If you or a loved one has been charged with a felony, you need the help of an experienced, aggressive attorney to protect your rights. Facing a felony is a serious matter, and the California felony laws carry the risk of significant penalties, including, in many cases, years in prison. Whether your case calls for an aggressive, head-on defense, or a negotiated plea with reduced charges and penalties, our firm can help.
At RJT Criminal Lawyer, we have the knowledge and experience to properly defend even the most serious criminal charges. Contact us for a free consultation to find out how we can assist in your case.
While the classification of a crime as a felony is generally reserved for more serious criminal offenses, the statutory definition of a felony, contained in PC17(a), says that a felony is any offense that is punishable by death or by imprisonment in state prison, or by imprisonment in a county jail under PC 1170(h). When these laws are broken down, they generally mean that felonies are offenses that carry the possibility of incarceration for a year or more.
A wobbler in California is any offense that can be filed either as a felony or a misdemeanor. The list of wobblers is extensive, and includes dozens of offenses, from conspiracy to defraud, to participation in street gang activity, to bringing a loaded firearm or other deadly weapon into a state or local building. Wobblers include a wide range of crimes.
To say that you have been charged with a felony in California only begins to describe what you are facing, and the steps needed to defend the allegations against you. Those steps will depend upon both the nature and the seriousness of the specific charge.
The following are a list of some of the more common felony arrests in California:
- Violent Crimes. Over a third of all felony arrests in California are for violent crimes, and most of those involve alleged assault and/or battery. Other, more serious crimes, such as homicide, are also included.
- Robberies make up almost 15% of felony violent crime arrests.
- Weapons Charges. Certain weapons offenses may be charged as felonies.
- Property Crimes. These may include, among other offenses, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
- Drug crimes. This does not include simple possession, ordinarily a misdemeanor, but may include trafficking in drugs and similar activities.
The list goes on, and it is extensive. Our firm can advise you whether the charges you are facing are appropriate under the circumstances of the facts alleged and provide you with an honest assessment of your felony case.
If you are arrested on a felony charge, or if you are the target of a felony investigation, the initial steps you take – or do not take, as the case may be – could well determine your success at successfully defending the allegations against you. Remember that being charged with a felony is a serious matter. And, as we advise our clients on a regular basis, this is no time to try to “talk your way out” of the predicament you are in. The police do not want you to assist in their investigation; rather, they want to get you to talk about the events in question, and to use your words to strengthen their case against you. You have the right to remain silent. Exercise that right! The alternative is that you risk providing the very information the prosecutor needs to charge you or to strengthen any charges already filed.
And at the earliest possible time, reach out to hire the best San Diego criminal defense lawyer you can afford. Our firm is ready, willing, and able to help. This includes reviewing your case to ensure that the charges against you fit the allegations, including being certain that you have not been charged with a felony when the proper charge should be a misdemeanor.
Our practice includes the defense of a wide variety of criminal offenses, many of them felonies. This includes homicide, felony DUI, sex crimes, white collar felonies (state and federal), felony assault, felony theft crimes, and more.
Since prosecutors usually have wide leeway in whether to charge a person with a particular offense, they often attempt to stack the deck by increasing the level of the charge beyond what it should be. This obviously increases the seriousness of the charge, as well as the potential penalty. Our experience and our reputation allow us to examine these types of tactics, deal with them legally, and make a major difference in your case.
At our firm, we understand that being accused of any crime is both stressful a complete disruption of your entire life and that of your family. When that charge is a felony, the pressure is even greater. At RJT Criminal Lawyer, we can help.
Experience and aggressive representation count with any serious criminal allegation. It can make the difference in a reduction, dismissal, or alternative sentencing. We’ve dealt with hundreds of criminal cases. Call us for a free consultation at 619-577-0868.