A charge filed in Walker does not stay in Walker. Even when the incident happened on a neighborhood street, the case is handled by the 59th District Court and the prosecutor's office that covers the entire Grand Rapids area. I represent clients charged in Walker and the surrounding communities, and I sit down with them before their first appearance to explain the charge, the evidence, and the decision in front of them.
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Walker has its own division of the 59th District Court on Remembrance Road. Misdemeanor, traffic and ordinance charges from Walker are docketed there, and felony charges move to the 17th Circuit Court of Kent County in Grand Rapids. Knowing which courthouse matters, because a missed date in Walker becomes a warrant the same way it does anywhere else in Kent County.
4343 Remembrance Road NW, Walker, MI 49534
The 59th District Court serves the City of Walker. Misdemeanors, drunk driving, traffic offenses and preliminary felony matters arising in Walker are docketed here first. If the court finds probable cause for a felony, the case is bound over to the 17th Circuit Court.
180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Felony charges from Walker are heard in the 17th Circuit Court of Kent County at 180 Ottawa Ave NW in Grand Rapids. That is the court where a conviction can carry a prison sentence, and where the difference between a defense attorney who files paperwork and one who tries cases becomes clear.
Rememberance Road is a busy stretch of road with heavy traffic enforcement. If your case started with a stop on Remembrance, on Lake Michigan Drive, or on M-21, the citation is not the case. The case is the criminal charge that follows it, and that is what a defense attorney is there to work.
Most calls from Walker fall into a handful of categories: a stop that turned into a DUI arrest, a domestic dispute that became a police report, a theft from a local business, or a weapon found during a search. These are the areas I defend every day for clients across Walker and the west side of Kent County.
Note the court and date on the citation or the arrest paperwork. Walker matters are handled at 4343 Remembrance Road NW unless the court says otherwise.
Stay quiet about the facts. Do not post about the incident, and do not talk with neighbors who were part of it.
Get a criminal defense attorney on the phone before the first appearance so the charge is reviewed before you answer for it.
Collect anything that helps: the citation, the bond paperwork, photos, and the names of anyone who actually witnessed what happened.
The right question when you are choosing a defense attorney in Walker is not what the fee is. It is how many cases the attorney has actually taken to trial. I have tried more than 80 criminal cases and have handled matters in Kent, Allegan and Ottawa counties for over 20 years. You get the fee structure in writing before you decide anything, and the first consultation costs you nothing.
Ryan Maesen has defended accused people in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan since 2007.
More than 80 criminal cases taken to trial, where the verdict is decided by a judge and jury, not a plea.
Rated 4.7 out of 5 across 84 Google reviews by clients and their families.
Walker sits just north of Grand Rapids and minutes from the office at 3265 Walker Ave NW, so a court date on Remembrance Road and a meeting at the office are both short trips. I take consultations during the day and handle new criminal matters outside regular business hours.
Misdemeanor, traffic and ordinance charges arising in Walker are handled by the 59th District Court at 4343 Remembrance Road NW in Walker. Felony charges are bound over to the 17th Circuit Court of Kent County at 180 Ottawa Ave NW in Grand Rapids. The paperwork the officer gives you will name the court and date.
It can, and it often is. A weapons charge turns on facts such as where the weapon was found, whether it was on your person, whether the premises were your home or your workplace, and whether the person who called the police is a witness. The charge is a felony in Michigan, so the first conversations with the prosecutor matter. I review the facts before recommending any position.
A domestic violence arrest in Michigan is treated as a criminal case, not a private disagreement, and the court will not simply drop it because the parties are willing to reconcile. What the law does allow is for the court to consider the full history of the relationship when setting conditions. I handle those cases regularly and explain what the prosecutor will be asked to prove.
You should have one before your arraignment, and it is worth doing sooner. A first drunk driving charge can be handled as a civil infraction in some circumstances, but the prosecution decides which path a case takes, not the officer. With an attorney involved early, the facts that matter to that decision can be developed before the case is set.
Retail fraud in Michigan is theft based on the value of the merchandise and the number of prior theft convictions. The prosecutor will file based on those records. If the charge is elevated above the first offense tier because of the amount involved or a prior record, it can carry jail time instead of a fine. That is a situation where having a defense attorney review the charging documents early is worth a great deal.
A case arising in Walker is generally handled in the 59th District Court, and venue is rarely challenged. Where the case is filed also decides which courthouse you travel to and which courtroom you appear before. If you are missing appearances in Walker, that is the more urgent issue to address, and it should be handled immediately.
If you were cited, arrested, or contacted by police about an incident in Walker, call and tell me what you were told. I will tell you what the charge means and what happens next.
