Misdemeanors
-Willie Brown-
"You're going to be accused of every high crime and low misdemeanor there is."
REPRESENTING YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY
This doesn't have to stick
At Kidder Criminal Defense no Misdemeanor case is too big or too small, but above all you should never settle to just plead guilty and pay a fine. Even a minor misdemeanor charge can ruin your future and opportunities, take away your rights, tarnish your reputation, and lead to more criminal charges. Many times, with the right attention, planning, and the right attorney we can get your charges dismissed, reduced, and/or off of your record.
If you have a clean record you need to keep it clean, because once you have a record- even a minor one, it becomes all too easy for you to get another one. Police, prosecutors, and the public can see your record and they will use it against you. Do not give them the opportunity. Call Kidder Criminal Defense today and lets come up with a plan tailored to get you your best possible outcome.
Jason Kidder has extensive experience dealing with all types of misdemeanor cases including drug cases, theft case, sex cases, assault and battery cases, domestic violence cases, DWI/DUI
cases, alcohol related offenses, and everything in between in courts all over Arkansas.
TESTIMONIALS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MISDEMEANOR CASES
FAQ
What possible time am I facing with a misdemeanor?
Class A misdemeanor you can be sentenced up to 365 in the county jail
Class B misdemeanor you can be sentenced up to 90 days in the county jail
Class C misdemeanor you can be sentenced up to 30 days in the county jail
How does Court work for a misdemeanor?
If you are only charged with misdemeanors and not a felony, then you are most likely going to have to go to what is referred to as “District Court”. District Courts are many times city courts or county courts dedicated to dealing with misdemeanor and traffic cases. In District Court you do not have a jury, the judge hears the facts and decides if you are guilty or not guilty. Going to trial with a judge as your “jury”, without an experienced criminal attorney by your side is not something I would ever advise if you don’t want to be convicted and/or go to jail.
Its my first offense, I don’t think the judge will put me in jail if I go plead guilty, why
should I call you?
I cannot begin to tell you how many phone calls I get from people who tried to do it themselves in District Court instead of hiring a good lawyer. Many cannot believe what they were sentenced to and what they now have to do and that their drivers license is now suspended. Many District Court Judges will impose, community service, supervised probation, driver’s license suspensions, jail time, suspended jail time, drug and alcohol education courses, anger management, random drug testing and more. The cost and inconvenience caused by these things is often more than the fee I would have charged to handle the case. I can also tell you the difficulty to fix it after the fact is much greater and the fee is never smaller.
Even if the “great deal” they offer you keeps you out of jail, if you fail to comply with everything and anything you are putting yourself at risk of more charges, a warrant, and potentially jail time and other increased consequences. I was raised by a father who had the motto of “do it right the first time”, it applies well to this as well. Do not leave your record, freedom, and reputation to chance, call me and lets get it done right the first time.
I went to court without a lawyer and I plead guilty or went to trial and I was found guilty
and now I have a problem, is there anything that can be done?
Absolutely there is, but you have to act quickly because you only have 30 days to appeal. If you plead guilty or you are found guilty in district court, even if you had a trial, you have the right to appeal your case to the County Circuit Court. In Circuit Court, you get a complete “do-over” and the right to a new trial with a new Judge, possibly different prosecutor, and a jury trial if necessary. But you only have 30 days to perfect your appeal in Circuit Court. There are documents and records that you have to draft and get to file the appeal that take time- so do not
wait until the last minute.