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Signs That You May Be Under Investigation in Virginia

Although it may seem obvious, law enforcement officers have a variety of techniques they use to investigate crimes including some that are more subtle than others. For this reason, it is important that you are able to recognize when you may be under criminal investigation and consult with a Virginia criminal lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights and ensure you do not incriminate yourself in any way. The following is information on how to tell if you are under investigation and the importance of contacting an attorney. To learn more call today.

Signs That You Are Under Investigation

If you, your friends or family members notice that there are law enforcement officers’ vehicles either marked or unmarked parked near you, that could be a sign you are being investigated. Another sign would be if individuals are approaching your friends and family or approaching you to ask questions.

These individuals asking questions could be police officers, or they could be informants. An informant is someone working for the police and would not be dressed in uniform, so they would be less obvious The important thing to remember is that people asking questions, especially unusual questions concerning criminal activity, could be a sign that you are being investigated.

Other signs that you are being investigated could include unusual phone calls, text messages, and friend requests on any kind of social media account. Anything that would cause you to be suspicious, like a break in your daily routine or the daily activity of your friends and family would be something that will be worth noting. You will want to know not only when this happens, but where it happens, and how frequently. Then, you should bring this information to an attorney to ask them whether there is any basis to believe that you are under investigation with these facts in mind and with these instances in mind.

If Unsure Whether You Are Being Investigated Should You Still Contact a Lawyer?

If you are unsure you are being investigated, but you are still concerned about the possibility of an investigation, the first thing that you should do is go see a lawyer. It is absolutely the right choice to make. An attorney will be able to tell you not only what the likelihood of an investigation potential charges are, but an attorney will be able to prepare you for the moment that a charge is brought and will be able to give you a sense of what the outcome will be and what steps you will need to take in your case.

How An Attorney Can Help

Even if you are not sure that you are being investigated, an attorney can help because an attorney will be able to speak with you about your options should you eventually be investigated or charged. The attorney can advise you of what the police will be looking for and how you might be approached based on their evaluation of the circumstances in your specific case. An attorney can also be on call in case the police do approach you and can be a significant resource in how to interact with the police.

Additionally, an attorney will be able to do some initial background investigation to try to find out exactly what the police are looking for to determine the nature of the potential charges to be brought. For some attorneys, this might mean checking out the warrant logs at the local county courthouse to look for a search warrant or arrest warrant issued for you, for your residence or for the residences of your acquaintances and business partners.

Do You Lose Anything By Speaking To An Attorney?

There is nothing to lose by speaking to an attorney. The only cost might be an initial consultation fee but most attorneys will waive the initial consultation fee to speak with you a little bit about your case.

Additionally, the initial time that you talk with an attorney in order to consult them, is a privileged conversation. By talking to this attorney, even if you do not decide to hire them, the attorney cannot go out and tell the prosecuting attorney or another person what you talked about in the confidence of that meeting.

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