I was arrested here in Dallas/Fort Worth and I am innocent; what should I do?
First, call an attorney. Preferable you call us. If you have been charged with a crime, been arrested, or are being questioned as a possible suspect in a crime you should consult an attorney and not talk to anyone without your attorney. You should consult an attorney as soon as possible even if you are innocent in order to better your chances of a positive outcome.

Hiring an attorney earlier will increase the chances that your attorney may be able to convince the prosecutor that there is not enough evidence to file charges or maybe help increase the chances of negotiating in order to reduce the charges before its too late. You may choose to represent yourself or choose to use court appointed counsel. Self-representation is not recommended since it is risky and rarely successful.

Using the public defender would be a better choice than self-representation but the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics has shown that a higher percentage of defendants with public defenders have been convicted than those that used hired counsel. Not hiring an attorney may save you money in the short run but you should always think about the long term consequences. An attorney is more familiar with the justice system and its inner workings and will be able to use his knowledge and experience to better represent you in court. Your freedom and innocence are very important and you should hire an attorney if you find yourself in legal problems regardless of being innocent because sometimes the justice system fails resulting in the incarceration of innocent people.

Do I have to talk to the police or detective once I am arrested?
Not without your lawyer. Ask for a lawyer. You must be informed of your Miranda rights if you are in custody and the police are going to try to obtain any type of incriminating evidence from you. If you are both in custody and going to be interrogated the state must inform you that you have the right to remain silent, that what you say may be used against you, that you have the right to an attorney and that if you cannot afford an attorney one may be provided to you.

You must make it clear that you want to invoke the right to remain silent and/or the right to an attorney. You have to say “I want my attorney.” Failing to clearly invoke your right to remain silent or right to counsel can be very bad for you because law enforcement is not required to attempt to clarify if you are invoking your rights or not. If you invoke your right to remain silent the police must stop the interrogation but may re-initiate the interrogation after a break. However, if you invoke your right to an attorney only you may re-initiate the interrogation until your attorney is present.

What’s the process once I’m arrested in Texas?
You may be arrested by a warrant or if law enforcement has probable cause that you have committed a crime. Once you are arrested you must be told your Miranda rights. Your Miranda rights are that you have the right to remain silent, what you say may be used against you, you have the right to an attorney and that if you cannot afford an attorney one may be provided to you.

Getting Booked:
Once you are arrested and taken into custody you will be booked into a facility. Booking involves confiscating and inventorying your personal effects, obtaining your personal information, searching you which may involve a strip search, photographing and fingerprinting. There will be a phone available for you to call out.

Being arrested is a scary process and usually the jail facility is not very friendly. If you are your loved one just got arrested tell them to keep their head down and to not talk to anyone about his or her case. Contact Our Law Firm in Arlington as soon as possible so we can help get you or your loved one released.

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Any criminal action can have immigration consequences. More and more people are being deported for criminal acts that they either were found guilty or plead out a deal. Often time’s people were not aware that their criminal proceedings would affect their immigration status. Every case is different but here are some questions that we hear often.

I have some immigration problems and I am also in trouble with the police here in Dallas/Fort Worth; will I be deported?
Find more about Immigration Deportation in Arlington, Texas, and Mansfield, Texas by clicking here. Deportation is being removed and sent back to your home country after already having been admitted into the United States. Inadmissibility takes place at the border when you are seeking to be admitted into the United States and are refused entry. Any alien that has been admitted to the United States may be deported if he is convicted of a crime of moral turpitude within 5 years of his admission into the United States. Being deported requires a conviction unlike inadmissibility to the United States which only requires that you have admitted to committing the elements that make up a crime of moral turpitude that you were charged with.

You may also be deported for multiple convictions of crimes of moral turpitude regardless of what year the convictions occurred as long as both crimes did not happen in a single scheme of criminal misconducts.

What does a crime of moral turpitude mean?
A crime of moral turpitude is an act of vileness or depravity in the private and social duties which a man owes to his fellow-men, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between man and man. Crimes of moral turpitude include murder, fraud, and voluntary manslaughter.

We recommend that you speak with our immigration attorney as well as a criminal defense attorney at Our Law Firm. These areas of law are different but are closely connected and can cause life-long consequences.

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What is plea bargaining?
The majority of criminal cases are settled through plea bargaining. If you have ever had a case in Dallas County, Johnson, Ellis, Denton or Tarrant County, you will know that well over 90% of all criminal cases are settled through a plea-bargain. If accused of a crime you may plead guilty or no contest to reduced charges, a reduced sentence or dismissal of charges. Think “let’s make a deal.” They offer you something, then you refuse and counter. It all depends on the evidence and for what you are being charged.

What is a pre-sentence investigation?
After you negotiate a plea or are found guilty the court will usually order a pre-sentence investigation to be done in order to assist the court in determining what sentence they will impose on you. Extenuating circumstances may help reduce the length of the sentence but a history of crime in your record may increase the length of the sentence. The court will then review the pre-sentence report along with any additional information the defense would like the court to take into consideration before the sentencing hearing.
The sentencing hearing will consist of both sides having the opportunity to have witnesses make statements to support their position. The defendant will also have an opportunity to address the court but is not required to do so.

The state has the burden of proving to the jury that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If found guilty you may be sentenced to imprisonment, probation, fines, restitution, and community service.

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Search and seizure is a complicated topic in criminal law. Search and seizure often comes into play when a police officer is performing the search and seizure of the person, the home, or an automobile. There are certain rules that an officer and the government must follow when conducting a search and seizure. If these rules are not followed, this can impact a criminal defendant’s case in a good way. When analyzing if a search and seizure is valid, every detail matters. While we have tried to summarize some of the most common questions about search and seizure, every case is fact-specific and different; one page cannot fully explain all that must be known about search and seizure law.

Do I have to let a police officer in if they want to search my home in Arlington, Texas?
Police are not allowed to enter your home unless they have a search or arrest warrant. Police require only an arrest warrant to enter the home of the person named on the arrest warrant. An arrest warrant and a search warrant is required if you are at persons home other than your own. Without a warrant the only way law enforcement may enter is with your consent or if a warrant exception applies. They will not likely be asking you for permission if a warrant exception applies since the exceptions only apply to exigent circumstances. If they are asking you for permission to enter your home you may respectfully decline at which time they will be forced to obtain a warrant.

What kind of proof or evidence does a cop need to arrest or search me? Is it different in Dallas County or Tarrant County?
Arrest: A cop may arrest you if he has probable cause to believe that an individual has committed any criminal offense in his presence, regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the punishment. Probable cause is determined by whether the facts and circumstances would justify a reasonable officer to believe that there is a fair probability of criminal activity. Fair probability is more than bare suspicion but less than evidence which would result in a conviction.

Search: A cop must have reasonable suspicion in order to stop you. Reasonable suspicion is a reasonable belief that criminal activity is in progress. Determining whether there is reasonable suspicion requires that we ask ourselves whether the facts and circumstances would justify a reasonable officer to believe that there is criminal activity in progress. The officer may stop you only for the duration required to determine if his reasonable suspicion was accurate or not. If it was accurate he may arrest you since that will provide him with the probable cause that is required to make a lawful arrest but if it was inaccurate you are free to go. Once a cop has stopped you he may only search you if he has reasonable suspicion that you are armed and dangerous. This search is limited to a pat down search of the outside of your clothing only for weapons. Although the police officer is only searching for weapons which may be a threat to him or others,he may seize drugs and contraband if he feels them as long as it was immediately apparent what the items were underneath the clothing. It must be immediately apparent to the police officer without manipulation that the item in your pocket is drugs or contraband.

Search Incident To Arrest: A police officer may also search you after you have been arrested for any offense so long as it is a lawful arrest. A lawful arrest requires that the officer have probable cause or an arrest warrant. The officer must perform the search contemporaneously with the arrest. It doesn’t matter if the police are in Arlington, Mansfield, Dallas, Fort Worth, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, Irving, Las Colinas or Lewisville. These rules apply to all of Texas and all police officers, regardless of where the police officer is located or where you live; these rules must be followed.

Please contact the Arlington-based criminal defense attorney at Our Law Firm to discuss what options are available for you or the accused person.

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