Representing juveniles and young adults in York, Lancaster, and Chester Counties
An arrest at any age can complicate your life, but being arrested as a teenager or young adult can wreak havoc in ways that you've never imagined. Even innocent pranks or favors for friends can spin out of control and quickly turn into criminal charges with a serious impact on your future. Your family will vacillate between fear and disappointment as they worry about what could happen to you. Your friends who stick around can't do much to help your situation. Even the friends who share the blame may have their own legal troubles to manage and could potentially make things worse for you.
You may learn a harder lesson much sooner than most unless you seek experienced legal help to get an immediate handle on your situation. You need a juvenile defense attorney who has seen many teenagers come through the criminal courts and is empathetic to how their lives can change in the blink of an eye. Contact Holland Law in Fort Mill or Rock Hill today.
Dumb mistakes can lead to lifelong repercussions
When you're young, you feel invincible with your entire life ahead of you. Whether you already have your future mapped out or you're still figuring things out, you're going to make mistakes. The question is whether you'll be paying for those mistakes for the rest of your life.
And it's not just felony crimes that can have these repercussions: a misdemeanor shoplifting charge or a joyride in a stranger's car can lead to fines, community service, and potentially incarceration. A criminal charge and conviction could prevent you from finishing your high school or college career. It can keep you from the job you want, ruin your chances at getting a loan, and take away your right to carry or weapon or vote in an election.
Consequences students face for criminal acts in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and throughout South Carolina
Whether you are dealing with campus security, a school resource officer, or local law enforcement, the ramifications students can experience will largely be the same. No matter where you are in your scholastic career, criminal charges are going to put a dent in your life and the plans you have for your future may have to be reevaluated.
Depending upon the crime you are charged with you could face:
- Expulsion or suspension from school
- Criminal sentencing with jail time and/or fines
- Treatment or intervention programs
- Military enlistment or commission complications
- Loss of college scholarships or rescinded admission
- Future professional licensing difficulties
- Future job prospects become bleak
- Social stigma severing personal and future professional relationships
Parents: take note
Criminal acts aren't the only behavior that can harm the future of your son or daughter. Expensive private schools and colleges gladly collect tuition from parents but will not think twice about removing a student from their campus if they believe the student's behavior may cause damage to the institution's reputation. Additionally, your child could lose on-campus housing rights, requiring additional expenses to secure off-campus housing.
Holland Law represents students facing a wide array of criminal charges
Just because you're young doesn't mean the consequences won't be severe. This is true whether you are tried in juvenile court or as an adult. Holland Law has the resources to handle any manner of criminal charges that students face, including:
- Assault
- Criminal sexual conduct
- Weapons charges
- Theft/shoplifting
- Obtaining a fake ID to buy alcohol
- Identity theft
- DUI
- Public drunkenness
- Drug charges
- Disorderly conduct
- Property crimes such as trespassing or damage
- Fraternity/sorority hazing
What can my child do to protect him/herself?
- Immediately contact a defense attorney to assess the severity of the situation and seek out your legal options.
- Stop speaking with police, campus security, faculty, school administrators, friends, or classmates about your charges or about the alleged incident.
- Get off social media and delete all online profiles
- Gather all documentation that could be helpful to your attorney such as the school's code of conduct, academic code, proof that you did not commit the crime such as text messages, receipts placing you elsewhere, and a list of witnesses who can corroborate your story such as anyone present at the time of the alleged incident.
First time offenders have a chance to avoid jail time
Under pre-trial intervention (PTI), a first time offender may be given the opportunity to clear his or her criminal record. By successfully completing the program, you become eligible for expungement of your criminal record. PTI is sometimes sentenced in lieu of jail time when it is deemed a better option under the circumstances. Provided you are not considered a threat to the community, you aren't likely to be a repeat offender, and other criteria are met, you may be a good candidate for exploring PTI and erasing your offense from your record.
The program requires an application process that includes:
- An investigation including a criminal background check.
- The solicitor's decision to approve your application.
- Orientation including a $250 program fee.
- Dismissal of the charges upon successful completion of PTI to include payment of $285 for expungement and filing fees.
Any failure to comply with the requirements of the PTI program will result in your case being remanded for full prosecution so it's advisable to take this opportunity seriously. Your future depends on it.
Representing students facing criminal accusations throughout South Carolina
I began Holland Law because after years of prosecuting criminal cases, I understand how devastating the effects of a criminal charge or conviction can be. Your entire future shouldn't be canceled because of a simple mistake. Please join me for a confidential consultation in either my Fort Mill office on Gold Hill Road, or in my Rock Hill office on Oakland Avenue by calling 803-219-2630, or submitting your information to me through my contact page. I proudly represent students in and around York, Lancaster, and Chester Counties.