What Happens if You Are Charged with the Wrong Crime?

 Posted on March 13, 2017 in Criminal Defense

Every so often, a criminal defendant will be charged with the wrong crime after being arrested. For instance, the police mayarrest an individualfor having what they believe to be cocaine in his or herpossession. However, after a sample of the drug is sent to a drug lab for testing, the substance might be identified as something else.

Cocaine, heroin, powdered methamphetamine, powdered ecstasy and ketamine all can have the same appearance as a white powder and it is possible for police to make a mistake and charge someone with a crime that is different than the crime that was committed.

Do Not Incriminate Yourself

It is very unlikely fora criminal defendant to speak up andcorrect law enforcement about the inaccuracy of the charges. Doing so would be incriminating to oneself. Therefore, sinceyou are not talking, the police will charge you with the crime that they think you committed, and the state prosecutor will be given the charges once your criminal drug case makes it to court.

Prosecutors Can Amend Your Drug Charges

Just because law enforcement charged you with the incorrect crime does not mean that you will not be prosecuted.You might think that the state will never be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the drug crime that you are accused of because the drug was something other than what law enforcement believed it to be. However,this is incorrect.

Once law enforcement and state prosecutors are clear on what drug you had in your possession—there is scientific analysis of the drug compound and the drug has been chemically identified—the prosecution will be able to update the charges that are being levied against you.

Illinois takes drug offenses and all other crimes very seriously. Therefore it is possible for state prosecutors to amend the charges that are pending against you when evidence comes to light that the crime that has been charged is inappropriate for the circumstances.

Does it Make a Difference?

The consequences for possession of many types of controlled substances are often very similar. Hence, you might be wondering: does being charged with the correct crime matter? There are some variations in the law concerning the punishment associated with possession of certain quantities of drugs.

Penalties for drug possession are usually based on the amount of drug that is found by law enforcement and the drug type. As such, it could be possible that you are charged with a drug offense that carries a more serious penalty thanif you were charged with the correct crime.

Drug Charges Require the Help of a Criminal Defense Attorney

Being charged with possession of a controlled substance is a big deal and it is important that you hire an experienced Rolling Meadows criminal defense attorney to help you with your defense strategy. The consequences for a drug conviction can be hefty and can mean years of jail time. Your freedom is in jeopardy, so do not delay in getting a lawyer.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=1966&ChapterID=54&SeqStart=19800000&SeqEnd=20700000