Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC
Criminal Defense in Utah
Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC
Navigation
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • PRACTICE AREAS
    • MARIJUANA CRIMES
      • DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
      • POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
      • POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE
    • CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUITS
    • DRUG CRIMES
    • DUI
      • Alcohol DUI
      • Metabolite DUI
    • JUSTICE COURT
    • OUT-OF-STATE CLIENTS
    • TRAFFIC CRIMES
      • Metabolite DUI
      • Alcohol DUI
      • Reckless Driving
      • Alcohol Restricted Driver Charges
      • DL Hearings
    • THEFT CRIMES
    • ALCOHOL CRIMES
      • Intoxication
      • Minor in Possession
      • Open Container
    • ASSAULT CRIMES
    • TRESPASSING CRIMES
    • EXPUNGEMENTS
    • MISDEMEANORS
    • FORFEITURE
    • 402 REDUCTIONS
  • MARIJUANA
    • POSSESSION
    • PARAPHERNALIA
    • INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE
  • FAQs
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CONTACT
Currently browsing category

Search and Seizure

Drug Dogs and Police Searches in Utah

May 2, 2014 | Filed under: Constitutional Law, Drug Laws, Marijuana Laws, Search and Seizure, Traffic Laws

Can Police Have a Dog Sniff My Car Without My Permission? Can Police Search My Car without Permission Based on the “Alert” of a K-9 Unit? What if the Cops Said the Dog Alerted on My Car, but Then They Didn’t Find Any Drugs? What if the Cops Searched My …

Tooele Highway Drug Stops

October 18, 2013 | Filed under: Constitutional Law, Drug Laws, Marijuana Laws, Search and Seizure, Traffic Laws

View Larger Map Tooele County, Utah is a large, rural county 30 minutes west of Salt Lake City, with a couple small towns (Grantsville, Tooele), some mountains, salt flats, and one large, busy, east-west Highway (I-80). Like many places around the state and country, the local law enforcement folks in …

THE CONFRONTATIONISTS: The Rise of Police Encounter Videos

July 31, 2013 | Filed under: Constitutional Law, Fifth Amendment, Interesting Legal News, Search and Seizure

The internet these days is ripe with what I’m going to call Confrontationists and their videos.  These videos feature a citizen (the Confrontationist) obstinately refusing to cooperate during an automobile stop at a DUI or immigration checkpoint. Checkpoints seem to work well because they’re predictable–at least on the short-term–and they …

Avoiding the “Consensual” Police Encounter

May 7, 2013 | Filed under: Constitutional Law, Fifth Amendment, Search and Seizure

Nothing to see here, just an officer and his attack dog about to have a nice, consensual conversation with this suspect. There’s this term you start hearing not long after starting law school: “Legal Fiction.” Basically, it describes something that the legal system accepts as true for convenience’s sake, despite the fact …

The Legality of Automobile Searches

May 6, 2013 | Filed under: Constitutional Law, Search and Seizure, Traffic Laws

National Photo Company Collection. 1922. I’ve had several friends ask me about the ability of police to search their automobile when they get pulled over, no doubt worried about the cases of moonshine they keep stashed in the trunk or just curious about the extent of their constitutional rights.  Confusion …

About My Firm

Picture not loaded

Marijuana Crimes

Image not uploaded

Expungements

image not loaded

Alcohol Crimes

image not loaded

Traffic Crimes

image not uploaded

Theft Crimes

image not loaded

Assault Crimes

image not loaded

Local Court Info

Image not uploaded

Rates

Image Not Loaded

Quick Contact Form

Note: Submitting this form doesn't make me your lawyer or obligate you to pay me anything. It's just an easy way to get in touch.
Recognition for Dain Smoland's NORML Membership

Some Posts from My Blog

  • Utah Legislature Temporarily Suspends Expungement Filing Fees!
  • Parolees Become Eligible for 402 Reductions in Utah
  • Utah’s “Clean Slate” Law, and Automatic Expungements
  • Utah Legalizes Medical Marijuana! Kinda! Sort Of!
  • Utah Eases Expungement Eligibility, Especially for Prior Drug Convictions!

Courts Where I Take Cases

I am licensed to practice criminal law anywhere in Utah, but my office is in Salt Lake City so I focus my defense practice on Salt Lake County and the surrounding counties: Weber, Davis, Utah, Summit, Wasatch, Tooele.

That includes any of the state, city, or federal courts located in Salt Lake City, West Jordan, South Jordan, West Valley, Heber, Park City, Provo, Ogden, Farmington, Bountiful, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray, Millcreek, South Salt Lake, Grantsville, Tooele, Orem, American Fork, Sandy, Draper, Centerville, Layton, Kaysville, and anywhere else within an hour's drive of Salt Lake. I'll also go down to Carbon County (Price and Helper), because I like that drive!

For locations in Utah outside that area, just contact me and we'll talk about it.

Categories of my blog posts

  • 402 Reductions
  • Constitutional Law
    • Fifth Amendment
    • Search and Seizure
  • Drug Laws
    • Marijuana Laws
  • Expungement Law
  • Interesting Legal News
  • Theft Laws
    • Shoplifting
  • Traffic Laws
    • Driver's License Laws
    • DUI Laws
  • Uncategorized

© 2023 Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC, a Salt Lake City Criminal Defense Attorney