If you unfortunately find yourself being arrested by the police there are a few things that you should know and do that will help protect your interests in your pending criminal case.
- DO NOT speak to the police unless you are requesting an attorney. The police are only speaking with you to get information from you about the crime they are alleging you committed. The police are not trying to help you. They want you to help them by giving them evidence to turn over to the State Attorney’s Office who will later use that evidence against you in a criminal proceeding. Remember the police are arresting you because they believe you committed a crime and are going to charge you with a crime. Anything you say to the police can and will be used against you. They want your help in establishing their case against you. THE POLICE ARE NOT THERE TO HELP YOU GET OUT OF TROUBLE.
- Do not talk to anyone other than an attorney about your case. Do not talk to other people in the jail, do not speak to anyone over the jail phones about your case (those lines are recorded and the State Attorney’s Office has access to those recordings), do not speak to family members or friends about your case. If you tell anyone about the facts of your case and your involvement in that case, those individuals can be used as witnesses against you. The inmate, family member, or friend can take any information you provide them and supply that information to the State Attorney’s Office which they will use against you. Be safe and speak to no one about your case except your attorney.
- CONTACT AN ATTORNEY. After you are released from jail on bond or if you cannot secure your release through a bond, contact an attorney immediately. The attorney will be able to assist you with your case moving forward. An attorney will be able to speak to the State Attorney’s Office about your case, obtain discovery, and file any appropriate motions (including a motion for bond if you are not able to obtain a bond). The criminal defense attorneys at Largey Law are experienced criminal trial attorneys with over twenty years of criminal trial experience.
