- On your first court appearance do not accept any plea deals without first speaking with an attorney – many times on your first court appearance the district attorney will offer you a plea deal if you agree to plead guilty. This offer may sound good, but it is not always in your best interest. Many times these offers are given with the knowledge that you do not have an attorney and they can get you to enter a guilty plea before you retain counsel. Always speak with a Colorado Springs criminal defense lawyer before accepting these deals.
- Do not discuss the incident with anyone but your attorney – this includes your family or friends. It may be hard not to discuss the matter because you need someone to vent to, but the district attorney could subpoena these people to testify against you.
- Be truthful with your defense attorney – if your attorney asks you a question be truthful with them. Your defense lawyer is there to act in your best interest and if they do not want to know the answer to a question, they will not ask it. If you lie to your attorney it may lead to problems down the road, they may be making an argument based on the information that you provided them only to be blindsided by evidence produced by a witness that destroys the defense theory.
- Treat all phone calls from others as if the police are listening – the law allows a person to record a phone conversation as long as one party to the call is aware that it is being recorded. The police could have an alleged victim call you to attempt to get you to confess or apologize. These are call "pretext" calls and can be used against you in court or lead to your arrest. There is no need to discuss the alleged incident with anyone but your defense attorney.
- Do not contact any alleged victims or witnesses – even if the victim or witness are your friends, the police or district attorney may look at this as an attempt to influence or intimidate a victim or witness. This could lead to additional charges. If out on bail, your bail could be revoked and you could be placed in jail until the time of trial. If you must talk with victim or witness for some other reason, do not discuss the case.
For more information about your criminal defense case, including the legal options available to you at this time, contact us and schedule a free initial case review!