Underage Consumption of Alcohol

[behe287]

Hello. I am a nineteen year-old female college student. I would really appreciate some advice about dealing with an underage consumption of alcohol ticket that I received on new years eve. I would like to give a background of my situation. I have never been in trouble with the law up until this past summer when I received a paraphernalia ticket. This ticket is currently on a deferral. The ticket I received on new years is now pending, and my court date is the 4th. I'm trying to handle the situation myself, (as the last time I informed my parents they didn't take it so well) but I really have no idea what I'm looking at, what I need to do, anything. Any offer of suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ohiogal]

Hello. I am a nineteen year-old female college student. I would really appreciate some advice about dealing with an underage consumption of alcohol ticket that I received on new years eve. I would like to give a background of my situation. I have never been in trouble with the law up until this past summer when I received a paraphernalia ticket. This ticket is currently on a deferral. The ticket I received on new years is now pending, and my court date is the 4th. I'm trying to handle the situation myself, (as the last time I informed my parents they didn't take it so well) but I really have no idea what I'm looking at, what I need to do, anything. Any offer of suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You need to quit drinking and doing drugs. Quite frankly your parents most likely WILL find out and WILL be informed. You can bet that your deferral is NOT going to remain. You can face discipline through the school as well.

You need an attorney.

 

[CdwJava]

Hello. I am a nineteen year-old female college student. I would really appreciate some advice about dealing with an underage consumption of alcohol ticket that I received on new years eve. I would like to give a background of my situation. I have never been in trouble with the law up until this past summer when I received a paraphernalia ticket. This ticket is currently on a deferral. The ticket I received on new years is now pending, and my court date is the 4th. I'm trying to handle the situation myself, (as the last time I informed my parents they didn't take it so well) but I really have no idea what I'm looking at, what I need to do, anything. Any offer of suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What state are you in and under what code section have you been charged?

 

[behe287]

Cdwjava : I'm in North Carolina, thanks for not trying to tell me how to live my life ps. I'm just trying to find out what I can do now.

Ohiogal: I understand what you're saying but quite frankly I've been screwed by the cops. The paraphernalia ticket was complete profiling. My friend and I were pulled over and searched for NO reason, in fact there weren't even drugs in the car (and no we didn't dispose of them when we were getting pulled over, we weren't even worried at all at the time.) Look, yes I've made a few mistakes and trust me the stress of the situation and the situation itself is enough consequence for me without you, a complete stranger giving me hell about it. I signed up for this forum because I really need advice and thought maybe someone could HELP me by informing me of my options on how to go about all of this. With that being said, do lawyers take loans? Or other forms of payment being housework, yard work, office clean-up? HA

 

[FlyingRon]

Please check the attitude. Only sociopaths blame their trouble for committing crimes on the fact they got caught. Other than the advice to stop breaking the law, Ohiogal was correct.

Now that you've decided to play by the rules of the forum and tell us where you are (You still didn't answer CDW's question as to what you're charged with, we'll have to guess). We also have to know what you were caught with and how old you are.

Chances are you will face up to $250 fine and $100 in court costs. If you're under 18 your PARENTS will definitely hear about it. Depending on the situation you can also lose your license for a year.

As pointed out, your deferral may indeed cease to be deferred. You'll end up with another misdemeanor DRUG conviction on your record. $500 fine.

Both of these could end up with up to 6 months in jail, but that's unlikely.

Lawyers often take credit cards.

 

[CdwJava]

Cdwjava : I'm in North Carolina, thanks for not trying to tell me how to live my life ps. I'm just trying to find out what I can do now.

I am hoping you have come to understand that alcohol and drugs are causing you some problems. If you have failed to grasp this and think you can handle them, you DO have a problem. I hope that you have addressed this or this is the beginning of a trend that shall continue..

Now, as to the second part of my original question: What code section were you cited under? The code section is important because it can provide the elements of the offense the state must prove in court as well as the penalty.

Ohiogal: I understand what you're saying but quite frankly I've been screwed by the cops. The paraphernalia ticket was complete profiling.

A note: Profiling is NOT unlawful. What IS unlawful is to affect a detention or an arrest without articulable cause. If the underlying reason for the detention (the stop) is for a valid purpose (such as a violation of the vehicle code) then the detention is lawful regardless of the officer's subjective reasoning. Unless the reason is something other than work-related (such as getting a phone number or asking about the rims of the car) the stop would be lawful. So, if the officer thinks that people who drive red cars are often drug dealers, and he wants to stop a red car with a light out, he can do so - even though his purpose is not primarily to enforce the traffic laws, it is to find out if the people inside are drug dealers.

My friend and I were pulled over and searched for NO reason, in fact there weren't even drugs in the car (and no we didn't dispose of them when we were getting pulled over, we weren't even worried at all at the time.)

If you were stopped for NO reason, contact an attorney and initiate a civil rights claim. However, I strongly suspect that the officer's report will provide his justification for the stop. Whether it will stand up to judicial scrutiny, we cannot say because we do not know what he will articulate. I seriously doubt he will say he pulled you over for "no reason."

I signed up for this forum because I really need advice and thought maybe someone could HELP me by informing me of my options on how to go about all of this. With that being said, do lawyers take loans? Or other forms of payment being housework, yard work, office clean-up? HA

Knowing the code section you are charged with would help.

Lawyers will accept payment in whatever method they agree. If you want to obtain a loan to pay one, that's your decision. If they want to take it in kind - such as yard work, housework, etc. - that is up to them ... but, I doubt any will agree to that.

If you cannot afford an attorney, one should be appointed for you by the court. If you lose your case, you may have to pay some portion of the cost of that attorney back over time, but it would still be cheaper than paying for one out of the phonebook.

 

[Zigner]

Ohiogal: I understand what you're saying but quite frankly I've been screwed by the cops. The paraphernalia ticket was complete profiling. My friend and I were pulled over and searched for NO reason, in fact there weren't even drugs in the car (and no we didn't dispose of them when we were getting pulled over, we weren't even worried at all at the time.)

In that entire rant, you never deny that you do drugs or that you had paraphernalia.

 

[stealth2]

And BTW - if you're getting FinAid from the school? You can kiss it goodbye. SO you'll have to either ask your folks to pay more, find a way of paying the difference, or drop out.