Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin
Two motorcycles, that I sold several months ago, apparently have not been registered in new owner's name. The bikes were seen speeding 1 month ago and completely eluded the police. No stop was made despite pursuit. The license plates, that the police were able to get, still show me as the owner. They have been attemplting to talk to me. Even coming to my place of emplotment. I have not been present at any of their attempts.They have never left contact info or instructions with my parents or employer that I should contact them. I sent a letter to them explaining that they were sold to two guys from a particular city thatr I named. I remember the 1 guy's first nam, which I included, and I am quite sure of the last name as well which I stated in the letter. Unfortunately, I have nothing.....no phone number for these guys, they paid cash....no bill of sale. All I knew at the time was that I had the money,they had the bikes, and I believed them when they said they were going to take care of everything at the DMV. What is your advice for me at this time if they show up at my employment again when I am there? Could I be arrested for something I didn;t do?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Since you could potentially be facing a felony fleeing and eluding charges which have the potential for sentences of years in prison, it is critical that you immediately retain an experienced felony criminal lawyer to advise you in this matter and to respond to the police. This problem also proves the importance of keeping a copy of the signed title and bill of sale for all vehicle sales, together with the name and contact information of the new owner. Problems for sellers due to failure of buyers to register sold vehicles are extremely common, although they usually relate to things like parking tickets and uninsured accidents rather than major felonies. As for your question "could I be arrested for something I didn't do,� the answer is clearly yes. Innocent people are often arrested and charged with crimes which they did not commit, and many have been sentenced to the death penalty or life in prison for them, only to later be cleared by technological advances such as DNA testing. Unfortunately for some, however, they were cleared too late to avoid being put to death or before they spent much of their lives in prison for something which they did not do. Our legal system is only as good as your lawyer's ability to convince a jury that a reasonable doubt exists after the government has presented its case, and the failures our system in terms of convicting the innocent are common and well documented. You therefore need to obtain the best lawyer who you can possibly when facing major charges, since your freedom may literally depend upon the skill of your lawyer. These flaws in our legal system are not limited to criminal matters either, but are pervasive at all levels and in all courts. Nobody will protect you if you do not protect yourself by obtaining the best possible professional assistance any time that you are dealing with the government or with creditors or other parties who are using the government sponsored court system to get what they want from you (such as, for example, collectors).Please be aware that my responses to you in the public web forum do not make me your attorney and that I am not representing you or taking any action on your case. Instead, these answers are intended for public educational use only and may also contain lawyer advertising materials. Regardless of this, however, you are still welcome to contact me during business hours at my in Racine if you still have questions, or see me on the web at www.jayknixonlaw.com. For a list of my other answers on Law Guru, please see my profile link here at lawguru.com.
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Got a phone called saying there are lagal charges against me, but i have not... Asked 6/20/12, 2:13 pm in United States Wisconsin Criminal Law