Bellingham, WA
Criminal defense Lawyer at Bellingham, WA
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client charged with Minor in Possession of Alcohol (MIP) under RCW 66.44.270(2)(a). Under the statute, the State must prove either (1) the defendant was exhibiting the effects of consuming alcohol, or ... (2) is in possession of or close proximity to a container that has or recently had liquor in it. Here, there was no evidence of consumption or close proximity. Prosecutor dismissed the case.
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client was charged with Assault Fourth Degree. Both the client and the alleged victim moved to another state while the case was pending. I successfully entered friendly negotiations with the City's Pro ... secutor to waive client's presence at all pretrial hearings. This avoided the chance of client obtaining a warrant. I also worked with the Prosecutor to combine our investigative resources to try and locate the alleged victim. The victim could not be found. Eventually, the Prosecutor dismissed the case.
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client was charged with Unlawful Imprisonment Domestic Violence (DV) under RCW 9A.40.040(1). This is a Class C Felony punishable up to 5 years jail and $10,000.00 fine. On the date of the incident, B.J ... . and his wife consumed alcohol and became intoxicated. She became abusive toward him. She also threatened to immediately leave the home and drive away in their car. In response, B.J. briefly locked his wife away in the utility room of their home. He was concerned for his wife's safety and the safety of other people if she left the home and operated a motor vehicle. While inside the utility room, his wife called police. They arrived and investigated the incident. Immediately, B.J.'s wife was remorseful for contacting police. She did not want B.J. arrested. Unfortunately, and pursuant to RCW 10.99.030 and RCW 10.31.100, police officers MUST arrest individuals and take them to jail in situations like this. After being charged with a felony, the court entered a No-Contact Order between B.J. and his wife and child. He was forced to live with a friend. While the case was pending, B.J. was offered 30 days jail in exchange for his guilty plea. We rejected the offer and demanded a jury trial. Our investigations revealed B.J.'s wife wanted the charges dismissed, she wanted the No-Contact Orders rescinded and that she overreacted by contacting police. Our defense was Self-Defense and Necessity. On the day of trial, the Prosecutor dismissed the case. The judge rescinded the No-Contact Orders. B.J. and his wife walked out of court; happy to be reunited.
OUTCOME: Dismissed All Charges And Infractions
Client was charged with the crime of Hit and Run Attended and the infractions of Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Insurance and Inattentive Driving. Hit and Run Unattended is a gross misdemeanor punis ... hable up to a year in jail, $5K fine and a 30-day license suspension. On the day of the incident, he bought a used car. While driving the vehicle, he stopped at a traffic light. While waiting for the light to change, the driver behind him stopped their own vehicle closely behind my client. Unfortunately, as the light turned green, my client's car moved slightly backward and bumped the alleged victim's vehicle. My client felt no impact and drove away. The person whom my client accidentally struck, however, chased my client and called 911. The police arrived, arrested my client and charged him with Hit and Run Attended and the aforementioned infractions. We effectively negotiated dismissals on all charges. Client dutifulliy followed my advice to improve his situation in the eyes of the victim and prosecutor. Consequently, the prosecutor agreed to reduce the Hit and Run charges and enter a deferred prosecution; which effectively dismisses the Hit and Run conviction after one year. The downward reduction also avoided an immeidate 30-day license suspension. Client served no jail and paid a $300 fine. Additionally, the prosecutor dismissed the trailing infractions. These reductions saved my client $800 in fines and avoided a bad driving record.
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client allegedly stole a swing set from the sidewalk in front of someone's front yard. Client believed the swing set was offered free of charge. We entered successful negotiations with the prosecutor a ... llowing dismissal of the charges after one year of law-abiding behavior. Client completed her obligations.
OUTCOME: Judge Granted Mistrial Due To Prosecutor's Procedural Errors
Client charged with Assault Second Degree with a Deadly Weapon (DV), two counts of Malicious Mischief Third Degree (DV), Resisting Arrest, five counts of Violation of a No-Contact Order (DV) and 2 coun ... ts Bail Jumping. While the case was pending, Mr. Ransom argued pretrial motions for the Prosecution to provide DVD copies of the defendant's recorded jail calls and a copy of the alleged victim's criminal history. The judge granted the motions and ordered the Prosecutor to provide this information to the defense in a timely fashion and before jury trial. Unfortunately, the Prosecution failed to follow the court's order and produce the evidence in timely fashion. During trial, it was revealed that the alleged victim had prior criminal convictions which could be used against them as impeachment evidence if the victim testified. It was also revealed that the defendant's recorded jail conversations - which were inappropriately granted to the defense late into the trial - inadvertantly placed Mr. Ransom as a witness on the Bail Jumping charges. The judge granted a mistrial due to prosecutorial mismanagement.
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client charged with Malicious Mischief Domestic Violence following the destruction of the family televison during an argument with their spouse. While the case was pending, we successfully modified the ... No-Contact Order to allow email and phone conversations. Eventually, the case was dismissed upon entry of a Compromise of Misdemeanor under RCW 10.22. Additionally, the No-Contact Order was also rescinded following dismissal of the case.
OUTCOME: Dismissed
Client charged with Assault Fourth Degree Domestic Violence. He and his long-term, live-in girlfriend had an escalated argument. The prosecution's evidence consisted of a recorded 911 Call and photogra ... phic evidence of her injuries. Nevertheless, Mr. Ransom interviewed the alleged victim. He obtained a statement from her describing what really happened on the night of the incident. She also moved away while the case was pending trial. The Prosecutor dismissed. Afterward, the no-contact orders were rescinded.
OUTCOME: Acquittal on One Count.
Client sought apology from a neighbor and the neighbor's friend after an argument. Client's attempts to seek the apology led the "victims" to attack him. Client responded in self defense.
OUTCOME: Full Jury Acquittal
Client T.M. was charged with Felony Harassment (Count I) and Possession of a Weapon by a Prisoner (Count II). He was serving time at the county jail on an unrelated conviction. Unfortunately, he was ... also epileptic; and wasn't receiving his anti-seizure medications from jail nursing staff. After writing numerous complaints, T.M. and a nurse engage a brief argument through the "hatch" doorway of his cell. The argument was overheard by another inmate (Mr. R) who later became the Prosecution's star witness. Mr. R informed jail staff that T.M.intended to kill the nurse. Later, jail staff searched T.M.'s cell and found a short toothbrush with the handle sharpened down to a wedge. At trial, attorney Alexander Ransom successfully impeached Mr. R by revealing Mr. R's prior crimes of dishonesty, showing numerous flaws in Mr. R's testimony and revealing Mr. R would benefit from testifying against T.M. Ransom also showed T.M. was medically diagnosed with epilepsy, experiencing seizures in jail, had never threatened the nurse, and used the toothbrush to clean debris from the walls of his cell. After four days of trial, the 12-person jury returned "Not Guilty" verdicts on all charges. They took one hour to deliberate.
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