CluelessMom
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Rhode Island
HELP!!
My 19 year old son is in college in the State of RI and has been arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge (a few grams and drug paraphanelia.) Max sentence is 1 year in jail and $500 fine. He has never been arrested before. I am getting conflicting advice from many different sources on how to handle it. The lawyer wants to go to trial (for a large fee) but says he still may get convicted. The school says he should just plead "no lo contendere" and he will be fine and the public defenders office says they may be able to work a plea at his arraignment. I've called the court in RI but can't even seem to get anyone to tell me how the whole thing will play out. A close friend who is a lawyer in NY suggested trying to get the judge to agree to "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" with certain conditions (fines, community service, etc.) or at the very least to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for getting the drug charge dismissed. Does anyone know if these are even options in the state of Rhode Island or if if this can be arranged at the arraignment? We live in Indiana so we can't even be there and I am up at night worrying about whether he is going to be o.k. or have a drug record for life or even go to jail**************.... Any advice specific to the state of RI would be helpful
HELP!!
My 19 year old son is in college in the State of RI and has been arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge (a few grams and drug paraphanelia.) Max sentence is 1 year in jail and $500 fine. He has never been arrested before. I am getting conflicting advice from many different sources on how to handle it. The lawyer wants to go to trial (for a large fee) but says he still may get convicted. The school says he should just plead "no lo contendere" and he will be fine and the public defenders office says they may be able to work a plea at his arraignment. I've called the court in RI but can't even seem to get anyone to tell me how the whole thing will play out. A close friend who is a lawyer in NY suggested trying to get the judge to agree to "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" with certain conditions (fines, community service, etc.) or at the very least to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for getting the drug charge dismissed. Does anyone know if these are even options in the state of Rhode Island or if if this can be arranged at the arraignment? We live in Indiana so we can't even be there and I am up at night worrying about whether he is going to be o.k. or have a drug record for life or even go to jail**************.... Any advice specific to the state of RI would be helpful
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