Disorderly conduct can seem like a minor crime, and the circumstances leading up to it can seem quite innocent as well. If convicted though, an individual can face harsh penalties, including jail time. It is for this reason that anyone charged with disorderly conduct needs to speak to a criminal defense lawyer in Rolling Meadows as soon as possible. There are defenses available, and an attorney will use them to give defendants the best chance of having the charges dropped or reduced.

Disorderly Conduct in Illinois

The Illinois Statute pertaining to disorderly conduct is found at 720 ILCS 5/26-1. It outlines a number of behaviors that are considered disorderly conduct. These include:

• Breaching the peace;
• False fire alarms;
• Reporting a false bomb threat;
• Threats of violence or destruction in a school or on school property;
• Falsely reporting a crime;
• Phoning 911 without reason;
• Falsely reporting to the Department of Children and Family Services;
• Falsely reporting a nursing home, mental home, or other facility for abuse or neglect;
• Requesting an ambulance when one was not needed;
• Falsely reporting violence;
• Invasions of privacy/‘Peeping Tom’; and
• Harassment by a collection agency.

The penalties sentenced for disorderly conduct will vary, depending on the specific crime that was committed. However, all those convicted will be required to perform between 30 and 120 hours of community service.

Disorderly conduct, 720 ILCS 5/26-1, may sound like a harmless offense—one that will result in nothing more than a few days of community service at the worst, but in reality, it can be a life-altering moment in a person’s life. Depending on the circumstances, disorderly conduct is a felony. Being found guilty could mean the end of your career, your social status within your community, your child custody or visitation rights, and more: your freedom. Disorderly conduct can result in one to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

What Were You Charged For?

The most common scenarios of a defendant being charged with disorderly conduct include the following:

• Being drunk in public—While it is not a crime in and of itself to walk down the street or sit in a bar while being intoxicated, acting in an overtly drunk, loud, obnoxious, or harassing manner is a crime. All it takes is a few too many drinks and a lapse in judgment to end up behind bars for the night, with a disorderly conduct charge looming in your future.
• Yelling loudly late at night or early in the morning—Disturbing the peace by yelling or making unnecessary loud noises late at night or early in the morning is a serious crime, believe it or not. While you may have had a perfectly good reason to yell, either out of self-defense or surprise, or your loud yelling was largely exaggerated by the accuser, you still need an attorney to ensure that you are not given a criminal record.
• Being at a protest—Sadly, all it takes these days to be arrested at a protest is simply being there at the protest. You do not have to be inciting a riot, blocking machinery or traffic, damaging property, yelling, or even refusing to disperse in order to be charged with various crimes at a protest or demonstration. To be sure, 575 people were recently arrested at a Women’s March, as reported by The New York Times. Unnecessary or unlawful arrests at protests happen every day, and disorderly conduct is a common charge. Furthermore, police do not have to have your permission to search you by patting you down and do not have to have very much, if any, evidence to make an arrest. While such an arrest is not legal, it is commonplace.

Other Forms of Disorderly Conduct

• Entering a dwelling for lewd purposes as a “peeping Tom;”
• Calling 911 unnecessarily;
• Public misconduct;
• Falsely reporting a bomb, crime, or child abuse; and
• Inciting a riot.

Our Disorderly Conduct Defense Attorneys Can Help

If you have been arrested for disorderly conduct, you need to reach out to a Rolling Meadows criminal defense attorney immediately. Contact the Law Offices of Christopher M. Cosley today at 847-394-3200.

Facing charges of disorderly conduct can be a truly frightening experience. To be sure, you may not understand the charges, nor how to effectively deal with the criminal justice system. If you find yourself in this situation, it is in your best interests to contact an attorney immediately. A legal professional can advocate aggressively on your behalf to help protect your rights throughout each step of the process.

What is Disorderly Conduct?

When people think of disorderly conduct, they mayenvisionsomeonewho isdrunk and acting out in public. Whilethis is a form of disorderly conduct, it is not the only one that can cause a person to face criminal charges.

Disorderly conduct refers to an act that disturbs the peace. In some states, such acts result in a mere fine. In Illinois, however, these acts are charged as misdemeanors most of the time. In some instances, they are even charged as felonies.

This means that a disorderly conduct charge can affect your life in many ways. Avoid getting in trouble with the law by understanding what types of acts can get you a criminal record in Illinois.

When an individual disturbs the peace in a manner that threatens public safety, it is likely that he or she hascommitted the crime of disorderly conduct. However, each state defines disorderly conduct a bit differently. Therefore, in order to determine whether a disruptive individual in Illinois can be rightfully convicted of disorderly conduct, onemust closely examine our state’s disorderly conduct statute.

Illinois Compiled Statutes Section 26-1: Disorderly Conduct

Under 720 ILCS 5/26-1 a person commits disorderly conduct in Illinois when he or she knowingly: