Serving What Should I Do if I Was Arrested for a Crime?
While every criminal charge is unique to the circumstances involved, and there are a lot of charges to choose from, there are certain steps that anyone who is facing a criminal charge should take. One of the most important moves that you can make if you have been charged with a crime is invoking your right to legal counsel and consulting with an experienced Marion, South Carolina, criminal defense attorney as early in the process as possible.
Your Right to Remain Silent
If you’re charged with a crime, it’s time to remember that scene in every cop procedural you’ve ever watched – and there are likely to have been quite a few – when the officer tells the person in cuffs that they have the right to remain silent. This is your absolute right, and you are very well advised to invoke it. I have rarely seen someone “talk” their way back out of a warrant.
After answering basic questions about your identity and contact information, it’s time to let the officer know that you won’t be talking. It is not enough; however, simply saying you won’t be talking, you will also need to stop talking, and these are two very different things. Invoking your right to remain silent merely means that the police cannot question you – however, anything you voluntarily say is fair game and they will use it against you. At the end of the day, the police are skilled at obtaining statements from defendants that go on to harm their own cases, and the less you say, the less likely you are to fall into this trap.
Your Right to an Attorney
You also have the right to an attorney, and the sooner you have skilled legal representation on your side, the better off you’ll be. Limiting your interactions with the police to telling them that you won’t be fielding questions and that you want an attorney should bring the interview to a halt, and from here, it’s time to focus on building your strongest defense.
Your Attorney’s Role
Once you’ve retained a savvy criminal defense attorney, they’ll ably handle all the following primary tasks:
- Gathering all the available evidence, including any that the authorities may be trying to keep to themselves
- Skillfully consulting with the prosecution to – ideally – have the charge against you dropped or negotiating an advantageous plea deal that lowers the charge, lowers the penalties, keeps you out of jail altogether, or all three
- Helping you smoothly navigate the legal process
- Keeping your case moving steadily forward toward an optimal outcome
- Fiercely protecting your legal rights every step of the way
An Experienced Marion, South Carolina, Criminal Defense Attorney Is Standing By to Help
The savvy criminal defense attorneys at The Law Office of Brad C. Richardson – proudly serving Marion, South Carolina – have a wealth of experience successfully guiding challenging cases like yours toward favorable resolutions, and we welcome the opportunity to also help you. The outcome of your case is important to your future, so please do not put off reaching out and contacting us online or calling 843-488-4321 for more information about what we can do for you today.