Getting arrested because you are suspected of committing a criminal offense is frightening for anyone. Not only could you be facing large fines, but you also may be on the brink of losing freedom. If you are locked up in jail you will lose out on a normal life. Even if you do not go to prison, you still may have certain rights stripped from you. You need to contact a criminal defense lawyer, like a lawyer from Tuttle Law, P.A., immediately if you are accused of committing a crime. Whether or not you are guilty it is important to retain legal assistance to protect your rights.
You Can Potentially Lessen the Charges
By hiring an experienced criminal defense lawyer, you are taking some of the power back into your hands. It can feel like nothing is within your control when you are being charged with a criminal defense, but your lawyer will help you by determining what the best course of action moving forward will be. You cannot take back any actions that got you to this point, but you can decide if you want to plead guilty or not in court. Sometimes, it can lessen a sentence if you admit that you did something wrong. Other times, you may have not even realized that what you were doing was illegal, so your lawyer can argue ignorance. Any of this may lessen the amount of punishment you may receive for your offense.
You Can Offer Evidence that Could Prove Your Innocence
If you have an alibi during the time the crime was committed, you will want to tell your lawyer this information immediately. Even if you think it would not hold up in court, your criminal defense lawyer will know how to navigate with this information. If you did not commit a crime you should not have to pay the time for it. The American justice system is set up in a way that you are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. If the prosecution is offering evidence that is incorrect, your lawyer will do his or her best to prove that the evidence should be thrown out. This may include offering up your own evidence of being at a different place during the crime or other ways it would have been impossible for you to commit the offense.
Contact a Lawyer Immediately
You should never speak with authorities about your case without having a lawyer present. You have the right to remain silent until you retain representation and you should always take the American justice system up on this promise. You may think that speaking about your whereabouts or giving an alibi will help prove your innocence, but you do not want to say anything that could jeopardize your freedom. Contact a lawyer to come and meet up with you so that you can speak to him or her about what happened before telling what happened to authorities.