Criminal Summons, Need help to protect myself in court

[CharlieHelp01]

I live in North Carolina and I am 16 going on 17 next month. This past week I was issued a Criminal Summons stating injuries to both personal property and real property. The personal property being a plate and the real property being the front door frame. My dad kicked me out of the house and took my food away from me. He told me to get out so I left, and I didn't return till later that afternoon. My dad said that he had called the cops on me and he was to call them back once I arrived. The cops arrived and were going to arrest me but first they wanted to see if I was a person that belonged in jail, and they figured out that I am not, I even played guitar for them. So I received this Criminal Summons on the damage and have a court date in place for the end of next month, being July.

My father has really bad anger problems and he was even in a stance that day ready to fight me if I didn't leave the house. He before has taken parenting classes for child abuse but those have not seemed to work for him. I want to bring this up and court but what is the proper way of presenting this to the judge. And also, can I get his girlfriend, who has been living in this household for over three years, for neglect? She refuses to cook for me, or for that matter, she refuses to do anything that would be a benefit of mine.

Thank You.

 

[Just Blue]

I live in North Carolina and I am 16 going on 17 next month. This past week I was issued a Criminal Summons stating injuries to both personal property and real property. The personal property being a plate and the real property being the front door frame. My dad kicked me out of the house and took my food away from me. He told me to get out so I left, and I didn't return till later that afternoon. My dad said that he had called the cops on me and he was to call them back once I arrived. The cops arrived and were going to arrest me but first they wanted to see if I was a person that belonged in jail, and they figured out that I am not, I even played guitar for them. So I received this Criminal Summons on the damage and have a court date in place for the end of next month, being July.

My father has really bad anger problems and he was even in a stance that day ready to fight me if I didn't leave the house. He before has taken parenting classes for child abuse but those have not seemed to work for him. I want to bring this up and court but what is the proper way of presenting this to the judge. And also, can I get his girlfriend, who has been living in this household for over three years, for neglect? She refuses to cook for me, or for that matter, she refuses to do anything that would be a benefit of mine.

Thank You.

Are you kidding?? You think your fathers girlfriend could be brought up on neglect charges for not cooking for her boyfriends 16 year old kid?? Cook for yourself!

 

[seniorjudge]

On the off chance that this is a real post, your pa's classes and your gripes about cooking are totally irrelevant. Get a lawyer; ask for a public defender.



Standard answer

Here are some hints on appearing in court:

Dress professionally in clean clothes.

Do not wear message shirts or caps.

Don't chew gum, smoke, or eat. (Smokers...pot or tobacco...literally stink. Remember that before you head for court.)

Bathe and wash your hair.

Do not bring small children or your friends.

Go to court beforehand some day before you actually have to go to watch how things go.

Speak politely and deferentially. If you argue or dispute something, do it professionally and without emotion.

Ask the court clerk who you talk to about a diversion (meaning you want to plead to a different, lesser charge), if applicable in your situation. Ask about traffic school and that the ticket not go on your record, if applicable. Ask also about getting a hardship driving permit, if applicable. Ask about drug court, if applicable.

From marbol:

“Judge...

You forgot the one thing that I've seen that seems to frizz up most judges these days:

If you have a cell phone, make DAMN SURE that it doesn't make ANY noise in the courtroom. This means when you are talking to the judge AND when you are simply sitting in the court room.

If you have a ‘vibrate’ position on your cell phone, MAKE sure the judge DOESN'T EVEN HEAR IT VIBRATE!

Turn it off or put it in silent mode where it flashes a LED if it rings. AND DON'T even DREAM about answering it if it rings.”

(Better yet, don’t carry your cell phone into the courtroom.)”


Here are seven stories that criminal court judges hear the most (and I suggest you do not use them or variations of them):

1. I’ve been saved! (This is not religion specific; folks from all kinds of religious backgrounds use this one.)

2. My girlfriend/mother/sister/daughter/wife/ex-wife/niece/grandma/grand-daughter is pregnant/sick/dying/dead/crippled/crazy and needs my help.

3. I’ve got a job/military posting in [name a place five hundred miles away].

4. This is the first time I ever did this. (This conflicts with number 5 below, but that hasn’t stopped some defendants from using both.)

5. You’ve got the wrong guy. (A variation of this one is the phantom defendant story: “It wasn’t me driving, it was a hitchhiker I picked up. He wrecked the car, drug me behind the wheel then took off.” Or, another variation: “I was forced into it by a bad guy!”)

6. I was influenced by a bad crowd.

7. I/my kid/my whatever has surgery scheduled.


https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?p=854687#post854687

Public defender’s advice

http://newyork.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/70300494.html


Other people may give you other advice; stand by.

 

[CharlieHelp01]

Ok well, thanks for the help. And about the neglect thing, i knew that wouldn't really work out but i thought maybe I can do something about it. They have a kid together and have been living together for a long time. But I like my cooking better than her's anyway