Legal Question in Criminal Law in California
passenger in high speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle
I am 21 and I rode a train to northern california. I got stranded and a man offered me a ride. I took it without asking a question and we proceeded to drive south. He threatened my life if I ran and made me wait while he broke into a car. I am almost totally blind and did not know what to do. Once we made it back to southern California, A police officer spotted the car and a high speed pursuit began. The driver ran and I sat and cooperated to the best of my ability. I am currently out on bail and desperately trying to find assistance. I had no knowledge that the car was stolen until I was already in fear for my life, but the police do not want to hear that. At a glance, does anyone have any advice or can anyone tell me whether or not I am royally screwed. Please help, my only comfort comes from prayer, and I need something solid to grab on to. Thank you for taking the time to read, consider and respond to this. Are there any keywords I need to know for my court date.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: passenger in high speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle
The "keywords" you need are these: Get a lawyer!
You are in serious trouble, yet you are seeking legal guidance from a website instead of hiring your own attorney or having one appointed for you. You need someone in your corner who knows what he or she is doing.
If you can't afford to pay an attorney, the court will appoint one for you at public expense. If you can afford to pay one, you probably will be better off that way since public defenders are overworked and can't give their cases as much time as they need. Either way, though, you will be much better off with a lawyer than without one.
Re: passenger in high speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle
Sounds like you have a great need for either a private attorney, or a Public Defender if you can't afford private. Anonymous advice over the net isn't going to help you, but good counsel will be able to make best use of the facts in defending you. Contact me if interested in having private counsel. Otherwise, ask the court to appoint a Public Defender at your next hearing.
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