Criminal Law/Reduce charge?

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Expert: - 9/14/2009


Question
The othe night me and my husband rented a hotel room to celebrate his birthday with some friends and family. People were coming and going all night and around 2:00am we got a knock at the door saying there was a noise complaint. The officers came in told us the problem with the noise and then they said they smelt pot coming from the bathroom. They asked everyone in the room if it belonged to them, everyone said no, they then searched the place coming up with only a few flakes of green on the bathroom counter, so obiviously someone had previously been doing somingthing in there. They then wrote everyone a citation for possesion of marijuana, about 15 people, and we were kicked out of the hotel. I'm just concerned with having this charge on my record because It will enable me and my husband from getting finacial aid or grants for school. Do you think it's posible that Me and my husband can get the charge reduced and or no charge at all?

Answer
I have no idea whether you can get the charge reduced since that any given time there are hundreds of thousands of active criminal charges in the various court systems in this country.  What does matter is that you have a criminal record for possession of drugs.  A prospective employer or a school deciding whether you are going to get financial aid is not going to be interested in whether it was a motel room with fifteen people or whether you had ten bags of marijuana.  All they are going to see on your record is the criminal charge.  You need to contact an attorney asap in order to defend you against these charges.

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. Only a judge could answer a question like that. I am also NOT a probation officer or parole officer so I cannot answer questions that relate to parole or probation. Also please keep in mind that every state has different laws. If you are planning to ask a question about a specific law or criminal charge that pertains to your state only it could be difficult to answer. I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or what not to do in court. Retired police officer with 26 years experience. Worked in the patrol division as well as over 14 years in the detective bureau. Investigated a wide range of crime such as murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, and other very sensitive crimes. I am available to answer your questions about criminal law and especially as it applies to police work. I taught at the police academy for several years and am especially knowledgeable about search and seizure. Any question about criminal law is welcome! Please don't ask me to do your homework or ask me questions that obviously come from your teachers or professors. I also do not do online interviews or surveys. Young people need to gain face to face interviewing skills. Local police officers usually are very agreeable to assist in these assignments.

Experience

I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience. I investigated almost every type of crime including murder, rape, theft, missing persons, fraud, and domestic abuse. I am very knowledgeable about search and seizure and taught at the police academy for several years on a variety of subjects. I can answer questions that a lot of attorneys cannot since they do not have "street experience".

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Science degree in Criminolgy from the University of Maryland.

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