A robbery offense could result in a felony conviction. Felonies can have far-reaching consequences like a loss of job opportunities, difficulties finding housing, and the loss of certain civil liberties. That is why it is important to work with a capable defense attorney. If you want to know more about the process of building a Prince William County robbery defense, work with an accomplished robbery attorney that could advocate for you.
Some of the evidence that an attorney can compile when building a Prince William County robbery defense could include the things like eye-witness testimony or an alibi defense where there is credible evidence that the person was actually someplace else at that time.
The defense could look at for fingerprints, look to show that there was no force, and challenge the allegations that there was force or threat of force. The evidence is going to depend on the case, but, certainly, there could be anything from physical evidence like DNA or any type of the video evidence or recorded evidence that establishes a person’s presence at the scene where the crime allegedly took place.
In situations where somebody does not have a criminal background or the factors of these cases are not as serious as they are in other cases—or whether question as to whether or not the element of threat of force or force is there—certainly, those are situations where the prosecutor might be willing to amend the charge down to a simple theft charge. It is going to depend on the facts of the case and, certainly, whether or not the alleged victim was hurt and how much they were hurt.
A criminal lawyer might encourage a person charged with robbery to take a plea deal in situations where the evidence is overwhelming, or if the person’s criminal history really prevents them from presenting their case in front of the judge.
Sometimes, there are situations where somebody has a criminal history that makes the potential consequences of a conviction so much worse. In those situations, it might make sense to enter a guilty plea with an agreement on sentence, as opposed to taking it in and not really knowing what the judge or what a jury is going to do with the case. Certainly, in situations where the prosecutor is willing to amend the charge down to a misdemeanor or is otherwise willing to amend the charge to something that carries a lesser sentence, that could also be a situation where an attorney would encourage somebody to take the deal.
When building a Prince William County robbery defense, the attorney is going to have to look at a lot of different factors. They might need to look at the evidence that the prosecution is trying to bring against the person, they are going to looking at whether or not there are any witnesses if there was a video of the offense, all the physical evidence, and any written or recorded evidence. This is certainly something that the attorney will need to look at, to begin with. From there, they can go ahead and start formulating defense strategies and potential ways that they can attack the case that the prosecutor is building.
They could look at other potential elements like entrapment, duress, or lack of intent to take away, or they could attack the force on it, and say, that there was no force or threat of force being made during the commission of the offense. A capable robbery attorney could use the facts of an individual’s case to build a solid defense for them.
Even if a person is charged with theft, they should still consider hiring a qualified robbery lawyer because, depending on what type of theft they are charged with, they still could be charged with a felony offense. Grand larceny is also a felony offense and it still carries up to 20 years in prison.
The consequences are severe and, certainly, just because someone was charged with theft and not robbery, it does not mean that there is not a lot at stake and they should not hire an attorney. Additionally, the prosecution, if they find in the course of their investigation that there is force or threat of force, can amend the charge up to a robbery charge. Certainly, this could be a situation where somebody would want an attorney to prevent that from happening. If an individual faces a robbery offense, they should work with a seasoned robbery attorney that could fight for them.