If you smelled pot coming from someone's house would you call the police? Could the police do anything?
Sometimes yes we can. It all depends.Back in January, 2017 a neighbor called that she could smell the odor of burning marijuana emanating from her next-door neighbor’s apartment. We responded to the location. It wasn’t my call. I was acting as the cover officer. As soon as we got out of our cars we could smell the marijuana. Last January was very cold and snowy and everyone had their doors and windows closed and the odor was still very strong — that’s pretty impressive. So we made contact with the calling party and she directed us to the right apartment. We knocked on the door like the gentlemen we are and, incredibly, the door opened.We were slammed in the face by a wall of marijuana smoke. I could barely see that there were three men in the room behind the homeowner who had thoughtfully opened the door to us. They were smoking a couple really pretty, and expensive, glass bongs (Oregon is next door and there is a head shop just a little ways across the state line). They were all in their late fifties and just kicking-back watching the NFL AFC Championship game (New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers), smoking some grass, drinking beer and eating pizza.The responsible officer explained to the occupants why we were there and asked if they were indeed smoking pot. They said yes they were and let us into the apartment when we asked if we could come in (the other officer and I are big believers in the soft approach first). We confiscated the bongs and pot, and the primary officer issued them a summons for possession of a controlled substance. The homeowner also got a ticket for possession of drug paraphernalia (the two bongs which he stated were his). They were all nice guys and it was obvious they were very experienced pot smokers. I kept the door open since the air was so heavy with pot smoke. It was making me a little sick actually. We thanked them for their cooperation (I felt like we were British cops) and left. The whole call was very civilized.
Does it ruin the rest of your life to be arrested once for a misdemeanor?
No of course not,It might feel like the end of the world for that day, but everyone makes mistakes and the name of the game is to learn from mistakes.As Frank Staples says, even a more serious charge doesn't spell doom for the future. People are actually quite forgiving on the whole as long as they have some assurance you are past that and do not present a risk to them (or their business).There may be some adjustment to your life goals, it may even open up the unexpected new door. I have a close relative that has more than a couple of convictions for burglary and other offences. He is now happily married with children and a successful published author and screenwriter. He used some of his experiences as part of his books.
What are the chances of a first time felony offender going to jail?
It is going to depend on a number of things: the type of crime, the way in which the crime was committed, the circumstances of the crime, and the offender's past criminal history. Let's say you broke into someone's home and stole over $250 worth of their belongings (that makes it a felony). If you did it because a bully said he would hurt your mother if you didn't get him the stuff is a more compelling reason than if you did it to get money to buy more video games for yourself and some good weed. If this was your 3rd time getting caught doing this type of thing, that ups your chances at serving time. If you broke into someone's home and found there were some kids in it with a babysitter and you terrorized everyone, that's not going to go well in court. So you see your intentions and your actions, along with your past criminal history, will be the deciding factor on whether the judge sees jail in your future. You get points on a sentencing sheet for all these different things. Rack up so many points and it's off to the slammer for you. A sentence of under a year is served in the county jail. A sentence of over a year is served in a state prison. Generally. Every state has their own rules, but that's the way it usually goes. Some crimes have a jail sentence no matter what. Gun laws in Massachusetts for example have an automatic, no getting out of it, jail sentence if the crime was committed with a gun. First time offenders that committed a non violent crime and have no past criminal history will most likely get a suspended sentence, probation and fines. Suspended means you don't have to serve the jail time as long as you do your probation and pay the fines. If you screw up, you will be put in jail to serve the original sentence.
Does a misdemeanor go away? How long does it take?
How long do you have to list it might be a better question. They don't go away. After a certain period of time they are simply not relevant. A misdemeanor a year ago is certainly more ‘serious' than that exact same misdemeanor ten years ago.How long does it need to keep being brought up? That depends on a particular job and its requirements and how the question is asked. But it's always there unless dismissed or expunged or pardoned if someone wants to dig that far and deep into the past.
Can you force an 18 year old into drug rehab
Here is the story. My sister and her husband found needles in my nieces room. they knew she smoked pot and were permissable of it , they saw the bruises on her arm and serched her room , they found the needles and brought them to the police. the cops said she was 18 and that it is not illegal to have needles, and they were short staffed and that the narcotics guy wasent there on that day.3 days later my niece was found dead with a needle in her arm.
When does multiple misdemeanors make a felony? Does it have to do w/ ticket cost, severity of the crime, criminal record, etc?
Multiple misdemeanors do not necessarily make a felony. I say necessarily because I don't know every states statutes. Some statutes have first offense is a misdemeanor while subsequent offenses would be a felony. It takes multiple DWI before one starts being charged at the felony level but it isn't simply because one received 3 DWI that the third is a felony. You could have gotten all three in a three week time period and they'd all three still be misdemeanors. Most felony DWI statutes require prior convictions. So without prior convictions, in states requiring such, every DWI one receives would be charged as their first until they start pleading or being found guilty of them. Other cases, like stealing or passing bad checks require a certain financial amount before a misdemeanor becomes a felony. Stealing over 500 is a felony in some jurisdictions with stealing less than 500 is a misdemeanor. No matter how many times you've been arrested for stealing less than 500 it will be a misdemeanor until you steal something with a value greater than 500.00. In some jurisdictions 3 prior harassment charges, convictions, can result in felony stalking charge on one's fourth arrest. It's a different charge with different elements, such as three prior harassment convictions.
What did your parents do when they caught you smoking weed?
Haha okay this still makes me laugh!I'd been smoking weed since I was around 11. I was about 13 and while I was looking for sand paper for a school project, I stumbled across a random seemingly empty coffee can. Curious, I peaked inside and found a rolled up sandwhich bag with green stuff in it. I unrolled it to check out it's contents and found an 8th of weed! I was so excited because at the time I didn't have any. So I dipped in and took a good size nug and put it back before I got caught!!I continued to randomly take some here and there. Making sure I didn't take a noticeable amount, and rolled it up how I thought it was. I did this for a few months, thinking how sneaky and awesome it was…Well one day I ran out so I want into the garage as usual to dip into my parents stash can. But this time, the lid had in black bold sharpie: “Gotcha!!!” and the coffee can was completely empty. I was so scared, I want out the side door and went for a very long walk to think of what excuses I could give them. Nothing was really going to work. So I get back home an hour or 2 later, hoping things would just be left unsaid. NOPE. Haha they were in the living room waiting. My heart was racing, my mind about to explode thinking of my punishment. Starting blushing and sweating. Finally after what seemed like hours of silent parents staring me down, they finally said:“we always roll the bag up differently everyday so we figured you were taking some when the roll wasn't right… you need to ASK us next time. Can't stop you obviously from smoking, so instead of STEALING it from us just ask please.”I sighed a huge breath of relief. “Yes! I'm off the hook!” I thought.“Oh Megann, by the way, your also grounded for 3 months… “Damn… haha almost! They couldn't have been more mellow and nice about it. Surprised the hell out of me that's for sure! They could've done locked me up and thrown away the key for WAY longer then what I got, so that was pretty cool.The same scenario played out almost exactly the same when I got caught stealing their cigarettes too. Haha after I got a job at 16 my mom agreed to just buy me my own pack as long as I payed for them myself.
Will I get time in jail for a first offense misdemeanor?
You might. The likelihood is these charges were filed by detectives following an investigation. I would imagine that they believe there was some threatening or harassing behavior involved. If there is a domestic dispute, previous domestic violence issues or restraining orders issued in relation to the Complaining witness, that presents additional problems. If that's the case, the state is going to want some assurance, at minimum, that the complaining witness will be not be further threatened. If there is some doubt about this, they may definitely ask for jail time.You really need to speak with an attorney prior to any conversations with the Police or Prosecutors. You have to hire an attorney. If you have no money, contact the Legal Aid Society or Public Defender in city in which you were charged.