Man Turns Himself In Without an Attorney
MAN, SUSPECTED OF CHILD MOLESTATION, TURNS HIMSELF IN WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY
As reported by the San Jose Mercury News, Daniel Lopez Ponce, turned himself in to the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges that he molested a child under the age of fourteen.
It looked as though his arrest was imminent though since detectives, responding to a tip from Fugitive Watch, arrived at his residence. What is troubling about his article is that Mr. Ponce turned himself in without the benefit of legal counsel.
Finding a competent attorney that you feel comfortable with is a much difficult task while in custody. When a person is out of custody, they can have the luxury of meeting with different attorneys, get different quotes and try to develop a connection with the person who will be defending them.
This is much more difficult to do when you are in custody since you have limited access to phones and you do not have access to the range of attorneys you would have if you are out of custody. Also another factor to consider is that when you are unrepresented, officers can question you about the case and if you do not know your rights, you might end up giving them valuable information that would help them in their case against you. Having an attorney prior to going into custody protects you from this since officers are not aloud to question you once you are being represented by counsel.
Article & Advice Provided by Bay Area Criminal Defense Lawyers, Valencia, Ippolito & Bowman
RELATED ARTICLE:
Representing Yourself - Without an Attorney
Copyright © 2011 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.