Let’s face it, criminal charges can be very serious and have long-lasting effects on your life. Even without conviction, you can experience significant changes in your day-to-day life, as well as severe pressure and stress from ongoing investigation. Furthermore, if you are facing a criminal charge, it’s important that you begin to take steps immediately to help your case even before you speak to a criminal defense lawyer in East Grand Forks.
When you are facing a criminal charge, making the wrong choices could be detrimental to your case. Read on to find out four things to do when you are facing a criminal charge.
1. Hire a criminal defense lawyer- Whether you are being investigated for a crime or have already been charged, hiring a criminal defense lawyer is vital. Furthermore, hiring a professional criminal defense lawyer can take away excess stress from you and significantly increase your chance of winning the case. These professionals will assess your case, build the best defense to support it and protect your rights.
2. Stay off social media- It goes without saying, that posting about your charges on social networking sites is one of the worst things you can do as a criminal defendant. Furthermore, social media posts may be admitted as evidence and it is in your best interests to totally avoid social networking sites until your criminal case has concluded.
3. Don’t discuss the incident with others- In addition to staying off social media, make sure you avoid the temptation to talk to other people about the allegations, including family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Furthermore, the information you share with other people can be used against you if you are charged with committing a criminal offense.
4. Don’t contact the police about your case- Once you have received charges, do not make the mistake of contacting the police about your case until you have contacted and retained a lawyer to advise you how to proceed. Always remember, anything you say when you are facing a criminal charge can and will be used against you.
While these were some of the things to do when facing a criminal charge, there are many others, such as draft a summary of the events that lead to the charges, stay calm, don’t contact any potential victims in the case among many others.
