Everyone deserves a strong defense when facing criminal charges. Even if you have only been questioned or suspected of committing a crime by police investigators, you can and should protect yourself and your rights.
When you face a criminal investigation, a Doraville criminal lawyer could explain your rights and defend you from prosecution. Criminal penalties can include significant jail time and fines, so make sure to protect yourself by seeking legal help. Call today to speak with one of our attorneys.
Television shows and movies tend to show a glamorized and simplified version of police investigations and of courtroom drama. Unlike witnesses and suspects on TV who end up telling police detectives whatever they want to hear—or whatever moves the plot along—anyone questioned by police should have a lawyer present.
A police interview is naturally uneven, as you will not know what the investigators already know or presume about you. One verbal misunderstanding about your whereabouts or connection to a crime could cast undue suspicion on you, which could subject you to further questioning or harassment.
Having a lawyer experienced with criminal cases with you from the start could help you limit the possibility for abuse at the hands of police, whether your local Doraville Police Department or DeKalb County Police. Your attorney could advise you on how to answer questions truthfully without making yourself a target. They could stop investigators from asking inappropriate or entrapping questions.
Beyond questioning, a lawyer could help you protect yourself from search and seizure of your possessions and property. Typically, the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires police officers to have a warrant supported by probable cause to search your person, home, and car, but some situations allow officers to search with only their reasonable suspicion.
Police might bypass a warrant to search a car during a traffic stop or if they see contraband in plain view from outside a house, but such scenarios depend entirely on the circumstances. We could help you show that police did not properly show cause for searching your home or other possessions, even in a pat-down or during a traffic stop.
We could defend you at trial. A criminal attorney’s expertise in presenting evidence and poking holes in the prosecution’s case could help prove your innocence.
Georgia Code §16-1-5 reinforces the popular notions that a criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proved guilty and that guilt must be shown beyond a reasonable doubt.
The effects of a criminal conviction are real. If you do end up in a criminal trial and lose, you could face time in prison, fines, and probation. The exact sentence will depend on the crime and the circumstances, as defined by Georgia Code §17-10-1, and the judge presiding over your case sets the sentence after a jury verdict.
A criminal lawyer could still help you after a conviction. One of our attorneys could argue that you deserve minimal penalties and less time in jail, or even supervised probation. For example, Section 17-10-1 allows a first-time offender convicted of a felony to serve a shorter term of probation if they stay out of trouble, and a criminal defense lawyer in Doraville could help you show a judge that your probation should end early.
If the police suspect you of a crime, you should get in touch with a defense lawyer as soon as possible. Taking this step to protect yourself at the first sign of trouble can help keep you out of an investigation and secure your constitutional rights.
Even if you have already been arrested or charged with a crime, talking to an attorney about your case could help you defend yourself in court and beyond. Call today to discuss your options and your circumstances with a Doraville criminal lawyer to avoid the worst consequences of a criminal trial and conviction.
Robert James Trial Attorney
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