Legal Question in Criminal Law in South Carolina

PWID Crack Cocaine, 1st

We were riding in the car one night when the officer initiated a traffic stop for a broken headlight. There are 4 passengers in the car and it is my car but I am in the passengers seat. As soon as we get pulled over the passenger sitting behind me told me to put this bubblegum container in the glove box. I put it in there because I had no knowledge what was inside. The cop searched the car because he smelled marijuana. When he searched the glove box and looked in the container 3 grams of crack was in there. The passenger did not own up to it but the other 3 wrote statements saying it was his crack but i did not include i put it in the glove box i said it was put in the glove box. I was just on pti for the charge but was put off because of a shoplifting charge that was settled by a no contest. I was also charged with simple possession of marijuana so was everyone else. The marijuana was found by his feet, and he had 700 dollars on him. He is not owning up to it should I take it to trial? What are the odds I will get time for this please help I have a full time job and a college student with a little girl on the way I was just with the wrong people at the wrong time is there anything besides a prison sentence?


Asked on 7/24/08, 1:01 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Johnston Law Offices of Robert J. Johnston

Re: PWID Crack Cocaine, 1st

Based on what you have said I would be very, very careful about taking a case like this to trial. You just said that you told the police that it was already in the glovebox. That is admiting guilt. Plus, if you go to trial and tell the jury that your fried handed it to you when you were pulled over and asked you to put it in the glovebox and you didn't know what it was, I think most jurors would find that hard to believe. After all, how many people want to suddenly put a bubblegum contained in a glovebox when they are being pulled over. Does that sound normal to you? And then you would have to tell the jury that you lied to the police and told them it was already in there. Plus, the fact that all of you were charged for marijuana certainly isn't going to help much either. There is often options other than prison. We have a drug program here in Horry County that has worked for a lot of people. I have kept a lot of my clients out of jail here in Horry county under similar circumstances. What county is this charge in? Respond to [email protected]

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Answered on 7/24/08, 8:45 pm


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