Role of an Attorney in a Chantilly Shoplifting Case

Ways that having an attorney by your side can help with shoplifting charges would first and foremost be fighting your case and getting a not guilty verdict.

A Chantilly shoplifting attorney can poke holes in the prosecutor’s case and to really advocate for the defendant by aggressively questioning the witnesses against the accused on their behalf. An attorney who is by your side can also work to negotiate a plea deal in a case where the evidence might look bad against you, but perhaps the best possible outcome is not going to be a conviction but instead some kind of diversionary program, community service, or something like that so that it will not be on your records forever and mess up your future.

An attorney who is by your side can work diligently towards a not guilty verdict, and if that seems unlikely due to the evidence against you, to negotiate a plea deal. The attorney can also perhaps pursue the best possible outcome of  some kind of diversionary program, community service, or something like that in order for it to not be on the accused’s records forever and mess up their future.

Defense Strategies

The strategies that shoplifting lawyers will use when trying to prepare a defense in Chantilly are going to begin by knowing all the facts that the prosecutor is going to try to use against the defendant, who the witnesses are, what the weaknesses are in their statements, and the facts that the prosecution has.

By knowing all of this information the Chantilly attorney can build a defense by trying to poke holes in the mandatory elements that the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict the defendant.

Potential areas of defense include knocking out the intent to permanently deprive somebody of the item, or defending it by saying it was not the accused, having an alibi for the time of the crime, or a defense based on the idea that the accused has rightful ownership of the item such as having already paid for it. All of these can be defenses to shoplifting and the defenses used will depend on the facts of the individual’s case.

Reduced Sentence Options

Whether or not a person has possible probation or reduced sentence options is going to depend on whether or not there is any leeway with the outcome of the shoplifting offense in Chantilly. It will often depend on the accused’s background, whether or not they have previously been convicted of other shoplifting or theft offenses, and the facts of the case.

If this is a person’s first time that they have ever been caught, it was a low-value item, and they have no convictions on their record, then there might be ways to attend a community service or probation program to get the charges either dropped completely, get a reduction in the charge, or a reduction in the sentence.

Role at an Arraignment

At a person’s arraignment, an attorney will play a minor role. An attorney will not play a very active role at the arraignment, but be there either to stand by the defendant or go ahead and waive the arraignment altogether. The arraignment process is just so the judge can formally tell the defendant the charges against them and to set a court meeting.

The arraignment is not going to be a situation where anything concrete is going to happen in an individual’s case. It will certainly not be a situation where the accused’s guilt or innocence is adjudicated. The arraignment is simply a time for the attorneys to submit their appearance to the judge and tell the judge they will be representing the individual as well as to pick a date either for trial or a preliminary hearing, depending on whether the individual is charged with a misdemeanor or a felony.

When to Contact an Attorney

A person should contact a Chantilly shoplifting lawyer as soon as they think they are either going to be or have been charged with a shoplifting offense, or if they have been arrested and are not sure why but they think it might have to do with shoplifting. Give a lawyer a call as soon as you are able. If you are under investigation call an attorney right away and tell the attorney the facts of your case and why you are worried.

An attorney will be able to tell what you are going to be potentially looking at and to help you minimize the damage that could come with you speaking to a law enforcement officer or a loss prevention officer who is the store version of the law enforcement officer, because you not give any statements that they can then use against you in trial. An attorney can help you go ahead and not do that, and facilitate any kind of communication between you and that group without having to admit facts that would have a negative effect on the outcome of your case.