A criminal charge in Missouri starts a process with its own clock: an arraignment, discovery, motions, and either a plea or a trial. At each step there are decisions that shape what the case can become. Most of them are easy to get wrong without someone who has been through it many times.
Wulfers Law Firm defends people charged in St. Francois County and the surrounding counties with everything from traffic-level offenses to serious felonies.
Cases we handle
If it's charged in a Southeast Missouri courtroom, we've likely handled it. The most common cases in this office:
- DWI and drug-related driving offenses
- Drug possession, distribution, and paraphernalia charges
- Assault and domestic assault
- Theft, stealing, and property crimes
- Felony charges of every class
- Probation violations
- Traffic offenses that carry jail time or license consequences
Misdemeanors and felonies in Missouri
Missouri grades crimes by class. Misdemeanors run from class D up to class A and carry up to a year in county jail. Felonies run from class E up to class A and carry prison time, with the most serious carrying decades or life.
The class matters for more than the sentence. It decides whether a charge can be expunged later, whether it affects your license or professional certification, and how much leverage exists in negotiation. Part of what a defense lawyer does is fight over which class a charge should be, not just whether you did it.
What you should do right now
Do not talk to the police about the case without a lawyer, even to explain. Do not discuss it on social media or in texts. Write down everything you remember while it's fresh, and keep it for your lawyer. Then call.