Eagle Criminal Defense Attorneys
Randall Barnum and Shawn Wilkerson have spent a combined 40 years defending people facing felony and misdemeanor charges in Ada County and federal court. Senior attorneys, direct access, no hand-offs.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique.
Rape
Reduced to Misdemeanor
Aggravated Battery
Acquittal
Felony Domestic Violence
Acquittal
Possession of Stolen Firearm
Acquittal
Eagle is in Ada County, which means a criminal charge in Eagle is an Ada County case and it is heard in Boise. Whether the arrest was made by local police, the Ada County Sheriff's Office, or Idaho State Police, the case is heard at the Ada County Courthouse at 200 W Front Street in downtown Boise, in Idaho's Fourth Judicial District. People taken into custody are booked at the Ada County Jail on Barrister Drive in Boise. Felonies are prosecuted by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney; misdemeanors may be prosecuted by the county or by the city attorney, depending on the charge and who made the arrest.
Idaho Defense Firm's office is at 380 S 4th Street, Suite 104, in downtown Boise, near that courthouse. Randall Barnum and Shawn Wilkerson have spent a combined 40 years defending people in Ada County and federal court. Mr. Wilkerson carried a felony caseload as an Ada County Public Defender from 2019 to 2025 before joining the firm. Mr. Barnum is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, which sits in Boise, and to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and serves on Idaho's Criminal Justice Act panel.
That matters because criminal cases are local. The judges, the prosecutors, the pretrial services officers, and the way a courtroom runs on a Monday morning are things you learn by being there. When you hire us, the attorney you meet at the first consultation is the attorney standing next to you at every hearing.
Where your case is heard
Where you are booked
Who you are up against
Whether the stop happened on a street in Eagle or on the highway, the case goes to the Ada County Courthouse in Boise. Here is what to expect, and where an attorney changes the outcome.
After an arrest in Eagle you are transported to the Ada County Jail at 7200 Barrister Drive in Boise, searched, photographed, fingerprinted, and entered on the inmate roster. Say nothing about the facts of the case to anyone, including cellmates, and ask for a lawyer. You have the right to remain silent, and nothing you say in the jail helps you.
Many charges have a preset bond. If yours does, someone can post it at the Sheriff's Office lobby at 7200 Barrister Drive, in cash, cashier's check, money order, or through a bail bond service, with a $25 fee per bond. If there is no preset amount, a magistrate sets bond at your first appearance. Ada County Pretrial Services may interview you and supervise your release conditions.
Under Idaho Code 19-515, a person arrested must be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. At this hearing, the judge tells you the charge, advises you of your rights, and addresses bond and release conditions. Having your attorney at this hearing can change whether you go home that day.
Misdemeanors stay in the magistrate division: you enter a plea at arraignment, then the case moves to pretrial conferences and, if needed, trial. Felonies get a preliminary hearing, within 14 days of the first appearance if you are in custody, where the prosecutor must show probable cause. We cross-examine the state's witnesses here, and it is often the first chance to get a charge reduced or dismissed. If the case is bound over, it moves to district court for arraignment.
If the charge is DUI and you failed a breath or blood test, the Idaho Transportation Department suspends your license separately from the criminal case. Under Idaho Code 18-8002A, your written hearing request must reach the department within seven calendar days of the date you were served the notice of suspension. A first failure carries a 90-day suspension with the first 30 days absolute. Miss the deadline and the suspension takes effect with no hearing. For a DUI lawyer handling a Eagle arrest, the first job is getting that request filed.
We get the police reports, body camera footage, lab records, and witness statements, and we look for the problems in them: an unlawful stop, a bad search, a chemical test that was not run properly, a statement taken in violation of your rights. Motions to suppress and dismiss are filed where the facts support them. Some cases resolve on favorable terms. Others go to trial. Either way, the decision is yours, made with a clear picture of the evidence and the risks.
Bond is set at the first appearance. Felony preliminary hearings come within 14 days if you are in custody. DUI license hearings must be requested within seven calendar days. Evidence like body camera footage and surveillance video does not wait. Call now and talk directly with a senior attorney.
Idaho Defense Firm defends felony and misdemeanor charges of every kind for people arrested in Eagle, in Ada County court and in federal court. We do not run a volume practice. Each case gets a senior attorney’s full attention from the first call to the final outcome.
DUI arrests in Eagle, from a first offense to excessive DUI at 0.20 or above and felony DUI, plus the ITD license suspension that runs alongside the criminal case. We request the hearing inside the seven-day window.
DUI defensePossession, possession with intent, trafficking, and paraphernalia, including cases that start as a traffic stop. Search and seizure issues decide many of them.
Drug Crimes defenseDomestic battery, battery with traumatic injury, and the no-contact orders that follow an arrest. These cases move fast and reach into housing, custody, and firearm rights.
Domestic Violence defenseSimple battery through aggravated battery and aggravated assault, where the evidence is often phone video and conflicting witness accounts.
Assault & Battery defenseAllegations that can end a career before a charge is filed. We take these cases at the investigation stage whenever possible, before any statement is given.
Sex Crimes defenseUnlawful possession, possession by a prohibited person, and weapons enhancements under state and federal law.
Gun Charges defenseThe most serious cases heard in Ada County district court: robbery, burglary, grand theft, and aggravated offenses, from preliminary hearing through trial.
Felony Defense defenseCharges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, where Mr. Barnum is admitted and serves on the Criminal Justice Act panel. Different rules, different guidelines, different timeline.
Federal Crimes defenseAda County juvenile court cases where the goal is to protect a young person’s record and future, and where early action makes the biggest difference.
Juvenile Defense defenseAmong the most serious charges in Idaho law. Accident reconstruction, toxicology, and the state’s theory of the crash all get challenged.
Vehicular Homicide defenseCharges that can escalate from a traffic incident into a criminal record and a suspended license. We work to keep the damage contained.
Reckless Driving defenseAdministrative and court-ordered suspensions that threaten your job and your independence, including the ITD hearing after a DUI arrest.
License Suspension defenseFree, confidential consultation with a senior attorney. Downtown Boise office, near the Ada County Courthouse.
Serious Defense. Real Experience.
Over 40 years combined defending felony and misdemeanor cases in Idaho courts. The courtroom knowledge that only comes from years of practice, much of it at 200 W Front Street, where Eagle cases are heard.
Shawn Wilkerson carried a felony caseload as an Ada County Public Defender from 2019 to 2025. He knows the judges, the prosecutors, and how cases actually resolve in this courthouse.
Licensed in Idaho state courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Randall Barnum serves on Idaho’s Criminal Justice Act panel.
Your case is handled by a senior attorney. No hand-offs, no revolving door of associates. You get direct access to the attorney defending you, and your questions get answered.
Facing charges in Eagle? Get answers now.
Eagle is in Ada County, so criminal charges filed in Eagle are heard at the Ada County Courthouse at 200 W Front Street in Boise, in Idaho's Fourth Judicial District. Misdemeanors are handled in the magistrate division. Felonies start before a magistrate for the first appearance and preliminary hearing, then move to district court if the case is bound over. Federal charges are heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, which also sits in Boise.
People arrested in Eagle are booked at the Ada County Jail at 7200 Barrister Drive in Boise. The Ada County Sheriff's Office publishes an online inmate roster that shows who is in custody, the charges, and the bail amount if one has been set. Bonds are paid in person at the Sheriff's Office lobby counter by cash, cashier's check, money order, or through a bail bond service. There is a $25 fee per bond, and personal checks and credit cards are not accepted. If no bond amount is listed, bond will be addressed at the first court appearance.
What matters is whether the attorney practices in Ada County, because that is where a Eagle case is heard. Idaho Defense Firm's office is in downtown Boise, near the Ada County Courthouse, and that is where your court hearings are held. For a DUI arrest in Eagle, the first job is the same anywhere in Idaho: get the written hearing request to the Idaho Transportation Department within seven calendar days of the notice of suspension, then go to work on the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the breath or blood test.
Before you talk to anyone about the case, including police, and before your first court appearance. An attorney at the first appearance can argue for release on your own recognizance or a lower bond, and in felony cases the preliminary hearing comes quickly. If you are under investigation and have not been charged, that is the best time of all to call. We can often shape what happens next.
It depends on the charge, the court, and how far the case is likely to go. Idaho Defense Firm is not a volume practice, and fees reflect senior attorneys handling the work personally. The consultation is free, and you will leave it with a straight answer on fees and on your case before you decide anything. Call (208) 336-3600.
Not necessarily. Many first-offense misdemeanors resolve with probation, fines, classes, or a withheld judgment rather than jail, and some are dismissed or reduced when the evidence has problems. What you are charged with, your record, and the facts of the case all matter, and so does the quality of your defense. We can give you a straight answer once we have reviewed the charge and the police report.
Yes. Charges are dismissed when the state cannot prove its case, when key evidence is suppressed because of an unlawful stop or search, or when a prosecutor agrees the charge is not supported. Felonies can be reduced to misdemeanors in negotiation, and Idaho Code 19-2604 allows a court, in some cases, to reduce a felony conviction to a misdemeanor after probation is completed. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but the firm's case results include felony charges dismissed, acquittals at trial, and felonies reduced to misdemeanors.
A Career Dedicated to Criminal Defense
Attorney
More than two decades of criminal defense in Idaho’s state and federal courts. A.B., UC Berkeley; J.D., Willamette University College of Law. Admitted to the Courts of Idaho, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Member of the Idaho Criminal Justice Act Panel.
Attorney
15+ years of criminal defense, including six years as an Ada County Public Defender handling felony caseloads. B.S., Idaho State University; J.D., University of Idaho College of Law. Has argued before the Idaho Supreme Court and the Idaho Court of Appeals.
Real People. Real Cases. Real Results.
"Great attorney, great person. I would recommend Barnum hands down."
Christian P.
Google Review
"Randy was able to get my case dismissed."
Derek L.
Google Review
"Randal did an amazing job for me. I would recommend him to anyone."
Ava R.
Google Review
Criminal defense in every Treasure Valley courtroom, from our office in downtown Boise.
Every criminal case is different. Contact Idaho Defense Firm to discuss your situation directly with a senior attorney. With over 40 years of combined criminal defense experience in Idaho's state and federal courts, we can help you understand your options and build a defense strategy tailored to your case.
