My best friend along with 4 other men are being charged with 4 counts each of strong arm robbery....They are 4 seperate counts of 2nd degree robbery for 4 seperate incidents..My friend is 22 yrs old with nothing on his record...he had an arraignment today and he has a prelim trail coming up in 2 weeks...he has a public defender that told him to plead not guilty and his bail was at 400k and they tried to get it reduced but the judge denied him...it doesnt seem like the public defender even cares about the case because as soon as the arraignment ended he just left the court without talking to my friends family..my friends family doesnt have alot of money and were trying to figure out what we should do from here on out...any suggestions would be great and by the way we live in california..they were all under the influence of drugs and alcohol...
2007-05-31 06:29:10 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
i understand what you guys are saying...he should do his time ..its just this isnt him at all...he made an horrible mistake and has been hanging around the wrong people for so long..no matter where he goes hes around drugs and alcohol..his family are all drug addicts...all his friends are addicts as well..im one of the only friends that stay clean...hes just been around such the wrong people and got talked into doing all the stuf fhe did...i just want to know as far as if he shuold stay with his defender or try to hire an attorney...or will that not make a difference on getting his charges plead down..
2007-05-31 06:38:42 · update #1
it happend all on one night...one after the other...im not saying he shouldnt pay for his actions its just its totally not him who did these crimes...he has an infant son, he takes care of his disabled mother...hes been my best friend for so long and hes never done anything like this before...we were really close before i moved away to go to college and after i moved he started hanging out with the wrong people...i feel almost responsible since i wasnt there for him but i had to live my life..u guys dont understand that hes been around this stuff his whole life..one of his older brothers just got out of prison a few years ago..another brother has a warrant for his arrest and his sister is a drug addict..hes father is never there and his mom is disabled and an alcoholic...he has everything going against him and i guess it all finally caught up to him...hes really a good person its just hes been around so much bs
2007-05-31 06:45:30 · update #2
What should he do? Get his head out of his rectum and fly straight! This is why the terrorists and the illegals are winning the war.
2007-05-31 06:32:40 · answer #1 · answered by Nothingusefullearnedinschool 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sad to say, but in this case the public defender is probably right, a plea is probably the best way out of this. Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol isn't going to hel him.
Find out if the evidence is really weak - if it is then it may be worth contesting. By really weak I mean that you have some sketchy informant turning them in and no hard evidence against them. If he was caught in the act, or if they were IDed by a witness, then that's not good. If the evidence is strong, then he should attempt to minimize the time he'll spend in jail.
It hurts, but plenty of people get caught up in crap like this every day and don't get out of it either. Those are really serious charges and if they can be proved readily then there's little to no chance the prosecutor will want to back down on it (they've got a job to do and a boss to please as well).
2007-05-31 09:07:02 · answer #2 · answered by tails 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Under the influence of drugs is not a defense.
Public defenders in CA (and most states) are very overloaded with cases, they do not have the time to talk with their clients let alone the family. They will always tell you to plead not guilty at the arraignment, eventually the DA will offer a plea deal and the PD will most likely recommend your friend take it.
It is time he accepted the consequences of his actions and learns from it.
There are millions of people in prison whose family and friends say "it isn't like him". We all make our own decisions and we should know right from wrong by the time we are 22.
2007-05-31 06:37:08 · answer #3 · answered by Lori B 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing that you can or should do. He has gotten himself into a mess, and he has an attorney who will do his best to help him out of the mess. I do not wish to be harsh, but most attorneys are not going to spend a lot of time hand-holding with family members or friends, and an attorney cannot ethically discuss the conversations he has had with the client with anybody else (called attorney-client privilege).
It sounds to me like he is guilty of some very serious charges, and will be well advised to follow his attorney's advice regarding the best way to deal with the situation. The only thing you should do is support him through whatever punishment results from this conduct.
2007-05-31 10:10:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If he did the crime he should do the time. It doesn't matter if he was under the influence. Imagine if you were the person that got roughed up and robbed. I hope they throw the book at your friend.
2007-05-31 06:34:54 · answer #5 · answered by candy licker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
come clean if he did it / do the time / stop hanging around people who break the law / stop the drugs and alcohol / find Jesus / don't do it ever again
stop defending him and giving him excuses....you either choose to do the right thing or you don't....EVERYTHING has consequences
2007-05-31 06:34:01 · answer #6 · answered by Brian O 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
getting involved in this one time is an "error in judgment" - 4 times is not - you should evaluate your friends a bit better
2007-05-31 06:41:13 · answer #7 · answered by roadrunner426440 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hire a bad@ss lawyer and pray really hard.
2007-05-31 06:37:05 · answer #8 · answered by Petra 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋