Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

felony drug trafficing

In january of 2007 my house got raided by the drug task force. In Nov. of 2007 they pressed charges of drug trafficing(3 counts;F3). No drugs or contraband of any type was found at the house, with the exception of guns, none of which were illegal. I do not have any type of criminal record. My question is if I leave state for a couple of years will these charges go away? And what kind of jail time am I looking at for these crimes if I'm convicted? I reside in Ohio. These offenses took place in Geauga county. Thank you for your time.


Asked on 1/11/08, 11:56 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Richard Cline Office of the Ohio Public Defender

Re: felony drug trafficing

Your question indicates that charges were filed in November of 2007. If you still have charges pending against you and you leave the state, you will be considered an absconder and a warrant for your arrest will be issued.

Each F-3 drug offense carries a potential of 5 years in prison, so the maximum punishment for just the drug charges is 15 years. I stress that this is a maximum sentence. Without knowing what your attorney of record knows about the case, I cannot give any reasonable estimate of what will actually happen if you are convicted.

Where is your attorney in all of this? You have had serious felony charges pending since November, so you must have an attorney. Why would you be posting questions to a service like this, instead of asking your attorney? It appears that you do not have trust in your attorney and, if that is the case, you should get a new attorney. Before doing that, however, you should give your current attorney a chance to explain to you what is going on with your case.

Running away is not an option.

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Answered on 1/12/08, 3:12 pm


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