Three choices: (1) You can fight the charge and hope that you will ultimately be found 'not guilty.' (2) You can admit to the offense and plead guilty. (3) You can try to plea bargain (i.e.: 'cop a plea') with the prosecutor by offering to plead guilty to a lesser crime in exchange for a plea of guilty to that lesser offense.
If the case has closed without a finding of guilty, you have not been convicted of a disqualifying offense. You would be able to buy a gun.
Section 18 typically refers to the offense of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. If a person is charged with section 18, it means they are accused of intentionally causing a serious injury to another person. This offense carries a serious punishment, including a potential prison sentence.
You do not state whether this appeared on a criminal background check or a drivers license record check.Either way - If you have truly NEVER been charged with the offense - not simply found NOT guilty, I would strongly suggest you retain the services of an attorney. Although bureaucratic errors DO occur they are sometimes VERY difficult to get corrected, and the burden is ALWAYS on you to produce the proof that the records are wrong.If you HAVE ever been charged with DUI but had the charge dismissed or were found not guilty, then the record itself IS correct. It is a historical record and therefore accurately reflects that you had been (at some time in the past) charged with such an offense.
Yes. The charge may stem or arise from the same or similar offense, but the facts could be used to support a criminal charge in the same, or another, jurisdiction. Think the OJ Simpson case. He was found not guilty of the criminal offense, but guilty of the civil charge. ALSO - defendants have been found not guilty in state or federal courts of an offense, but then are charged by the Feds with... say.... civil rights violations, or some such.
A defendant is a person who has been charged with a criminal offense.
if you have been arrested for the offence, have been reported for the offence and you've received a summons to attend a court hearing then you will be guilty of a further offence. You can then be arrested and detained until another hearing is schedule. This will be added to the offense list by the prosecution. In some cases you can be found guilty in your absents and a sentence handed down. If you have not yet been charged the there is a possibility that the offence of theft is yet to be fully investigated and charges brought. It would NOT be advisable to FTA (Fail To Appear) if summoned as a judge will give instructions of "contempt of court".
"Imprisonment" meaning actually being sentenced to prison, means that you have been found guilty of a felony offense and have been sentenced to serve a term of more than one year incarceration."Imprisonment," used loosely, to mean simply being jailed, could be caused by any number of things. Usually it means that you have been charged with a crime and are awaiting court action, OR - you have been tried and found guilty of a misdemeanor offense for which the term of incarceration is LESS than one year.
The act of putting a person through a second trial for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted or convicted. Essentially this means that you can not be charged and tried for the same crime twice. If a court has found you 'not guilty' then that is the end of the matter legally (even if you were guilty and this could be proved at a later date).
If you have been charged with an offense - tried for it - been found not guilty - and then were; arrested again - and re-charged with the same identical charge for the same identical offense against the same identical victim or complainant for which you had been found not guilty the first time - then THAT is double jeaopardy. The circumstances of double jeaopardy are pretty clear and it is highly unlikely that they would escape the notice of a prosecutor or judge. Double jeaopardy is prohibited by the 5th Amendment to the Constitution. If you believe that you have been wrongfully charged, you or your lawyer, can raise it as a defense in your trial and the judge will rule on it.It is challenged by way of a motion to dismiss. For further explanation of the concept of double jeopardy, please see the related link below.
Charged - A formal accusation of an offense which is the preliminary step to prosecution. It does NOT mean "The Accused Person or Business" has been CONVICTED or found GUILTY of an illegal offense or crime. More so, it IS an accusation by someone representing the law, most likely a police officer. It DOES mean that the "The Accused Person or Business" will go before a court of law where a prosecutor - which is an attorney representing the Federal Government - will attempt to prove to the court that "The Accused Person or Business" is guilty of the said illegal offense or crime.
Depends on whether we are talking about a 4th degree misdemeanor or a 4th degree felony and whether or not you plan to plead guilty or innocent or simply no contest.
A crime is still a crime. If it was a serious offense and has still never been solved, you could still be charged and prosecuted for it. If it was something minor, it may be forgiven or you may receive minimal punishment.