Recent Blog Posts
Stolen Retail Items During the Holidays Could Result in Felony Charges
During the holiday season there is a noticeable spike in the instances of retail theft. For whatever reason, people are more likely to shoplift in November and December than at any other time of the year. Ahigher rate of foot traffic in stores around the holidaysmakesit easier to commit retail theft. Moreover,there are a lot of pressures placed on people this time of the year, which can drive them to committing an act of shoplifting.
According to MarketWatch, the most commonly stolen items around the holidays in the United States include:
- Electronics and electronics accessories, such as cell phone cases, headphones, etc.;
- Winter or leather clothing;
- Meat, seafood, alcohol and chocolates;
- Children’s toys; and
- Perfume or cologne.
Ultimately, many of these items, such as electronics and electronic accessories, leather clothing, and some children’s toys, can be greatly valued. It is not uncommon for electronics to cost hundreds of dollars, which might be part of the reason why someone would steal these items from a store in the first place.
The Unintended Consequences of a DUI Conviction in Illinois
Even the most sensible people can sometimes exercise poor judgement, or think that they are sober enough to drive after a few drinks. Drunk, intoxicated, or even buzzed drivers are often pulled over by law enforcement and arrested on DUI charges. Oftentimes,these individuals have no idea what to do because they are first time DUI offenders. A DUI conviction can have a profound impact on your life beyond the obvious criminal consequences, such as jail time and fines. Many first time DUI offenders are stunned by the additional consequences of a DUI.
DUI Facts: The Profile of the Average DUI Offender
According to the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, the average DUI offender in Illinois is a male around the age of 34 years old, who is intoxicated behind the wheel between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. This typical DUI offender generally hasa blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of twice the legal limit (legal limit being 0.08 BAC in Illinois for drivers over the age of 21). Ninety percent of the drivers who were arrested in 2014 for DUI lost their driving privileges as a result, and 86 percent of those drivers who were arrested were first time offenders.
Do Not Rush Your Decision to Divorce
Anyone who has ever been in a serious relationship can probably relate. The initial stages of the relationship are filled with happiness and excitement at the very thought of one another. While nobody expects the “puppy-love” phase to last forever, it is during this stage that many couples decide to get married. As time goes by, however, the relationship may cool into a less dramatic and intense type of love, and, in some cases, even further than that. Eventually, one or both spouses may find themselves feeling bored, lonely, and unloved despite the rings on their fingers. Some may be inclined to take immediate action and file for divorce, but rushing toward the end of your marriage is not usually the best idea.
Relationship Cycles
Your relationship is going to be constantly changing. Life does not stand still and neither does love. Even the healthiest of marriages have rough patches. There is a reason that the typical wedding vows include the phrases “for better or for worse,” “in good times and in bad,” and “in sickness and in health.” If you took the leap of faith to marry your spouse, you believed that your love was deeper than physical attraction and good feelings. Before you decide to file for divorce, take an objective look at your marriage and try to determine it is really over or if you are just going through a tough time.
Drug Asset Forfeiture in Illinois
Getting arrested for a drug offense, such as possession or intent to distribute, is a bad situation on its own. If you are convicted for such an offense, you can face jail time and fees. However,getting caught with drugs can also mean that you will lose personal property, such as your car or other assets, if such assets are affiliated with the drug offense. Drug asset forfeiture is a common practice in Illinois, yetmany people are unaware of it until it happens to them or someone they know.
If you are charged with a drug crime, you might be subjected to Illinois’ drug asset forfeiture laws. Under these laws, property that is associated with drug activity or a crime can be seized by law enforcement. The point of the seizure is to limit the amount of resources that are available for criminal activity. If your personal property is taken by law enforcement under state asset forfeiture laws, it may take a long time to get your seized assets back, and recovery of your seized property can be at a great cost to you.
Businesses Up Their Security and Theft Monitoring at the End of the Year
The most booming time of year for retailers is the end of the calendar year. With all of the shopping that goes along with the holiday season, retailers pull out all the stops and offer great sales to draw in customers. Retailers also engage in gimmicks to draw in business, such as two-for-one deals or Black Friday sales. Whatever retailers can do to get customers into their stores and spend money is all that matters this time of year. However, the end of the calendar year is also a time when retailers increase their store security efforts and monitor most closely for instances of retail theft.
With more customers in their stores, there is an increased likelihood that theft will occur more frequently. Customers might try and hide unsoldmerchandise in shopping bags they are carrying from other stores, and may try to simply walk out of the store without paying. Theft is a serious problem for retailers, so it makes sense that retailers would take extra precautions this time of year to catch people in the act.
Charged With Domestic Violence When You Acted in Self-Defense?
Domestic disputes occurbetween significant others and family members frequently in Illinois. Sometimes these get out of hand andrise to the level of domestic violence.
Under Illinois law, domestic violence generally involves acts of violence or threatening behavior between two people who share a domestic relationship, or used to share a domestic relationship. Domestic violence disputes arise between spouses, exes, significant others, family members who are related by blood or marriage, and people who share a living space, such as roommates.
Even the most minor physical contact can be construed as a battery. If you are concerned that someone is likely to make a false claim of domestic violence against you, you should avoid making physical contact with that person at all costs. But just because you deliberately refrain from physical contact does not mean that someone will not make an attack on you.
Criminal Trespass Charges: When You Are Asked to Leave But You Do Not
All too often individuals are faced with criminal trespass to real property charges, under 720 ILCS 5/21-3, when they were asked to leave a place but do not do so. This scenario plays out a handful of different ways:
- A patron might be asked to leave a bar, club, or restaurant after becoming too intoxicated and rowdy, or getting into a fight with another patron or employee of the establishment;
- An individual might be causing a dramatic and disruptive scene in a business establishment in view of other patrons;
- An individual might have conducted him or herself inappropriately, but not necessarily in violation of the law, in a business establishment, and is then asked to leave;
- An individual might ignore posted signs saying “do not enter” or “authorized personnel only beyond this point”; or
- An individual might knowingly go into a restricted area after being warned not to go into that area.
Study Suggests “Special” Wedding Dates Increase Chance of Divorce
Are you the type of person who sees repeating numbers on a digital clock—4:44 pm, for example—and encourages your friends to make a wish? Perhaps the question is particularly relevant considering today’s calendar date of 11/11. A large number of people find significance in patterns found in numbers, while, for many others, such patterns inspire curious, coincidental amusement. In fact, couples around the world intentionally choose dates with numerical patterns to celebrate their wedding ceremonies. However, a new study suggests that those who get married on gimmicky dates divorce nearly a third more often than those who marry on ordinary days.
Special Days and Regular Days
A team of economists from Australia’s University of Melbourne wanted to see if there was any connection between a couple’s wedding date and the likelihood of their divorce. Previous studies have looked at the size and cost of a wedding, as well as impact that age, remarriage, and children may have on the probably of divorce, but the researchers believed that they were the first to examine the calendar date of the wedding itself.
Is There a Difference Between Burglary and Attempted Burglary in Illinois?
What happens to a person who was caught in the middle of committing a burglary? If the burglary was never completed, meaning you never had the chance to get away with anything you stole or were planning to steal, are you still charged with burglary?
Intent is All That is Required
In Illinois, there is no difference between attempted burglary and burglary, because under the law, all you need to have is the intent to steal from, or commit a felony in, a place where you are not authorized to be. You do not actually have to take anything, nor do you even have to attempt to take something from someone else’s property, in order to be charged with burglary. Simply having the intent to steal something, or to commit a felony, is enough.
Many criminal defendants wonder how intent can be proven. If you did not take anything, and you do not flat out admit that you were there to steal something, how will the police know that you ever had intent to take something? Police take burglary very seriously, and will investigate the scene of the crime to look for clues that indicate you may have had the intent to steal something before you were caught.
Identity Theft is a Theft Crime
Committing Identity Theft
When most people think of identity theft they think of cyber hacking. However, identity theft is not just a crime that is committed by high-tech cyber thieves.Identity theft can occurwhen a personuses another individual’spersonal identificationinformation,such as one’sname, Social Security number, driver’s license, passport, credit card number, or other financial information, withoutpermission, to commit fraud or other crimes.
Moreover,identity theft can becommitted bystealing an individual’smail and then completing credit card applications in the name of the victim.An identity thiefmay even open a new bank or a credit card account in a victim’sname or may change the mailing address of a victim’sexisting account so he or shecan use the accountwithout the victim’sknowledge. When athief uses anaccount without paying the bills, the delinquent accounts are noted on a victim’scredit report.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Arlington Heights Office 3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120 Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Phone: 847-253-3100
At Cosley Law Office, we represent clients in Illinois, including the cities of Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Palatine, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Barrington, Elk Grove Village, Inverness, Wheeling, Long Grove and Mundelein, as well as Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County and throughout the Chicago, IL, metropolitan area.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
© 2026 Cosley Law Office
3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-253-3100