Criminal Law

Criminal Law in Brandon, FL

If you or a family member is facing a criminal charge either because of an arrest or an investigation, you need to hire an experienced criminal law litigator to protect your rights. Mary Beth Corn has litigated hundreds of criminal cases over the course of her 22 years of practice.
The Law Office of Mary Beth Corn is experienced in representing people charged with:

All levels of theft, fraud, drug possession/trafficking, violent offenses such as murder, aggravated battery/assault, criminal mischief, sexual offenses, juvenile offenses, domestic violence, stalking, resisting/obstructing arrest with or without violence and battery/law enforcement.
Also, driving offenses such as serious or misdemeanor DUIs, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Driving while License Suspended or Revoked, Reckless Driving.
Under Investigation:
If you have been contacted by law enforcement because they want to talk to you about a criminal investigation, you have a right to have an attorney represent your interests at this stage. The advice given to citizens in your situation is not to speak to anybody in law enforcement as you have the right to invoke your 5th Amendment Rights against Self- Incrimination. Always advise law enforcement that you would like to speak to your attorney first because answering any of their questions. Don’t be uncomfortable with invoking your right to remain silent. Let your lawyer speak for you.

Warrant for Arrest or Probable Cause Arrest:
If you have been arrested for a criminal offense, you will be taken to the jail to be “booked” in. In most cases, there is a bond amount that is set. You may pay the full amount of bond in cash to get out of jail or you may need to go through a bondsman to secure your release. Either way, you will be released and you or your attorney must appear at all future court hearings. If you have a warrant for your arrest you may turn yourself into the jail under the self-booking process. If there is no bond or a high bond set on the warrant for your arrest, you may want to turn yourself into the Court and have your attorney argue for a release on your own recognizance or a reasonable amount of bond. This helps to avoid an inconvenient or potentially embarrassing arrest.

Criminal Charges

Mary Beth Corn is a seasoned trial attorney and is very experienced in handling all aspects of criminal proceedings. You must hire an experienced attorney to protect you.

Intake Stage: After your arrest, the State Attorney’s Office will decide if formal charges will be filed. It is at this stage that information may be provided to the State that could potentially be helpful to the accused. Sometimes the State is without certain critical information that could mean the difference between charges be filed or dropped. Your attorney can provide the State this information.

Litigation: If formal charges are filed, then you have a right to plead not guilty. You have a right to see all of the evidence that the State intends to use at trial to convict you of the crime you have been accused of committing. During this process, you have the right to take depositions of the State’s witnesses and the right to file motions that may lead to the dismissal of the charges or the exclusion of evidence.

Trial: A trial is not held in every criminal case. If the charges are not dismissed and the State and the Defense are unable to come to a compromise, then a Judge or a Jury will determine whether the accused is guilty or not guilty of the crime. This is where the State must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Remember, the accused is presumed innocent until the case is proven.

After Case is Over:

Expunction or Sealing: Once your criminal case is closed, you may be eligible to have your record sealed or expunged. This helps keep your criminal history as clean as possible. Sealing or expunction does not happen on its own. You must file the necessary paperwork with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in order to receive your certificate of eligibility. Once received, you may then have the Court enter an order to seal or expunge your record. You are only eligible to receive one sealing or expunction one time in your life and only under certain circumstances. Don’t wait to do this as it takes approximately 6 months to obtain a sealing or expunction of the record.
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