Biggest Mistakes To Avoid in a Maryland Criminal Case

The following is taken from an interview with a Maryland criminal defense attorney as they discuss the biggest mistakes you should avoid if charged with a crime in Maryland. For more information or to seek legal representation, call and schedule a consultation today.

Making An Admission To Police

The first and biggest mistake is making any kind of admission of guilt to police. If an individual admits their guilt in a crime to the police, that is going to make their criminal case extraordinarily difficult to defend.

Making an admission to the police is something that can be admitted into evidence in court without that individual being required to take the stand. The police officer can testify that the individual admitted to the officer that they committed the crime. Judges or juries will take that admission of guilt extremely seriously. Generally, the state has the burden of proving that an individual committed an infraction, but if the individual makes an admission of guilt, they basically help the state in meeting that burden. So that is why making an admission of guilt to the police is not advised.

This is the first and potentially biggest mistake you can make with regards to being charged for a criminal offense.

Waiting To Hire Legal Representation

Another common mistake people make waiting too long to get an attorney. Sometimes people will wait until the last minute before trial to hire an attorney, which makes preparing and mounting an adequate defense very difficult because the attorney only has a day or two to prepare, rather than several months.

Speaking to an attorney right away can be extremely helpful to preparing the defense. Sometimes, witnesses will have a better recollection of events right after the incident took place. So the attorney would have a chance to interview that person and get a cleaner version of events that could potentially exonerate an individual who is charged with a crime.

Additionally, your attorney may want you to enroll in some kind of treatment or courses that you would have completed by the time your court date comes around, rather than just get whatever the court dictates for treatment. So there is a lot that you need to do in preparation for a criminal case while the matter is still in its early days, and waiting until the last minute to consult with an attorney can really put you behind.

As a result it is imperative that you consult with a lawyer as soon as possible following your charge, so that they have adequate time to explore all the potential defenses and develop the one that is right for your specific case. For more information call today.