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I went to the St. Louis Arch the other day, and had a small pocket knife I carry with me almost everywhere. I saw a sign that said no weapons could enter the Arch, so I hid the knife in a small cabinet by the front door where they have literature about the Arch. When I left, I went to look and found no knife. It was no big deal, so I'm leaving and I'm telling my little brother it's not there when I'm approached by one of the security guys there. He overheard me and I was honest and told him what happened, so he gives me a federal citation for 'Abandonment of Property'. They never saw or found the knife, all they know is I said I did it. The security guy was being a jerk and treating me like a criminal that was leaving grenades around or something, and was obviously on a power trip and needed excitement. Now I can pay $125 or go to court, I plan to go to court but can anybody give me any advice on this? How to fight it? Anybody had this problem before? Thanks

2007-01-02 08:15:11 · 3 answers · asked by Alex S 2 in Politics & Government Law Enforcement & Police

3 answers

Enter a plea of not guilty. Then as trial time approaches, file for a continuance. File for as many continuances as possible, in order to delay the trial as long as possible. By the time you have to show up, its fairly likely that that cop wont even show up. If he doesnt- case dismissed. Its also likely he will have started forgetting facts of the case, which helps your chances of winning. If he does show up, then ask him basic questions like, did you see me do it? Did you find a knife as evidence? Etc. It might get thrown out. But dont lie- if none of that works, you're probably going to have to pay a fine + court costs- since you did admit to it, and I assume you wont be purguring yourself.

2007-01-02 08:25:44 · answer #1 · answered by bmwdriver11 7 · 0 0

For legal advice, seek an attorney. No attorney can ethically give you "legal advice" over the Internet.
For general ideas -- wow, that sucks. Remember, now that this is a FEDERAL citation; you will likely have to go to FEDERAL court to fight this. This isn't like county or state court--these judges see many fewer criminals (and most of them are big-time; few misdemeanors) and defendants are often treated much more harshly. Because actual imprisonment is not likely, it's also not likely that you will be provided counsel (although if imprisonment is on the table, be sure to demand counsel).
If you have particular questions, get an attorney licensed to practice in federal court in the eastern district of Missouri. If you can't afford an attorney, you might want to try to contact the assistant U.S. attorney assigned to handle your case-- remember, of course, he's the adversary, but he may agree to drop the charges after a conversation with you (remember, anything you say can and will be used against you).
Get an attorney if you want to effectively fight this.
Good luck.

2007-01-02 16:24:22 · answer #2 · answered by Perdendosi 7 · 0 0

go to court. tell the judge what happend. he will dismiss it and make the officer look like a jerk! judges are not that bad. they are human too.

2007-01-02 16:41:44 · answer #3 · answered by pantyhose_creature 2 · 0 0

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