Kenosha, WI Criminal Defense Attorney
Criminal defense in the City of Kenosha, Kenosha PD, Municipal Court, County Circuit Court, I-94 border enforcement. Racine office plus Kenosha location at 7001 30th Ave.
Criminal Defense in the City of Kenosha
Kenosha is Wisconsin’s fourth-largest city and the gateway between Illinois and the rest of the state. Cafferty & Scheidegger has defended Kenosha clients since 1994. Our Kenosha office is at 7001 30th Avenue; we appear in Kenosha County Circuit Court at 912 56th Street weekly.
What Shapes Kenosha Criminal Practice
- I-94 enforcement. Wisconsin State Patrol treats the I-94 stretch from the Illinois line to Racine County as one of its highest-volume assignments. OWI, speeding, and drug-interdiction stops pile up in Kenosha County court. Cross-border cases (Illinois residents, Illinois priors) are a daily occurrence.
- Immigration-collateral cases. Kenosha is within the 100-mile federal border zone and has visible ICE presence. Criminal convictions that trigger immigration consequences require specialized handling.
- Retail-theft volume. Highway 50’s commercial corridor generates constant retail-theft volume, much of it driven by organized-retail-crime task forces that reach up from Illinois.
- Lakefront and downtown DC cases. HarborPark, the downtown 6th Avenue corridor, and summer beach enforcement produce disorderly-conduct and underage-drinking case volume.
Where Your Case Is Heard
- Kenosha County Circuit Court (8 branches) for all felonies and most misdemeanors
- Kenosha Municipal Court for ordinance violations
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) for federal matters
- Immigration court (separately, for non-citizens facing removal)
Our Kenosha Practice
- OWI/DUI defense, including cross-border cases. See racineowi.com.
- Drug charges, I-94 interdiction and urban sales cases.
- Weapons charges, state § 941.29 and federal § 922(g).
- Disorderly conduct and domestic violence.
- Retail theft.
- Underage drinking, UW-Parkside in neighboring Somers.
- Federal defense, Eastern District of Wisconsin practice.
- Traffic violations, plus racineticket.com.
- Case results, representative outcomes
Related Kenosha County Cities
- Kenosha County overview
- Pleasant Prairie, Somers (UW-Parkside), Twin Lakes, Salem Lakes
Most Common Criminal Charges in Kenosha
- OWI, very high volume from I-94 and Highway 50 stops, including Illinois-resident arrests
- Drug possession and PWID, cross-border cases are frequent
- Retail theft, Highway 50 commercial corridor
- Disorderly conduct, concentrated HarborPark and 6th Avenue
- Domestic violence with DV modifier
- Underage possession of alcohol, lakefront enforcement and downtown beach
- Firearms, § 941.29 felon in possession and federal § 922(g) joint cases
- Immigration-collateral cases, criminal charges with ICE detainer exposure
Courts in Kenosha
Kenosha County Courthouse
912 56th Street, Kenosha, WI 53140
Phone: (262) 653-2664
All Kenosha-filed felonies and most misdemeanors go here. 8 branches. Kenosha County District Attorney's office is co-located.
Kenosha Municipal Court
625 52nd Street, Kenosha, WI 53140
Phone: (262) 653-4100
City-ordinance violations including traffic, disorderly conduct, and city-specific charges. Many criminal-level DC cases can be negotiated down to municipal citations here.
Law Enforcement Agencies Serving Kenosha
Kenosha Police Department
City of Kenosha
Non-emergency: (262) 656-1234
Primary law-enforcement in city limits. Operates specialized units for drugs, gangs, and domestic violence. Body-worn cameras standard since 2021.
Kenosha County Sheriff's Department
County-wide support, I-94 enforcement, jail operation
Non-emergency: (262) 605-5100
Wisconsin State Patrol
I-94 through Kenosha; CDL inspections at the Kenosha Weigh Station
Very active on I-94 through Kenosha, one of the highest-citation stretches in Wisconsin.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection / ICE
I-94 interstate-border enforcement; within the 100-mile CBP zone
ICE detainer activity is higher in Kenosha than in Racine or Walworth due to the Illinois-border proximity. Criminal convictions frequently generate immigration holds.
High-Enforcement Corridors
- I-94 from the Illinois border through Pleasant Prairie to Kenosha city limits, the single most-cited highway stretch in southeast Wisconsin
- Highway 50 (75th Street), east-west retail / commercial corridor with heavy retail-theft volume
- Highway 158 (52nd Street), downtown east-west with heavy pedestrian-crash history
- Highway 32 (Sheridan Road), north-south along Lake Michigan
- Highway 31 (Green Bay Road), alternate north-south behind 32
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Kenosha criminal cases get filed?
Does Cafferty & Scheidegger have a Kenosha office?
What should I do if ICE has placed a detainer after my Kenosha arrest?
Is the I-94 speeding ticket I got near the Illinois line really a Kenosha case?
Charged in Kenosha? We defend across Kenosha County.
Free, confidential consultations. Phone and text answered 24/7.
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