Sterling Heights Criminal Defense Lawyer

A criminal charge in Sterling Heights is handled at the 41-A District Court on Dodge Park Road, the city’s own courthouse. Attorney Christopher Brown is a Sterling Heights criminal defense lawyer and former Detroit police officer who defends clients in this court and throughout Macomb County, from traffic misdemeanors to serious felonies.

Recent Results From the 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights

Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Felony Strangulation Charge Dismissed After Motion to Quash — Sterling Heights

Our client was charged with assault by strangulation, a 10-year felony, after a domestic dispute. The complainant did not want to participate, but she was subpoenaed and required to testify under oath at the preliminary examination. Our cross-examination attacked a required element of the charge: whether her breathing or blood circulation was actually impeded. The district court still bound the case over to the Macomb County Circuit Court. We filed a motion to quash the bindover. The circuit court found that the district court had abused its discretion, granted our motion, and the case was dismissed.

41-A District Court (Sterling Heights) and 16th Circuit Court — Macomb County

Hit-and-Run Charge Dismissed at the First Pretrial — Sterling Heights

Our client received a citation in the mail for leaving the scene of a property-damage accident. The only thing connecting him to the case was that the car was registered in his name. At the first pretrial, we presented irrefutable evidence that he could not have been the driver, and the case was dismissed.

41-A District Court — Sterling Heights, Macomb County

See more of our Macomb County and other case results.

The 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights

The 41-A District Court has two separate courthouses. The Sterling Heights location hears cases from the city of Sterling Heights. Cases from Shelby Township, Macomb Township, and Utica go to the 41-A location in Shelby Township. Confirming which courthouse has your case is one of the first things a Sterling Heights criminal defense lawyer will do.

41-A District Court — Sterling Heights

Address: 40111 Dodge Park Rd., Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Phone: (586) 446-2500
Lobby hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed noon to 1 p.m. and on federal holidays)
Judges: Chief Judge Pro Tem Annemarie M. Lepore, Judge Eric D. Shepherd, and Judge Kimberley A. Wiegand
Probation Department: (586) 446-2565
Case lookup: Search your case on MiCOURT, Michigan’s statewide case search.

Court details can change, so check the court’s website or call before your court date.

Walk-In Arraignments on Warrants in Sterling Heights

If you have an outstanding warrant from the 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights, the court offers walk-in arraignments on warrants Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Turning yourself in this way can avoid an arrest at home or at work, but you shouldn’t walk in alone.

At arraignment, the judge decides whether you’ll be released and on what terms. A Sterling Heights criminal defense lawyer who walks in with you can:

• Confirm the warrant and the charge before you arrive
• Argue for release on a personal bond instead of a cash bond
• Push back on unnecessary conditions, such as alcohol testing, a tether, travel limits, or a broad no-contact order
• Present your job, family, and ties to the community, which judges weigh in setting bond
• Make sure you don’t say anything about the facts of the case on the record

Bond conditions can last for months while your case is pending, so getting them right at the start matters. If a detective has contacted you and no warrant has issued yet, learn what to do before you talk.

A Sterling Heights Criminal Defense Lawyer With Macomb County Experience

Attorney Brown appears in Macomb County courts regularly and has appeared before every criminal court judge in the county. He has found the Sterling Heights judges fair and conscientious and Macomb’s prosecutors focused on reaching a just result. Careful preparation is what wins cases here, whether that means proving at a first pretrial that a client couldn’t have been the driver, or building a record at the preliminary examination that a circuit judge will later rely on to dismiss a felony.

When the defense asks the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for a resolution outside its standard policies, the request goes through a formal written deviation process. Learn how deviation requests work in Macomb County.

How a Sterling Heights Criminal Case Moves Forward

Misdemeanors: Cases such as first-offense OWI, retail fraud, and leaving the scene of an accident stay in the 41-A District Court through pretrial conferences, any trial, and sentencing.

Felonies: A felony starts here with arraignment, a probable cause conference, and a preliminary examination. If the judge binds the case over, it moves to the 16th Circuit Court in Mount Clemens, where the defense can ask a circuit judge to review the bindover, as we did in our strangulation case.

Treatment and bond monitoring: The court’s Probation Department runs specialty court programs and pretrial bond monitoring. Ask your lawyer early whether a specialty court fits your case.

Charges We Defend in Sterling Heights

• Drunk driving and OWI, including felony third-offense OWI
• Domestic violence, including felony strangulation charges
• Assault and other violent crimes
• Leaving the scene of an accident and other driving offenses
• Drug possession and possession with intent to deliver
• Retail fraud and other theft charges
• Weapons and firearm charges
• Sex crimes
• Probation violations

Who Investigates Cases in Sterling Heights

Most cases in this court are brought by the Sterling Heights Police Department, with the Michigan State Police handling arrests on the area’s state highways, including M-53 (the Van Dyke Freeway) and M-59 (Hall Road). As a former police officer turned Sterling Heights criminal defense lawyer, Attorney Brown knows how reports, traffic stops, and mailed citations are put together, and how often a case like our hit-and-run dismissal rests on an assumption instead of evidence.

Also Serving Nearby Macomb County Communities

Beyond Sterling Heights, we defend clients in Shelby Township, Macomb Township, Utica, Warren, Clinton Township, and the rest of Macomb County. Our Troy office sits just west of Sterling Heights, a short drive from the courthouse.

Talk to a Sterling Heights Criminal Defense Lawyer

• Former Detroit police officer who knows how cases are built from the inside
• Licensed in Michigan since 2008, with experience before every criminal court judge in Macomb County
• Free consultations, available 24/7, in person in Troy or virtually
• Credit cards accepted and payment plans available

Call (248) 468-1468 or contact us online, especially if you have a warrant or an upcoming arraignment.