Charged with a felony and worried you’re railroaded for a conviction? It doesn’t always have to be that way- if you qualify for another option, as one of our clients discovered to his surprise and enormous relief. Our client – we’ll call him Paul to protect his identity because there won't be a public record of his charges – got charged with 3 serious drug and weapons felonies in Spartanburg. Two related to drug distribution and the other for an illegal handgun.
Paul, a bright young man who excelled in school, came to us terrified his life was ruined.
It didn’t turn out that way. Unbeknownst to him, some felonies still qualify for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI). That’s a program for first-time offenders, giving them a chance at dismissal of all charges on completion. Better yet, the charges get expunged – meaning wiped off your record.
But you’ve got to convince the prosecutor to let you in. And felonies still throw up a high wall to do that. Lucky for Paul, the evidence in his case gave good facts to help us:
- For the “distribution” charges, there was no proof he actually sold drugs.
- The amount of drugs strongly supported downgrading the charge to simple possession.
- The State potentially had problems with the search resulting in the charges, meaning the case might be dismissed at trial.
The prosecutor agreed to send Paul to PTI. While this option isn’t available to everyone, it’s sure worth fighting for. We’re glad our efforts helped achieve it.
Nobody’s happier than Paul. He’s moved away to start a new life, away from the path he was on. We’re thrilled for him. No doubt his future remains bright – with the help of a shiny new, clean record once he completes PTI.