<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rldavis:
I know in the state of Illinois -- age 17 is considered an adult, anything you do once you turn 17 stays on your adult record. But, my question is -- why didn't you read the police report before hiring a lawyer and paying a retainer? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ok, in my situation it was a little different, my son lied to me.. will try to rehash the events quickly..
I was called at work (60 miles from home)by my mother, my then 14 yr old son was at the city police dept being questioned. Instead of calling me at work to come down they called my sister. They needed an adult to give permission to question my child. I called the PD talked to my sister and told her they were not to question him until I got there she had no legal rights to give them permission to. My mother had told me they were questioning him on 2 felonies, unauthorized use of a MV and and burglary of a habitation. My whole problem was I had no forewarning did not know what was going on, he had skipped a couple of classes after lunch the previous day and had went to another friends house, not sure to this day if they were given permission to enter the house or not. Regardless they found the keys to the 2nd friends mom's car and took it for a drive, now mind you we live in a very small town so obviously they had to know someone would see them... ok, so on my way home i stopped and called a atty and he advised me since I did not have any idea about what was going on to invoke his rights and come directly to his office. So they charged him and we left went to atty. That was the first time I heard anything about the situation or what surrounded the charges, the police did not have a report only would tell me the other kid confessed. So being the *good* parent I believed my child, I had nothing else to go on. About a month later I finally got to read the police report and after doing so I knew(had a feling anyways, 6th sense) that he was guilty. Had already paid and signed the contract with the atty. I told the atty and myson on our first meeting that if I had any incination at all that my son had done any of these crimmes that I wanted him to serve jail or probation, he had to learn. Also it should be noted this is the first and only time he has been in any kind of legal trouble, I have always had him insports and kept him busy to prevent this type of thing. THe kid he got caught with is a child he would have never associated with here at home, only at school.
So you live and you learn and as they say, this too shall pass.
** As a note, the school never notified me of my sons delinquency and never tried to contact me at work when my son was taken from the school to the PD for questioning, something I have a problem with. It seems that the PD has overriding rights of the parents here.
[This message has been edited by TxBlu (edited October 06, 2000).]