We’re entering peak wedding season, but anytime a large group of people get together and alcohol is flowing, there’s a chance that trouble will develop. We’ve assisted with more wedding-related legal trouble than you may believe. Below, we take a closer look at some of the more common wedding-related arrests that we’ve heard about or handled, and what you should do if someone ends up in trouble at a wedding this year.
Common Wedding Crimes
Hopefully your wedding or any you attend this year won’t involve one of these common wedding-related crimes:
1. Drunk Driving – An arrest for drunk driving is likely the most common wedding-related crime we see. Oftentimes weddings involve free flowing alcohol, and some people make the poor choice to get behind the wheel when the night ends. Get a hotel room, hail an Uber or find a sober ride. Don’t let a fun night end in tragedy or handcuffs because you didn’t plan ahead and figure out a sober ride home.
2. Underage Drinking – Sometimes underage attendees will try to get their hands on alcohol, and this can lead to trouble. Some states allow underagers to drink alcohol when in the presence of their parents, but the venue may still elect to not serve them for liability reasons. If they drink any amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel, or they end up staying out later than their parents and police are alerted to their presence, they could end up with a citation for underage consumption of alcohol.
3. Disorderly Conduct – We’ve seen all sorts of disorderly conduct violations related to attending a wedding. From hotel guests that are too rowdy during quiet hours to inebriated guests that break or damage furniture, you’d be amazed at how many actions can result in a disorderly conduct charge.
4. Assault – Sometimes the bride and groom’s family don’t get along, or a long lost uncle picks now of all days to have it out with his brother over some old feud, and a fight ensues. Again, alcohol is usually involved in fights on such a special day, but it does happen. Let us sort out the details with the court if a guest ends up facing an assault charge after the big day.
5. Theft – A final wedding-related crime that we’ve handled is the crime of theft. We’ve seen cases where a guest thinks their being funny and tries to steal a bottle of wine from behind the bar, and we’ve heard of cases where non-attendees try to sneak into a wedding reception and make off with unattended purses or handbags. There are also theft by swindle charges that can occur if one party fails to make a payment or provide agreed upon services for the wedding. We can help handle these cases as well.
Most weddings go off without a hitch, but you’ll want to know where to turn if you or a guest end up in trouble following a wedding reception. If you’re in the greater Twin Cities area, reach out to the experienced criminal defense lawyers at Appelman Law Firm. We answer our phones 24/7, so no matter when the incident occurs, we can help. Give us a call at (952) 224-2277.
