California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
A 17 years old young lady is facing possible misdemeanor charges because she lied about being tied up and assaulted. It was determined by Costa Mesa Police Department that she lied to avoid getting in trouble for staying out late.
In California, there are three elements to filing a false report. They are: 1) The report must be false; 2) The report must have been given to a police officer or grand jury; and 3) The report must have been made by a person who knew that it was false.
The punishments/penalties for false police report crime is up to six months in jail and a maximum $1,000.00 fine.
Anyone who is charged with making false statements to a police officer should immediately seek the advise of an experienced criminal defense attorney. A qualified criminal defense attorney will look at all options, including reducing the charges and penalties to having the case dismissed. In this particular case, the young woman needs an experience Orange County, California Criminal Defense Attorney who has experience and relationships with the various courthouse personnel, including the district attorneys, judges and clerks. Early intervention is also very important. Sometimes, a good criminal defense attorney can stop the charges from ever being filed.
Further, in this particular case, counseling and pretrial intervention and/or community service should be considered, rather than jail time. In most cases like this, there is something more going on. It seems rather clear that someone who does something like this is crying out for attention and help and the benefit of counseling would far outweigh the benefit of punishment in jail.
If you would like to know more about filing false police reports, contact Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney William M. Weinberg at his Irvine, CA office at 949-474-8008 or at www.williamweinberg.com.