It is imperative that you heed the very important advice that any good lawyer will give you which is: watch what you say when you are stopped by the police.
We all understand that you don’t want to give a statement to police when you are arrested because the only thing they are going to do is use whatever you say against you. Regardless
However, in a recent case Commonwealth v. Clinton 905a2 1026 (Pa.Super.2006) undercover policemen stopped a car who allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign. These officers couldn’t even arrest someone because they were not in uniform and in an marked car. However, when they asked the defendant for his license, they also asked him if he had any weapons or anything they should be aware of. Stupidly he said he had a little bit of weed. Based on his statement they took him out of the car, searched the car, and found a digital scale and a pound of marijuana in the trunk. The court found nothing wrong with the cops searching the car even though they didn’t have a warrant and they didn’t truly have any basis for even stopping him. It was the incriminating statement that got the defendant into big trouble. Even if he didn’t own the car, even if the marijuana in the trunk or the scale weren’t his, he still made a very critical error of telling the cops that he had some weed on him.
The lesson is, don’t say anything. Don’t make any statements. It can only get you in trouble.
September 29, 2008 at 3:54 am |
Great Article! I really enjoyed reading this as it made me realize just how important it is to be aware of what I say, not just to the police, but in every situation in life.
I have also viewed your web site (http://www.joemitchellattorney.com). You have some very interesting articles on your site as well. Thank you for keeping the public informed.