Misdemeanors are crimes that are punishable by less than one year in prison.  Some of the more common examples of misdemeanors are Driving Under the Influence, assorted offenses relating to certain types of drugs, various types of theft, various degrees of assault and related offenses, and certain sex-related offenses.

Drug related offenses, for example, are among the most common types of offenses and are among the most complicated in the area of criminal law.  Many factors go into the potential punishment for an individual who has been charged with a drug crime, and often times it is unclear what the consequences of a conviction or a guilty plea to a lesser charge might be.  Such factors include the nature of the drug involved, the amount of the drug involved, the past criminal history of the defendant, and other circumstances (such as whether drugs are sold near a school, whether a forged prescription is involved, or whether a child had been endangered).  It is not uncommon for someone charged with a drug offense to be charged with both misdemeanors and felonies.  Potential drug charges include possessing a controlled substance, trafficking a controlled substance, manufacturing/cultivating a controlled substance, or the possession of drug paraphernalia.

DUI’s are also extremely common and are more complicated that the average person realizes.  It takes a skilled attorney to navigate all of the details of a DUI and to make sure that a defendant’s rights are protected.

If you have been charged with a misdemeanor, call Johnson Bearse, LLP today so that we can get to work making sure that you are receiving all of the protections under the law that you are entitled to.