Biggest Mistakes to Avoid in Virginia Beach Criminal Cases

The following is taken from an interview with a Virginia Beach criminal attorney to discuss your case schedule a free consultation today.

The most common mistake we see for any criminal offense is speaking to the officers. It is extremely typical for defendants to say a whole lot more than they should say when they are being questioned by a police officer. Anything that they say can be used against them and most of the time it is used against them.

People many times believe that they can talk their way out of something or that they can convince the police officer that something else is actually what really happened so they shouldn’t be charged. The result of doing so is that the person digs themselves a deeper hole because when whatever they said comes up again later on in their case, they are faced with their own confessions working against them or prior inconsistent statements that becomes difficult to explain  away and then put their credibility in question. The best thing someone can do when they are charged with any kind of criminal offense is to keep quiet and speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

Does Asking to Speak With a Lawyer Imply Guilt?

Telling an officer that you want to speak to an attorney absolutely does not imply guilt. Many people make the mistake of speaking to the officers before speaking to an attorney and then they do more than just imply their guilt.

Many times people will outright confess or say something they believe will make their case better but it actually just makes it worse. Officers know that people have a right to remain silent and they know that they have a right to an attorney. These are basic rights that have no effect on whether someone appears guilty or not but just shows the officer that the person is not ignorant of that their rights are.

When Can I Contact An Attorney During the Criminal Process?

You can contact an attorney even before you are charged with the offense. It is important to do so in fact because then you don’t go into your charges blind and you are better prepared for what sort of questions you can expect to be asked later on and how to answer them in order to obtain the best results for your case.

The last thing you want to do is mistakenly believe you can handle whatever questions are thrown at you without an attorney and then you find yourself in a big hole. An attorney can explain your rights to you and advise you on whether you should answer anything at all. You don’t want to build the other side’s case for them. You want the other side to put the work in so that you can concentrate on doing the best for your defense.

lightblue-disclaimer