Areas Of Practice
Misdemeanor Crimes
Any criminal charge, including misdemeanors, if you are convicted, can have severe, long-lasting consequences. It is important to understand that while misdemeanor charges are not as severe as felony charges, they still involve serious penalties, including fines, probation, personal or professional license suspensions, or even jail time. And in some cases, misdemeanor charges, called “wobblers” can be increased to felony charges, which enhances the penalties. In this day and age there may registration requirements, firearm prohibition for a number of years, probation, and of course the aforementioned jail time. In misdemeanor cases that jail time can be served in many different ways. You need an experienced attorney to assist you with your criminal misdemeanor case.
With certain misdemeanors, I can appear in Court for you while to continue to work or go on about your life while we navigate your case through the Court system.
In the state of California, the term “misdemeanor” can refer to a variety of small crimes. Some examples of things considered misdemeanors in California include:
- Drug possession
- Being drunk in public
- Petty theft/shoplifting
- Trespassing
- Domestic violence
- Disturbing the peace
- Battery
- Assult
- Reckless driving (including racing another driver)
- Driving Under the Influence
- Vandalism
Sex Crimes
The nature of sex crimes alone requires an experienced and qualified criminal defense attorney. Criminal defense attorneys who handle in sex offenses assist clients charged with sexual assault, molestation, indecent exposure, prostitution, and sex crimes that involve a minor.
Just being accused of a sex offense can have a devastating effect on your life, including serious damage to your reputation, career and personal relationships. If convicted, you may face a lifetime record as a sex offender and suffer severe criminal penalties. A conviction can follow you for the rest of your life, and convictions can occur even when the only evidence is the victim’s word. Even a casual comment by a child, a complaint by a student, a doctor-patient relationship that has gone awry or a difficult divorce can lead to possible charges related to sex, by their nature such cases are often based on the statement of one witness.
In such situations, it is only you and your sex crime defense attorney who can turn the case in your favor. That is why an investigation of a sexual crime must be taken seriously and defended aggressively from the moment of you are aware of the charges. The current political reality evidences a national effort to pursue sexual predators. The government has spent a lot of time and money to carry out covert operations, and the media and prosecutors are playing with people’s fear.
Trials for sexual offenses are usually cases of “he said, she said” in which the jury must decide between the word of the victim and the defendants. The accusations are made even more complex when they involve children, who are highly impressionable. Before considering a guilty plea, make sure you fully understand all the consequences of a sexual conviction, including the public record of sex offenders
throughout life.
All of this should tell you one thing, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney by your side every minute of the way.
Violent Crimes
Anyone who has been charged and convicted of a violent crime will typically face a substantial sentence in state prison. Even being charged with a violent crime, is a life altering experience, high bail, numerous court appearances, and an uncertain future, to say the least.
The California Three Strike Law has enumerated a number of violent crimes as serious and violent felonies. An individual convicted of one of these particular crimes not only faces a substantial period of time in state prison but also must serve 80-85% of their sentence as well. Additionally, an individual who has suffered two previous serious or violent “strike” offenses is subject to a sentence of 25 years to life. These
are very serious criminal offenses, as they not only break the law, but they also put the lives, safety, and well-being of innocent people in danger.
This office has decades of experience defending individuals charged with violent felonies, literally hundreds of serious cases. Kenneth A Reed has tried murder cases in both State and Federal Court, from gang drive by cases to special circumstance homicide cases. Experience speaks for itself.
Experience defending clients accused of:
- Murder
- Gang crimes
- Sex crimes
- Theft/Armed Robbery
- Assault and Battery
- Domestic Violence
- Terrorist Threats
- Hate Crimes
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon
- Vehicular Manslaughter