Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers Blog
Criminal Defense: There are times when Georgia law enforcement agents are accused of illegal activities within their scopes of employment. In a recent incident, a police chief and an officer are facing state criminal charges, accused of violating their oaths of public office. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation recently released information regarding the matter.
Apparently, the 58-year-old police chief from the City of White and a 26-year-old officer were arrested on suspicion of making wrongful imprisonments. The two are also accused of reducing charges in a citation in order to collect fines. The alleged illegal activity reportedly took place between 2011 and 2015.
One woman is said to have been instructed to accept a disorderly conduct citation and pay $1,000 fine rather than face state felony charges. Another woman claims to have had a similar experience. They say they were arrested for crimes they did not commit, and then they were instructed to pay substantial fines in order to obtain a reduction of the charges against them.
Both Georgia law enforcement agents were booked into a Bartow County jail and are most definitely in need of excellent criminal defense lawyers. They have each since been released on bonds. When facing state criminal charges, a strong and aggressive defense is often key to obtaining a positive outcome in court. It is therefore advisable to retain legal assistance as soon as possible after an arrest has been made. Many times, an experienced criminal lawyer may determine that some aspect of the arrest process or the gathering supposed evidence by the state may have violated the personal rights of a defendant, which can then be challenged in court.
Source: ajc.com, “Georgia police chief, officer arrested on false imprisonment charges”, March 2, 2016
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