I need advice badly [arrested]

Just relax you'll be fine, and ignore the boards resident dumbass

Get through it, you won't even think about it in a few years

 

In Alabama, the age of majority is 19 unless you're married...so "youthful offender" can still apply to an 18-year-old.

Just because you have the right to an attorney doesn't mean that you automatically get one.

OP, I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. First off, calm down and take it one step at a time.

I'd strongly advise to get a lawyer...the advice you're getting here might be good, but it's free for a reason . You can get a lawyer appointed to you, or maybe find one that is willing to work with you paying in increments. Check with your college too; a lot of schools have a department ("Student Legal Services" or similar) that can help with students' legal issues. At my school, they can't represent you in court, but they can give advice and help you fill out paperwork, etc.

When you go to court, dress professionally (suit & tie, preferably) and speak professionally -- it goes a long way.

I'm just speculating here, but I doubt that simple possession of 3g and a paraphernalia charge will preclude you from getting into med school. Everyone makes "mistakes," and hopefully you'll be able to get it expunged from your record anyway.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

I recently got a minor in possession ticket in CA and was freaking out just as bad as you were, i was offered a youth offender program which reduced the charge to disturbance of the peace(infraction) and i paid ~700 in fees/classes/transportation

 

The only advice an intelligent criminal defendant will take is to keep your mouth shut and get a lawyer.

 

Move to New York. It's decriminalized. I got a summons for paraphernalia and possession last night. I have to go to court and tell them I smoke weed, then they'll tell me not to get caught again and MAYBE give me a small fine. Stuff wasn't even mine. I claimed my friend's bong and my other friend's weed. Got cuffed and sat in the car, high as balls, trying not to giggle because my own stash was in my pocket. My parents aren't gonna know. It's not even a misdemeanor... it's a violation here.

But some laws are HELL. Get out of places like that! I think in Illinois I'd be in jail... but I'm in class feeling like a hero.

Anyway. You're gonna be just fine. No one supports the fact that marijuana is illegal. You're young. You have no priors. You're not going to go to jail, and you probably won't lose your scholarship either.

 

get a lawyer or no one will take you seriously. it's really your only way to not get fucked by the law, with a good lawyer you'd be able to just pay a fine and maybe community service but without one i wouldn't be surprised if you got jail time, especially in alabama.

Don't worry about paying the lawyer, you have right to a free attorney, they aren't the best out there but they're better than someone who knows very little about the laws.

also your scholarship could be at risk, you can be disqualified from financial aid for any kind of arrest, but i'd take that up with your school administration.

 

You always have the right to a free attorney. Get off of here and go call a lawyer. No one here has any idea about the laws in your state or even the laws of their country so you will get a lot of bad advice from smart-asses.

 

Talk to a lawyer.
Or just tell your parents about it. If the odds are good that they'll find out anyways, they'll be more pissed that you tried to hide it from them.

 

Not sure where a lot of you people think these magical free lawyers come from, think they just sit outside random police stations / jails at all hours waiting for someone to get arrested so they can do pro bono work? You have to formally request and they have to file paperwork before they can give you an appointed counsel. In specific cases where its deemed important enough the process can be expedited, but good luck getting the government to expedite shit...

edit: oh yea and you have to provide financial info to prove you're too poor to hire your own attorney..

 

Is there any possibility of requesting a Public Defender lawyer? Also, at my local court, the prosecutor makes himself available to speak with defendants starting an hour before courtroom opens, try to do that. Explain the circumstances and you might get that youthful offender option, it seems designed for upper class college kids such as yourself.

But what I think you SHOULD do is this: Come clean to your parents and get them to pay for a good lawyer, get a local one who is familiar with the court you will be required to appear in. In the long run you will all get some perspective on this and it won't seem like the Worst Thing In The World.

 

Unless you had already received money for your scholarships at the time of the citation then it shouldn't affect that. If you were given ANY federal money (be it in a grant, a scholarship or a loan) then you're going to lose your financial aid.

I can't realistically see it affecting your life too much in any other way. If you seem to be an upstanding citizen and you're white (sad but true,) chances are you'll be offered a diversion program and you'll never even have to enter a plea. Even if not and you end up with a misdemeanor on your record, that's really not the end of the world. It might affect your employment options for a little while but by the time you're out of college, nobody's going to care.

It's always good to talk to a lawyer, but honestly I personally wouldn't be too hasty to fork over my life-savings on something like this. I'd pay for a consultation to go over the facts of the case and see if there is a way to contest the arrest itself that you've overlooked, but other than that, there's not a whole hell of a lot they're going to do for you other than take your money and get you in and out of court faster. With possession charges things are pretty straightforward and you're going to kick yourself in the ass if you spend $3k+ on a lawyer just to get into court and immediately be offered a diversion program. I'd say consult with a private attorney or two, see what they think about getting juvenile status and then just use the court-appointed public counsel (if it even comes up.)

Unless your arrest/subsequent detainment was extraordinary, you can't really contest the fact that you had weed. A not guilty plea would just be a waste of your time and money. What you really ought to be thinking about are arguments for diversion and/or light-sentencing. In other words, the case is now about you and whether or not you are a 'hoodlum.' Gather any evidence you have to the contrary.

 

Fly this guy out to Alabama, and put him on retainer.

 

I got arrested at 18 in Jersey, and I got a conditional discharge, basically meaning I had to not get in trouble for a year and then that shit was wiped from my record completely. The only thing is if you were finger printed, your record will have a little number, but all that tells companies when they background check you is that you have been finger printed, not that you were arrested. If they ask why your record has a number, just say your parents got you printed when you were little so that u could be identified if you ever got lost.

Edit: BTW, I'm from New Jersey

 

I live in rich ass Jersey near NYC and my lawyer was only $1000 for the same case

 

.....congratulations?

 

people grow a pair seriously im sick of these fucking threads that say i got caught with 3 grams is my life ruined. yes it is they lock people like that up BIG TIME you got 5 to life sentence coming bro. No one in college has ever smoked weed so the college will be real upset. In fact the national college database is gonna put "POT HEAD" label that shows when they search your name. Dogs and helicopters will be watching your house. they will install wire taps and hidden infrared/night vision/weed sensing cameras. Pretty much they are gonna put you on Americas most wanted you are fucked. AND LOL you say you cant afford a lawyer "if you cannot afford an attorney, one will appointed to you" sounds familiar as they should have read that to you at some point. Not being a dick but you sound like a little Bitch here, i got DUI with a bac of .23, an assault charge cause the accident hurt the other driver, and a weed possession i got probation for a year and am in college now but yeah in your case life is over.

Edit: and lol do your really believe your parents think you are being their little angle in COLLEGE, no im sure they worry about whether you are shooting heroin or not, when they hear from you that you used something so miniscule as weed they will actually probably laugh.

 

[quote name='"Meursault"']I can't realistically see it affecting your life too much in any other way. If you seem to be an upstanding citizen and you're white (sad but true,)[/quote]

So sad, and so true.

[quote name='"Meursault"']
.....congratulations?[/quote]

Idk why but this made me lol.

 

[quote name='"KillaWillaBilla"']Not being a dick[/quote]

You sure, bro?

 

Fixed that for you.