After an arrest, a criminal case/investigation will move to the respective City or State’s prosecutors office for review and prosecution. The police officers will cooperate with the prosecutor and help them prepare the case for filing of the criminal charges. During that time, the accused defendant will work with their criminal defense lawyer to evaluate the evidence and prepare a defense.
For almost any criminal case, your attorney will need the following documents during pretrial or as soon as possible: 1) Arrest record; 2) Law enforcement record/file and 3) Your criminal record.
The following documents may be relevant in some cases. Your attorney will let you know if you need the following: 1) DMV/motor vehicle records, 2) Medical records, 3) Mental health records, 4) Paper trails/evidence, 5) Information about witnesses in the case and 6) Details and evidence regarding any possible alibi.
In addition to all the information you can provide verbally, your attorney will be interested in seeing documents relating to your alleged crime. People’s recollections of events are only sometimes accurate or trustworthy. Documents and exhibits can provide objective evidence.
Some of these documents may be in your possession. Other records might be kept by the government but will be relevant to your case. After getting arrested, documents to defend your case will be critical to gather.
If you hire an attorney right away, they may request these documents or discuss all of them with you. They will be looking for probable cause from the police, protection of your constitutional rights, and any mistakes from the criminal justice system.
If you receive a public defender and will not meet with them until weeks later or at your arraignment for the first court date, gathering some of these items yourself may help the person representing you. A thorough review of all the evidence can strengthen your attorney’s cross-examination of the State’s witnesses. It may also provide grounds for a dismissal or acquittal at trial.
Documents are created during and after your arrest that record the details of what the police say happened. One of these documents is a written report of your arrest. It may be separate from the public incident report. The police officer involved in the arrest fills this form out. If a defendant is unable to ascertain a copy, a defense lawyer is easily able to obtain such documents as well as other discovery upon filing their notice of appearance and demand for discovery, which is a document informing the Court and the prosecutor that he/she is now representing the defendant.
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a criminal charge, immediately contact a Seattle Criminal Attorney. A Criminal lawyer is not going to judge you and understands that everyone makes mistakes. Hiring a Seattle Criminal Lawyer to help can – at a minimum – reduce penalties and can help direct people on how to best deal with their criminal charge, and many times even get them dismissed. So, it should go without saying that someone cited for a misdemeanor or felony should hire a qualified Seattle Criminal Lawyer as soon as possible. Criminal charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with a crime in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle Criminal Lawyer. SQ Attorneys can be reached at (425) 359-3791 and/or (206) 441-0900.
