Plea of Not Guilty Question?

Question

Long story short I was arrested for Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree Class E Felony. I explained everything to the judge, that i had already paid, from jail, the damages to my wifes car (which i was arrested on one bad drunk night) etc 

The Judge asked me if i wanted to plead guilty or not guilty, i said "well i did it it was dumb but the situation is being taken care of" he said "OK I'm going to enter a Not Guilty plea for you and release you from here with no bail posted"

Is this a good sign? I've never been through the court system before

evilattorney · Answer

No.  It's not a good sign.  You were hoping that the criminal charges were going to go away.  They're not.  You'll either be taking a plea or going to trial.  I suggest you get a lawyer so you have some hope of keeping this off your record.

johnbrown · Answer

Looks like you're going to trial.  You can ask your wife to ask the prosecutor to dismiss the charges.  He/she will, or (probably) won't.  Then, get a private lawyer, or a public defender.

Don't confuse a criminal case based on destruction of property (which is what it is) with a civil case for damages.

The Arbiter of common sense · Answer

You need a lawyer.  That you fixed your wife's car is not the end of it.  You should have been given a court date, I suggest you find a lawyer now to make sure you understand what is going on.  Missing a court date is a VERY bad idea.

Dustin · Answer

You should talk to either a private attorney or contact the public defender's office.

Hoover the GOPer · Answer

You should have asked the judge for a clarification.

I bet you could just call him and ask.  Most judges are nice guys.

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Plea of Not Guilty Question?

5 Answers