Enforcing the law can seem like parenting at times. While the rules about what constitutes bad behavior and what the penalties are for disobeying those rules may be clear, authorities may decide they have to get more aggressive in the prosecution of cases to push make a point. We see it happening in Tennessee. It happens in other states, too.

Such creative prosecution efforts demand equally creative criminal defense strategies in order to be sure that the personal rights of individuals are being protected. Whether the charge is something as serious as a major felony or one for drunk driving, the consequences are too great to meet them without the help of an experienced attorney.

An example of the kind of prosecutorial strategy we're talking about is offered in a case out of Michigan. It involves a 49-year-old man who now faces a seven-month jail term and three years probation for having allowed a drunk friend to drive his pickup truck which, officials say, was then involved in a collision with a motorcycle that left one person dead and another seriously injured.

This all took place in April 2010. Authorities say the two friends had been drinking together at a community festival. They say the 49-year-old defendant let his friend take the wheel for the drive home. Along the route they allegedly pulled out in front of the motorcycle, causing the accident. Officials say they determined later that the pickup driver's blood-alcohol level was twice the .08 percent legal limit.

The driver of the truck pleaded guilty last year to charges of drunk driving. He's now serving a minimum prison term of six years and 3 months. Last month, the 49-year-old truck owner pleaded no contest to the charge that he had let his friend get behind the wheel despite his apparent intoxication.

After the recent court proceeding, the prosecutor commented that a decision had been made to press ahead in order to make sure that all those responsible for the fatal accident were held accountable.

Source: Lansing State Journal, LSJ.com, "Eaton Rapids owner of truck in fatal drunk driving crash sentenced," Kevin Grasha, Feb. 10, 2012