown assailant and then picked one of my clients to be an unfortunate victim of police brutality. I learned some of these “theatrical” techniques at the Missouri Bar’s Advanced Trial College in the fall of 2011.

Criminal defense

State of Missouri v. Kenneth Unger

Nov 12, 2012

OUTCOME: All charges reduced to misdemeanors with a small fine just before our trial date.

Outspoken medical marijuana advocate and disabled Navy veteran Ken Unger was charged with growing and distributing marijuana, both felonies, and faced up to 23 years in prison. Ken publicly and re ... peatedly admitted that he grew and used marijuana to help with the injuries he received serving our country. Ken fought this case in the media, and I fought for him in the courtroom, and even though there is no recognized medical marijuana defense in Missouri, we got a great result.

Criminal defense

Jury refuses to convict despite my client's priors.

Jul 10, 2009

OUTCOME: Case dismissed after hung jury.

Jury refuses to convict my client of possessing crack cocaine, even after hearing about his prior conviction for cocaine possession and the fact that he was in drug court. The hanging members of the ju ... ry walked over to the defense table and shook his hand. Several months later the prosecutor dismissed the case completely instead of facing another trial.

Criminal defense

Client acquitted after being freecased by dirty cop

Mar 19, 2009

OUTCOME: Acquittal

Client freecased by notorious ex-cop Bobby Garrett is acquitted of Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a jury (which included a police officer) after deliberating for less than half an hour. I was briefly take ... n into custody by the court during the proceedings but did not get charged with anything myself. Even though we won, it was a difficult case – we were ambushed and forced to go to trial without all of our defense witnesses and my client, who was on felony probation, had to testify in order to establish his alibi. Since the jury was going to hear about his prior felony when he testified, it gave me the unique opportunity to call his probation officer as a defense witness. It was her testimony that helped undermine the story the police made up and secured the not guilty verdict.

Joseph Peggs Welch's Legal Cases (8)

Dismissal of felony MDMA and mushroom cases

Felony gun case reduced to minor misdemeanor

Serious sex offense reduced to minor felony

Growing case and 5 other felonies dismissed

Two Occupy St. Louis protesters acquitted

State of Missouri v. Kenneth Unger

Jury refuses to convict despite my client's priors.

Client acquitted after being freecased by dirty cop