St. Louis Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
ONLY $750 FOR LOW LEVEL ST LOUIS FELONY CHARGES
Over 35 grams of marijuana in the state of Missouri is a Class C Felony. A felony of this type can come with a potential sentence of up to seven (7) years and a $5,000 fine. But if you hire an experienced St Louis criminal defense attorney, then that person can describe to you the full range of options that may be available. Because simply pleading guilty to the crime is not your best option!!
In the state of Missouri, the legislature has decided to make a distinction between a low level of marijuana possession (less than 35 grams of the substance, which is a Class A Misdemeanor), and high level (more than 35 grams, which is a Class C Felony). This distinction is arbitrary, and the rules are set to change at the beginning of 2017. But until then, this is the law of the land.
When you are charged with something like this, you have a few options. To begin with, the infraction deals with the “possession” of marijuana. The police officer would therefore had to have found the marijuana somewhere within your possession. And the most common way in which an officer finds anything is by doing a search. But very frequently, the search that the police officer conducts is improper (because he/she performed the search in a way that violated your Constitutional rights). If such an unlawful search was performed, then whatever the cop found cannot be used as evidence against you.
PLEADING GUILTY IS NOT YOUR BEST OPTION!!
But even if the search was lawful (and there were no other irregularities about the officer’s conduct), there are still other options available. For instance, your attorney can attempt to work out a deal with the prosecutor. This is described as a “plea bargain” in which you agree to plead guilty to a lesser charge (so that the more serious infraction does not show up on your record). Or in the alternative, it may be possible to do an SIS (Suspended Imposition of Sentence). This involves a period of probation (usually one to two years in length). So long as you stay clean during that period of time (like you do not get caught in possession of marijuana again), then the charges drop off altogether (as if it never existed).
The affordable St. Louis criminal defense attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company have been taking care of criminal charges in Missouri for over ten (10) years. We specialize in making sure that your record stays clean, and so that you can move forward with life. And we want to do it all at an affordable price. The upfront fees for a low level felony charge start at $750. But the initial consultation to discuss your legal issues is free of charge. So contact us today to learn more!!
We have one location by appointment only: 4625 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO 63108.