Kent County Sex Crimes Attorney

Even if you think charges may be exaggerated, mistaken, or just plain false, you cannot assume that the criminal justice process will "sort itself out" all on its own. This is especially true when a criminal charge hinges upon a verbal accusation. When criminal liability rests upon a "he said, she said" scenario, there is no guarantee that your story will be the one that law enforcement believes. If you find yourself being investigated in relation to a sex-related crime in Kent County, it is absolutely essential that you take affirmative steps to protect your rights, by retaining a criminal defense attorney with experience handling cases in Kent County.

Grabel & Associates Can Help Residents of Kent County Facing Sexual Criminal Offense Charges

The attorneys at Grabel & Associates have over a century of combined experience representing clients in criminal defense matters, and, in particular, handling cases dealing with sex crimes. No matter what your particular situation is, you need to remember that hiring an attorney to advise and represent you is not an admission of guilt. The fact is, the criminal law enforcement system and its processes are too legally complex for ordinary citizens to fully understand or to navigate without creating tremendous potential for mistakes that could jeopardize your freedom. Hiring a competent, experienced attorney who has a thorough knowledge of the jurisdiction is the only way you can make sure that you have a fair chance of winning your case.

Grabel & Associates has helped residents of Kent County to obtain the best possible outcome for their cases, and we can help you, too.

Kent County Courts

To serve criminal law enforcement needs for the half-million plus residents of Kent County, there are seven district courts and one county circuit court. Each district court has jurisdiction over a specific geographical area, as well as subject matter jurisdiction over certain matters. Respecting sex crimes cases, district courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor trials, as well as preliminary examinations in felony cases, for individuals over 17 years of age. If a felony case goes to trial, it is then transferred to the circuit court, which, in Kent County, is the 17th Judicial Circuit Court located in Grand Rapids. The addresses and geographical jurisdiction for the courts in Kent County are as follows:

The 59th District Court in Walker handles all cases arising in the city of Walker. The address for the court is:

59th District Court
4343 Remembrance Road NW
Walker, Michigan 49534

The 59th District Court in Grandville tries all criminal misdemeanor cases arising in the city of Grandville, at:

59th District Court
3161 Wilson Ave. SW
Grandville, Michigan 49418

The 61st District Court handles criminal matters occurring in the city of Grand Rapids. The 61st District Court is located at:

61st District Court
Kent County Courthouse
180 Ottawa NW Suite 1400
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

The 62-A District Court handles cases arising in the city of Wyoming. The address for the court is:

62-A District Court
2650 DeHoop Avenue SW
Wyoming, Michigan 49509

The 62-B District Court handles cases in the city of Kentwood, and is found at:

62-B District Court
4740 Walma SE
Kentwood, Michigan 49512

The 63rd District Court-1st Division, encompasses the cities of Cedar Springs and Rockford; townships of Tyron, Solon, Nelson, Spencer, Sparta, Algoma, Courtland, Oakfield, Alpine, Cannon, Plainfield, Gratton, Casnovia Village, and Lake and Kent City. The 63rd District Court-2nd Division has jurisdiction over matters arising in the cities of East Grand Rapids and Lowell; and the townships of Grand Rapids, Ada, Cascade, Vergennes, Lowell, Bryon, Gaines, Caledonia and Bowne. Both the 1st and 2nd divisions are located in the same courthouse, at:

63rd District Court
1950 East Beltline NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525

The address for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court is:

Kent County Courthouse
180 Ottawa Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Kent County, Michigan, is a geographically large county in the western half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Kent County contains the city of Grand Rapids, the county seat of Kent County and Michigan's second most populous city after Detroit. Grand Rapids has 188,040 residents, amounting to nearly one-third of Kent County's 602,622 residents, even though Grand Rapids covers only 45.3 square miles, or just over 5%, of Kent County's 872 square miles.

The county was named after James Kent, who was a legal scholar and jurist who represented the Michigan territory in a dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip, a 468 mile strip of land along the Michigan-Ohio border. The dispute resulted in a peculiarly bloodless war between Ohio and Michigan due to poorly drafted legislation by Congress in which both states asserted sovereignty over the strip. Michigan ultimately ceded the land due to congressional pressure, and was granted the portion of Michigan that is now its Upper Peninsula.

Kent County is the economic and manufacturing center of western Michigan, with several international businesses sited there, including the Steelcase Corporation, Amway, and Bissell Homecare. The county is made up of nine cities, 21 townships, five villages, and 12 unincorporated communities. Kent County is surrounded by the Michigan counties of Allegan, Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia, and Barry.

In recent years, Kent County was, like most other areas of the country, affected by the nationwide economic downturn, and unemployment peaked at about 11.5% in early 2010. Since then, Kent county has recovered somewhat, with official unemployment figures staying just below the national average.

The crime rate in Kent County is relatively low compared to the rest of Michigan with respect to violent crimes, but somewhat higher than the rest of Michigan when it comes to property crimes. Unfortunately, Kent County's crime rate is higher than average due to the crime rate in Grand Rapids, which is considerably higher than the national average, and whose violent crime rate is nearly three times the rate in Kent County overall.

In recent statistics, Michigan State Police records report that there were 51,242 criminal incidents in Kent County, leading to 17,203 arrests. Of these crimes, 1,033 were classified as sex related crimes, including the crimes of rape, statutory rape, prostitution, sexual assault, obscenity, as well as other unspecified sex-related offenses. These incidents led to 193 arrests.

Call Grabel & Associates 24 Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week, for Immediate Legal Help

At Grabel & Associates, we understand that when you are being investigated, questioned, charged, or arrested in relation to a sex crimes case, when you need legal advice, you need it right away—not just when it might be convenient for other people. At Grabel & Associates, we make sure that we have an attorney available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that individuals facing an imminent need for legal advice, answers, and information can get the help they need exactly when they need it. When you are in trouble in Kent County, contact the law firm of Grabel & Associates, and start putting your life back on track.