Michigan man decides plea bargain is the best criminal defense

On behalf of Simon & Geherin, PLLC posted in Sexual Assault on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

When a person is facing allegations of sexual assault, their immediate desire may be to fight the charges in every way possible. This is a very natural reaction and in many sexual assault cases this is the correct approach. Why is that? It's because even though allegations of sexual assault are bad enough in their own right, a conviction on sexual assault charges can change a person's life permanently. A convicted sex offender not only has to deal with their criminal history, they may also be faced with a lengthy prison sentence and a lifetime on the sex offender registry. The right criminal defense strategy, however, could help to avoid these potential penalties.It appears that one Michigan resident was successful in employing a criminal defense strategy that got him out from under several sexual assault charges. According to a recent report, the 19-year-old man from Detroit was charged with two counts of felony-level criminal sexual conduct. The charges stemmed from allegations brought by two separate victims based on two separate incidents which allegedly took place on back-to-back days in September of last year.Not every criminal case goes to trial. In fact, any of our Michigan readers who are familiar with previous posts here probably know that most criminal cases end in plea bargains. Oftentimes, when a defendant agrees to plea bargain terms he will actually plead guilty to lesser charges and receive a less severe sentence. That was the strategy that this 19-year-old defendant decided upon.The reports indicate that this man will be pleading no contest to two charges of aggravated assault -- non-sexual misdemeanor charges instead of sexual felony charges. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 16.This man's case just goes to show that all options need to be considered in a criminal case. Going to trial could be the best option, but if a plea bargain provides the best avenue to freedom and lessened consequences, that may be the better path to take.

If you or a loved one need the best criminal defense in Ann Arbor, and want the help of local, experienced and dedicated attorney, please call Dan and his team at GLG Michigan. 

Source: Ann Arbor.com, "Felony sexual assault charges dropped in exchange for Detroit man's plea to misdemeanors," Kyle Feldscher, March 27, 2013