When Am I Free To Leave A Police Encounter?

When Am I Free To Leave A Police Encounter? When determining whether a particular police encounter with a suspect amounted to a detention, an objective standard is used by the Courts.  The question is, in view of all surrounding circumstances, would a reasonable person in the suspect’s position have believed he or she was not free to leave? If a reasonable person would have believed that he or she was…

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I am Charged with Attempt to Commit a Crime. What Does That Mean?

I am Charged with Attempt to Commit a Crime. What Does That Mean? “I didn’t actually complete a crime. I simply started to commit a crime, but didn’t follow through with it. Is this still a crime?” From time to time, we get calls from callers wanting to know if such an occurrence still qualifies as a crime. They want to know if they can still be prosecuted even if…

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The Difference Between A Guilty Plea And A No Contest Plea

The Difference Between A Guilty Plea And A No Contest Plea Which is better, a guilty plea or a no contest plea? A defendant usually enters a plea of no contest when he or she is not guilty OR is guilty but does not want to admit guilt; in either case the defendant does not want to go to trial, which makes the plea a no contest plea. For the…

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