Felonies are generally charges that carry the possibility of serving a sentence of one year or more in prison. Felonies range in classes from A to I, with Class A being the most serious. The types of crimes that would be considered felonies include anything from murder down to simple cocaine possession. Almost all felonies carry the possibility of active jail time if you are convicted, as well as other limitations on your civil rights.
North Carolina’s judicial system has two trial courts, District Court and Superior Court. Your case will usually start in District Court. This gives the District Attorney’s office a chance to look at the police report and perhaps offer to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. If the State does not reduce the charge, or you reject a misdemeanor plea, the case may be Indicted and sent to Superior Court. A specific Assistant District Attorney (ADA) will be assigned to your case and will be responsible for prosecuting your matter on behalf of the State of North Carolina. The specific policies and procedures may vary by county. Superior Court matters are complex and detailed in nature. You should retain qualified counsel as soon as possible in these matters.
You have certain rights in these cases that must be preserved at an early stage in the proceedings to insure that you get as good a result in the case as possible. The District Attorney’s office has certain obligations that they have to meet by law. However, you must know the correct procedures in order to take full advantage of your rights. The court system will not hold your hand if you do not have adequate representation.
Our office will conduct a thorough review of all of available evidence in the case to include police reports, witness statements, and any physical evidence that the State may possess. After we have completed our review, we will have an honest conversation with you regarding the best strategy for your particular case. You are ultimately the boss as it applies to your case. We will make recommendations based on our training and experience, but you must make the final call as to whether a plea offer is in your best interest, or whether you wish to proceed to trial. We WILL NOT pressure you to take a plea that you do not believe is in your best interest.
Please remember that it is much better for you to have counsel retained EARLY in the process. Consultations for this area of our practice are free. We will quote you a fee for representation that is based on several factors to include seriousness of offense, amount of offenses, and complexity of case.
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