North Carolina Criminal Defense Legal Questions

Depending on the amount allegedly stolen and the jurisdiction where the event occurred, shoplifting can be met with a mere citation (infraction), or charged as a misdemeanor or even a felony, with possible jail sentences of 6 months to 3 years. It will be up to the D.A. to determine how the crime will be charged. I suggest that you hire an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you and get you the best deal possible.... Read More

A search warrant needs probable cause to be legitimate, and search warrants are often challenged on a variety of legal grounds. It's a highly fact specific question that depends a lot on your house, the wording of the warrant, and other information. You should hire an attorney to review the issue and tell you if it's worth fighting.... Read More

If you are with someone who committed a robbery then you are guilty of robbery as an accomplice. I assume that the police have an identification and sufficient evidence to believe that he was a participant in the robbery unless he was misidentified. Retain a good lawyer as it is a serious felony, especially if a weapon was used.... Read More

People who make the decision to steal also make the decision to admit it and then wonder why they have a criminal record and no one wants to hire them. They are usually young and do not understand the consequences of having a criminal record. They should have just remained silent and hoped that all they had was suspicion, but they are not good decision makers and do not know much about their constitutional rights. Luckily the prosecutors and judges will give a young person a huge break the first time and not ruin their chances of getting a job. They will dismiss or reduce the charges to an ACD or Disorderly Conduct. Sometimes for large amounts or employee thefts (sweetheart deals with cashiers letting their friend pay a little for a lot of items or gift card fraud) the prosecutors will not reduce or dismiss the charges. retain a good criminal lawyer and hope that the prosecutor can be persuaded to give you a break but you have already taken all the bargaining power away from your lawyer by your confession. If you are in a big city it would be easier and if it was a small amount and just one time you should be fine.Gook luck.... Read More

I would really have to know the exact charge of which you were convicted in order to determine what you can and cannot do about your particular situation.  What I anticipate is that you are wanting to get the charge expunged, which can take up to a year or so to do.  Once I know the exact charge of which you were convicted, then I can figure out if that is possible or not.... Read More