Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

I called a sherriffs station and.informed them of a restaurant serving minors....when the lady on the phone asked my name I gave her someone else's because I work there and didn't want to get fired...my boss went and listened to the recording and found out it was me and now a detective wants to talk to me...what am I in trouble for


Asked on 2/24/14, 11:33 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Eric Willison Eric Eastman Willison

In Ohio, you could be charged with obstruction of justice or falsification. You would have been better off telling the police that you did not want to give your name rather than a false name. A frank talk with the prosecutor though about putting such a charge before a jury should be enough to make a prosecutor uneasy. Juries like people who were trying to do the right thing and don't like prosecutors who go after people on technicalities. But you would want to have a good criminal defense attorney to make this case for you if the prosecutor is going to charge you.

I would not speak to the police about this matter. If the prosecutor wants to talk to you and you can't afford an attorney, I would just stay silent and then get charged and then have your court appointed lawyer do the talking for you. If you do decide to speak with the prosecutor yourself, make it clear that you are only making any statements you make in the context of plea bargaining (that way your statements cant be used against you later in court).

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Answered on 3/08/14, 11:38 am


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