The southern end of St Louis County is filled with lots of smaller municipalities (many of which have their own police force). And of course the County also patrols this area with their own police officers. This means there are plenty of tickets written every single day in this part of the city.
Many of these tickets are criminal citations at the misdemeanor level (drug paraphernalia, disturbing the peace, trespassing, etc.). A lot of these charges can come with up to a full year in jail and a very high fine.
Pleading Guilty Is Not Your Best Option!!But unfortunately, most people do not hire an attorney. Instead, they end up representing themselves. They do this because they believe (incorrectly) that nothing too terrible will happen. And when they get to court, the judge will ask if they wish to plead guilty. And to ensure that this ends up being the result, the judge will also usually state if a plea of guilty is entered, he/she will not sentence you to any jail time.
So people end up pleading guilty to the charge, believing that they have gotten off scot free. But the exact opposite is true!! A guilty plea will go on your permanent record for the rest of your life. Which means that anytime a background check is run on you, it will show up. This will make things very difficult when you apply for a job, rent an apartment, or try and take out governmental benefits.
Instead, we can help you out!! Many times our efforts result in a dismissal of the charges (especially if your rights have been violated), and other times we can get the charges reduced to a minor infraction (so that nothing shows up on your record at all). And that is far better than simply pleading guilty!!
The affordable South St Louis County, MO criminal defense attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company, have been helping people with their criminal charges for over ten (10) years. Our goal is to make sure that the charges leveled against you do not stay on your permanent record, and do any lasting damage. And we want to do all of this at an affordable price. The fees for a typical St. Louis misdemeanor charge start at $450. Our 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!!
We have two main locations: in the Central West End of St. Louis, at 1 North Taylor (on the corner of Taylor and Laclede), 63108; and in the Twin Cities of Festus / Crystal City, at 1000 Truman Blvd (Highway 61/67), 63019. The initial consultation is free of charge. So contact us today to learn more!!