When a person is arrested of a crime, and they know they are guilty, they often wonder whether they should go ahead and contact a criminal law attorney in Williston ND for help. After all, if they are guilty and there is evidence against them, is there any hope that the charges will be dismissed, or they will be found not-guilty? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. There is quite a bit a lawyer can do to help their client, especially if it’s their first offense and if they were arrested on a misdemeanor charge.
Just because a person is arrested and there is evidence against them doesn’t automatically mean they are guilty. Every person has the right to a trial and must be proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the trial. They may waive the trial and plead guilty, but with the help of a criminal law attorney in Williston ND, they may have a chance at coming out without a conviction of they plead not-guilty and work with the attorney to go through a trial or to have the charges dropped.
In some cases, the attorney may be able to have evidence against them dismissed if the evidence was improperly collected or there was an issue with the chain of custody for the evidence. They may also be able to prove in front of a jury that the evidence though it does make the person look guilty, doesn’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and there could be another reason for the evidence. Both of these could lead to the person being found not guilty, even if they did commit the crime as there won’t be enough evidence to actually charge them with the crime.
Although a person may be guilty of a crime, it doesn’t mean they don’t have the same rights as everyone else who is arrested. They can go to court and force the prosecution to prove they’re guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Anyone who wants to find out what their options are in this situation can hire a Criminal Law Attorney to learn more about their own situation and get the help they need to obtain a better outcome than just pleading guilty.