What To Do Next: Everything You Need To Know If You’ve Been Charged With a Crime

You see the red and blue lights behind you.

You know this is not going to be good. After all, you just finished up a six-pack of beer at your friend’s house.

So, you pull over and end up in the backseat of a police car. Now what are you going to do?

At this point, your mind is probably racing with a million different thoughts of what you should have done, wished you had done, or could have done, but the truth is – you are going to be charged with a crime.

If you want to know what to do in this situation, keep reading to find out the exact steps you should take.

Keep Quiet!

The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution is one of your best friends in this situation. It gives you the right to not have to say anything about the crime in question.

If you want to protect yourself, don’t say a word. Keep quiet. Don’t answer any questions or offer any details. These are your rights, and you should use them.

The whole point of using this right is to avoid saying something the police will use against you later on.

Cooperate

Anytime the police pull you over, you should cooperate. Basically, this just means be decent. Be respectful. Do what the officer asks you to do.

Do you have to complete field sobriety tests or blow into a breathalyzer device? No, you don’t, but it does not necessarily benefit you by choosing not to do these things.

Making the decision not to complete a breathalyzer test often just means that you are admitting guilt.

Blowing into it, though, can prove the severity of the intoxication. If you don’t want the police to know how much you drank, don’t agree to a breathalyzer.

Either way, you’ll likely end up in jail but by cooperating you can have fewer further problems to deal with.

Find a Way Out of Jail

Once you get booked in the jail, you should start working on getting out. You have the right to one phone call, so use it wisely. Call someone you know that will pay your bail or make arrangements with a bail bondsman for you.

It is extremely difficult to fight your case from a jail cell but you can still do it if you can’t find a way out at this time.

If you feel the court set a bail amount that is way too high, you have the right to request a reduction of bail. Getting this approved would involve going to a bail reduction hearing and pleading your case to the judge.

The judge will look at the charges you are facing and will look at other things including:

• Your rap sheet
• Your flight risk
• The dangers you pose to society if released

If everything checks out, the judge may approve your request which would make it a lot easier to pay the bail to get released.

Contact a Law Firm that Helps People Who Are Charged with a Crime

Whether you get released or not, you will need to look for an experienced DWI attorney right away. The faster you can get one, the better off you’ll be.

An attorney who takes on DWI cases will know exactly what to do to help you get out of the mess you’re in.

A good DWI lawyer will help you understand your rights and will answer your questions. The lawyer will show up to your court hearings and will speak to the court on your behalf.

Attend the Arraignment Hearing

The next step to complete is the arraignment hearing. At this hearing, the court will officially charge you with the crime of DWI. The judge will ask you a few questions, including whether or not you understand the charges.

The judge will also ask you how you want to plead. No matter what, always plead NOT-GUILTY.

If you plead guilty at this hearing, you will lose the ability to fight the case, enter a plea bargain, or go through a trial. If you plead not-guilty, it will keep your options open.

Start Working on Your Strategy

The steps that occur after this hearing will determine the rest of your case, and you should begin working with your criminal defense attorney right away.

Your attorney will start by looking at the facts of the case to see if there could possibly be a way to get the charges dropped.

Did the police pull you over for a non-valid reason? Did the police forget to read you your rights? If there is anything like this in your case, your lawyer can request that the court drops the charges.

If there is not a reason to request this, there are two ways to proceed with the case. First, you could accept a trial. Secondly, your lawyer could work on getting a plea bargain for you.

Accepting a plea bargain is often the better option as it may give you a way to get the charges reduced. To go through with a plea bargain, though, there is a cost. You must admit guilt.

Facing the charges through a trial gives you a possibility of getting an “innocent” verdict and facing no consequences at all.

The cost to this option is the potential for the court to find you guilty of the DWI charge. Losing the right to negotiate on the deal is also a cost to choosing a trial, and so is the potential for a harsher punishment.

Your lawyer will help you weigh out your options to choose the best one for your case.

Don’t Face These Charges on Your Own

You are not legally required to hire a lawyer for help, but you should never attempt to handle criminal charges alone.

If you are being charged with a crime in the Montgomery County, TX area, you can get help by contacting the Law Firm of Andrea M. Kolski.

We offer legal help for DWI charges and so much more. You can read our blog to learn more about the services we offer, or you can give us a call. We’d love to speak to you about your case.