Seminole County Attorney:
What Could Make you an Accessory to a Crime?
You could be charged as an accessory to a crime, either after the fact or during the commission of the crime. There are many ways that you can be charged with this crime, and for each your first step should be to have a criminal defense attorney to help you with the case. If you are assigned or have hired a Seminole County criminal defense attorney the first step will be to decide whether you can be bonded out of jail or not. In the case of some crimes, whether they were successful or not, you might be held without bond until an initial hearing takes place.
The Seminole County attorney will explain to you the possible classification of the crime and what the potential penalties will be, once he knows what all of the facts are. You can be charged as an accessory after the fact which could carry the potential for charges which are two rankings below the original offense. For instance, if you are brought in on a charge of accessory after the fact in an aggravated assault charge which is a third degree felony, you could be facing charges that would be a first degree misdemeanor. Punishments at this level can include one year in jail and $1000 in fines.
The main defense that the Florida criminal defense lawyer will likely try to use in this case would be to establish that you did not know a crime had been committed. This can be fairly tricky to do, especially considering some of the circumstances. For instance, if you say that you knew the person well enough to give them a ride home on the day in question, they can argue that you knew the person well enough to have had prior knowledge of the crime that was being or had been committed as well.
Of course, there are other ways to avoid jail time in these cases which could include agreeing to testify to what you know about the crime that has been committed. The Seminole County attorney could possibly take any information that you give to the prosecutor and work toward getting the case dropped.