For over twelve (12) years I had the privilege to practice criminal law as a North Carolina State’s Prosecutor in the Robeson County Courthouse in Lumberton, North Carolina and in the Scotland County Courthouse in Laurinburg, North Carolina. During those days I prosecuted most of the serious drug cases in those two counties, including large marijuana busts, large cocaine and crack trafficking busts, and trafficking cases involving large stashes of prescription drugs. Occasionally the values of the drugs were over a million dollars. With the help of the fine officers in the Robeson and Scotland County Sheriff’s Department and local police departments all over those two counties, we hardly ever lost a case for the State. The fines and costs provided large revenues for the State and sometimes for the Federal Government.
My partner, Sue Berry, and I also offer our services for Federal Court criminal and drug cases. Sue Berry is located in Wilmington, North Carolina, near the Federal Courthouse and is available to quickly visit federal inmates to prepare for their representation at detention hearings and at trial.
We represent numerous other categories of felonies and most all misdemeanors including traffic cases, driving while impaired, driving while license revoked, assaults, breaking or entering and larceny cases and most other matters that arise in the Federal Courts or the Superior or District Courts in North Carolina.
Prosecuting for the State has provided me an unusual opportunity and perspective on jury trials. I have tried over one thousand cases before juries in cases throughout North Carolina, and tens of thousands of misdemeanors of all sorts.
This experience in the Courts have given me the opportunity to know all of the judges, the prosecutors, many of the officers, and many of the Court personnel including the energetic and able Clerks of Court who manage the paperwork through the judicial system.
If you are stopped in your car, arrested, searched, or if you receive a target letter from the Federal Prosecutor, or an officer asks you to give a statement under circumstances when you believe are or might be accused of a crime, you must contact us right away before you say anything further. If you do not contact us then please contact a competent criminal lawyer. What you say in the early stages of an investigation are highly critical. Often officers do not record what you say. They write down their version of what you say, and those versions can often be colored toward making the officer’s case. If you call us we will arrange to see you as fast as possible. We will help your family arrange bond for you or if indicated make a timely bond motion so that you will pay less through the bonding procedure to get out of detention. If you are in jail say nothing about your case to fellow inmates. Snitches (informants) are everywhere in the jail system anxious to get their charges reduced by ratting on you.
Be cooperative and polite at all times with the officers. Give them no cause to claim you resisted arrest if they are arresting you. Even jerking your arm away or walking away from them when they are trying to detain you can be enough to cause them to charge you with resisting a public officer, a charge which is unlikely to be dismissed.
If there are drug charges, remember that the State of North Carolina taxes those drugs heavily and if you are innocent we must file notice of our objection to those taxes and levies within a limited amount of time or we waive the right to request a hearing in order to get back your money or vehicle(s) taken pursuant to the seizure.
If you are in jail send your family or your close friends to see us. We can make arrangements with them to get your bond motion filed. We will try to get you out as early as possible at a lesser cost.
If you accept a Court-appointed attorney, remember that these are good attorneys, but they are very overworked attorneys. Due to budget shortfalls with the State and the general economic downturn, more case load is expected than ever before of each of these public defenders because more people are turning to Court-appointed lawyers or the public defender rather than hire their own.
While the public lawyers and Court-appointed lawyers are able lawyers, we believe that we can offer you representation on at least the same if not a much higher level than the overstressed, overworked public defender or Court-appointed attorney. Remember, a State or Court-appointed lawyer is not free (that is, unless you are found not guilty). If you are found guilty or plead guilty to any of your charges, then the costs of that public attorney is recorded as a judgment against you. Interest begins running at 8% per year and that judgment may keep you someday from purchasing a house or getting the credit that you need for any purchase. As the 8% per year compounds, one day you may have a huge attorney fee to pay for that Court-appointed lawyer. Would you not rather choose your own? Would you rather not have a lawyer who has time for you and can assign a staff member to handle all of the administrative details with you and your family?
We do make jail visits. We offer a free consultation. We will be happy to review your case with you and/or your family.
Justice may be blind, but don’t you be.