Common Reasons You Could Be Falsely Accused Of A Crime
False accusations can easily result in criminal charges in Daytona Beach. Witnesses may have wrongly identified you, police may have jumped the gun in making an arrest, or evidence from the crime scene may have been misconstrued or tampered with. Regardless of the fact that you are innocent, you could still be convicted and may face serious criminal penalties.
Wrongfully Accused of A Crime In Daytona Beach?
Facing any type of criminal charges in the Volusia County Court is a serious matter. Even relatively minor crimes can result in harsh penalties. The mere accusation of a crime can cause problems at home and work while ruining your reputation in the community. If you are convicted on the charges, you could be facing heavy fines, a potentially lengthy jail sentence, and a permanent criminal record.
The fact that you are innocent of any wrongdoing is often irrelevant to the case. Plenty of law abiding people end up being wrongfully accused of crimes each year. Among the most common reasons include:
- You were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Simply being at or near the scene of a crime when it occurred can cause the police to jump to conclusions and assume you were involved. False accusations can also arise if you had any recent dealings with the actual perpetrator.
- You fit the description of the suspect. According to the National Council of State Courts, witness testimony in criminal cases is notoriously faulty and unreliable. At the same time, it carries a significant amount of weight both with police and prosecutors, which often rely on witness statements in making their case.
- Someone fabricated the incident or falsely pinpointed you as the perpetrator. False accusations and made-up charges against you may be made by an angry ex, a disgruntled family member, or a former friend or co-worker. You could also be pointed to as a suspect by the actual perpetrator of a crime, who hopes to avoid detection.
- DNA or other evidence wrongly implicates you. Fingerprints, fibers, and DNA evidence, such as trace amounts of blood, can seal a conviction in a criminal case. However, this evidence can be wrong or otherwise compromised.
According to the Innocence Project, more than 20,000 people are currently sitting in prison for crimes they never committed. If you are wrongfully accused of a crime, it is important to act quickly in protecting yourself. Your first step should be to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. Downplaying the situation, assuming the truth will come out, or attempting to handle the matter on your own could have dire consequences.
Contact Our Office Today
At Bundza & Rodriguez, P.A., we can conduct our own investigation into your case. We thoroughly review the charges against you and the procedures followed while gathering the evidence needed to prove your innocence. Call or contact our Daytona Beach criminal defense attorneys online and request a consultation today.
Resource:
innocenceproject.org/how-many-innocent-people-are-in-prison/#:~:text=estimate%20is%20that%201%20percent,20%2C000%20people%2C%20are%20falsely%20convicted.
https://www.daytonalawyers.com/defenses-against-domestic-violence-charges-in-daytona-beach/
