Hampton Roads Robbery Arrest Process 

Robbery refers to the offense of intentionally depriving an individual of their belongings. It is a serious offense that can have serious consequences for those who are convicted.  However, before a person can go to trial or be convicted for a robbery offense, they are arrested first. The Hampton Roads robbery arrest process is straightforward, but it can be helpful to have a skilled robbery attorney on your side. Speak with a qualified lawyer that could advocate for you.

Initial Arrest Process

During the Hampton Roads robbery arrest process, what happens is once there is a charge taken out, the police contact the individual and see if they want to make arrangements but, often, they will locate the individual and they will arrest the individual. If someone is indicted for a robbery offense, the time it takes them to learn of the indictment depends on the jurisdiction. Usually, once an indictment goes out, it is up to the police to serve the warrant or serve the indictment, and that can be done that day. It can be done several weeks down the road. It just depends on the size of the jurisdiction and how long it takes to locate the defendant.

Due to the fact that robbery is a violent felony, the police may not necessarily let the individual make arrangements to turn themselves in. Often, law enforcement will arrest the individual and take them to the magistrate. Furthermore, because this is a violent felony, there is a presumption against bail which means that the magistrate will deny the individual bond. A judge has the option of granting the individual bond and the judge may do that, but that is going to be up to a judge and not the magistrate when they are first brought in.

Turning Oneself into Police Custody

If someone has been in contact with the police, they may be willing to allow an individual to turn themselves in as opposed to being arrested. Again, on robbery charges,  under these types of cases, because they are violent offenses, they would not expect to have that opportunity; – the police worry that there is a risk that the person is going to flee if they find out that the individual is charged with this. If someone is given the opportunity, it gives them time to contact their lawyer, line up any witnesses, even though they will not get bail at that point, it gives them an opportunity to at least working on getting bonded out.

Choosing When to Arrest Someone in Robbery Cases

Usually, for robbery charges, the police try to issue an arrest fairly quickly, knowing that this is a violent charge so they are going to want to handle it as quickly as possible, but it can vary. Depending on the title case, they may want to get a statement from the person first and wait to arrest them until after they talk to the person, especially if they have issues with their case and they want to try to get an admission of guilt, then that may be something where they wait to arrest the person.

Expectations of Robbery Arrests

One expectation of the Hampton Roads robbery arrest process that a person should have is that they are going to be arrested, there is nothing they can do to talk their way out of it. They will have to go to jail and according to the law, they are not supposed to grant the person a bond. They should not expect to get released immediately on bond. The person is going to be arrested and taken to the jail where they will fingerprint the person, photograph them and give them a copy of the charges, taken before a magistrate and then taken into custody where they will be held until they are given bond.

More than likely, they are going to be treated as a violent criminal. Again, these are violent offenses. If law enforcement knows the person who is being charged, knows a positive history, they may be a little different. They may be a little less aggressive but if someone is charged with robbery, the charge is a violent offense and the police are going to treat the individual as such.

Importance of a Hampton Roads Robbery Attorney

After going through the Hampton Roads robbery arrest process, you will have the opportunity to reach out to a lawyer. Usually, law enforcement waits until after you are processed and booked at the police precinct, to let you speak with your attorney. If you know that you are going to get arrested and you are able to make a phone call, you should do that. Retain the services of a determined robbery lawyer that could fight for you.