Out of State Residents and Drug Cases in Howard County

If you are facing drug charges in Howard County but reside in another state, the following is what you should know about how these charges could effect you. Call today and schedule a consultation with a Howard County drug lawyer for free.

Out of State Visitors and Drug Charges

Howard County law enforcement officers and prosecutors treat visitors from other states and cities exactly the same way that they handle Maryland residents.

If an individual is charged, they are going to receive a charging document and they are going to be given a court date either in district court or circuit court, depending on what the nature of the charges is. An individual will then have to come back to Maryland to appear for trial in that case. If they are going to be incarcerated they are going to be incarcerated in Maryland rather than in their home state. If they are not incarcerated then they will be free to return to their home state depending on what their probation conditions are.

What Should Out-of-State Defendants Do?

They should immediately speak to local counsel. Having a lawyer on your side looking at the facts of the case and negotiating with the prosecution and presenting information to court can be invaluable in a case like that.

Common Questions Out of State Visitors Ask

The big question is, “What is going to happen to me? How is my case going to play out in the court system? How does the law apply to facts in a case like this?” Those are probably the most common questions people want to know. And then they are going to want to know what is going to happen in terms of penalties and fines. What are the expected fines? Is there going to be any kind of incarceration? Is there going to be probation? What should I do to prepare for a trial? Those are other frequent questions people ask me.

Our Approach to Howard County Drug Cases

Clients choose to work with us because of a combination of familiarity with the local judges and the local prosecutors as well as confidence. I tell clients when they come in exactly what they can expect from the proceedings and then I benchmark myself on being able to say at the conclusion of the case, “That was consistent with the expectations that we setup in the beginning of the case”. So I think that if you do that, people are going to want to work with you. When you set a realistic expectation, you handle their case competently and you get them a good outcome, then people will want to work with you.