Do Not Let One Mistake Ruin Your Life
Each year, thousands of visitors come to the Panama City area. They come here to relax and have fun, but sometimes tourists and college students make bad choices. They use marijuana or other illegal drugs. Sometimes – as luck would have it – they get caught and arrested.
Arrests can become nightmares when prosecutors over-charge the case and elevate the crime. It’s unfortunate and unfair, but it happens. In those situations, a defendant can be facing felony drug charges. A felony arrest can haunt you for the rest of your life, affecting employment, graduate school admissions, credit applications and even the ability to rent an apartment or buy a house.
It’s a high price to pay.
When charged with a drug crime, you need experienced, vigorous legal help to build your drug defense. Attorney Ashley Stone Benedik is a former prosecutor and native of Panama City. She has negotiated and tried hundreds of cases. Members of the local legal community (law enforcement, prosecutors, judges) know she will examine every element of a drug arrest. They know attorney Benedik will work to get the best possible result for her clients.
How The U.S. Constitution Protects You
The U.S. Constitution protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. Under the Constitution, there are ways to challenge drug charges.
When the case involves a vehicle stop, for example, was there probable cause for the stop? When drugs are seized, was the search legal? Was a search warrant required and properly executed? Did the defendant have possession of the drugs?
If the answer is “no” to any of those questions and others, it means there’s a hole in the government’s case. When cases have holes, prosecutors are willing to negotiate. Every case is different, but it may be possible to get drug charges reduced or dismissed. In some instances, convictions can be sealed and expunged from a person’s record. To make any of those things happen, you need a lawyer like Ashley Stone Benedik, who will defend your rights at every stage of the proceedings.
Have You Been Arrested For A Drug Crime? Need Help?
Ashley Stone Benedik provides experienced, skilled representation for drug crimes. Call us at 850-387-2347, or contact us online.