What Should I Do If I’ve Been Arrested Or Face Arrest? – Video

Transcript: If you suspect that you’re about to be arrested or you have been arrested or you’re being investigated for a crime what should you do? Number one, call me immediately. Call a lawyer immediately to get good detailed legal advice. Number two, you have a right to remain silent under our Constitution. Use it.

The biggest mistake my clients will sometimes make is talking to the police. It’s human nature that you think well I’m gonna talk about this, maybe I’ll talk my way out of this. You’re not going to talk your way out of it. The police are not your friends in this context. They’re there to enforce the law, and by definition, if you’re calling me they think you did it, they think you’re guilty. So unless you have a true ironclad alibi, do not speak to the police. Call a lawyer, let your lawyer deal with the police.

At The Law Offices of John Phebus Glendale Criminal and Personal Injury Lawyer we practice a broad range of criminal defense. Vehicular crimes of all sorts, so we handle DUI cases, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated assault, all sorts of non-vehicular cases, domestic violence, that’s a very common issue. So if you get in a fight with your significant other and you’re arrested for domestic violence, which can have very serious consequences, we handle those. Drug violations, possession of dangerous drugs, personal use, possession of marijuana. Give us a call. Normally we’ll be able to handle your problem.

Domestic violence cases need to be taken with the utmost seriousness for the following reasons. If you’re not a U.S. citizen and you’re convicted of anything involving domestic violence it is a mandatory deportation offense. Typically, you will be barred from the United States. You will never be able to become a U.S. citizen. It can be catastrophic.

So if your loved one, say you’re a Dreamer, you’ve been here since you were two years old and now you’ve gotten in a fight with your sister and you’re charged with disorderly conduct or assault because you pushed your sister. Because it’s domestic violence, even though it’s a very minor misdemeanor, you will be precluded from becoming a U.S. citizen if you get convicted.

If you need a fingerprint clearance card, many professions need this now, it’s something you have to get from the Department of Public Safety if you’re a teacher, if you’re a doctor, if you work with older folks or children you need this fingerprint clearance card. If you are convicted of a domestic violence offense you cannot get a fingerprint clearance card.

So if you’re a teacher and you’ve been working in your career for 20 years and you get into an altercation with your spouse and you get convicted of disorderly conduct, domestic violence, again, you’re gonna lose your fingerprint clearance card and you’ll lose your ability to teach. So it’s critical. If you are charged with a domestic violence offense you need to call your lawyer immediately. You need to call me immediately so that we can work on solving your problem.

And one other thing on that. Very commonly in these cases you can get a diversion agreement, which is a deal where the prosecutor says they’ll drop the case if you go to domestic violence classes. Normally that can be a good opportunity, but if you’re here illegally with immigration status, so you’re not a U.S. citizen but you’re a permanent resident alien, diversion agreements will typically be treated the same as a guilty plea by the Federal Government.

So you can see this is very complex. You do not want to try to navigate this on your own. You need help to make sure that this does not really ruin your life, and you didn’t even realize that at the time you were in court.

If you don’t have a Glendale criminal lawyer you’re essentially giving up all hope in your case and you’re just pleading guilty, and you’re dealing with your case solo without any assistance, you have no idea whether you got the best outcome or the worst outcome.

A lawyer will ensure that you get the best outcome. I am there from the beginning to the end. I’m investigating your case, I’m interviewing officers, I’m interviewing witnesses, doing everything we can to maximize your chances of getting rid of the case or at the very least minimizing the amount of pain. That’s the objective in any criminal case.

I cannot change the facts, you know, I cannot make the whole case just disappear. It doesn’t work like that. But I can minimize its impact on your life, I can lower the cost and the expense to you and minimize the consequences after you leave court.

I’m here to fight for you from day one until day 365. They do not get to you until they get through me. I aggressively represent you every step of the way. I am your friend, your guide and your shield through a complex and turbulent period in your life.