Greenbelt Criminal Defense Attorney

Experienced Lawyers for Criminal Defense in Greenbelt, MD

Everyone has a good reason to fear criminal charges in Maryland. If you have a clean record, a conviction could permanently damage your reputation in the eyes of the public and hurt your employment prospects, along with the real potential for jail time. If you have been convicted before, a judge may not be as lenient with you, and saddle you with greater penalties on subsequent offenses. In any case, a skilled criminal defense attorney in Greenbelt can help you avoid the disruptions to your life that a criminal conviction might carry. Salvado Law Offices has served clients for over 25 years, and we focus on getting results for our clients through sound representation and guidance. Our lawyers are ready to contest criminal charges for you, providing highly individualized service no matter what your case looks like.

Drug Crimes

Maryland takes a hard stance against drug crimes, with harsh sentences for those convicted of drug-related offenses. To gauge the severity of a drug charge, law enforcement classifies controlled substances from Schedule V to Schedule I with increasing seriousness in ascending order. Highly addictive drugs like heroin, LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, meth, and opioids carry more serious penalties.

If you face drug charges related to possession, distribution, or trafficking, our attorneys can question the methods used to seize the evidence against you. If the alleged evidence came from an illegal search, we will ardently defend your rights and make sure that it is not admitted to court. Furthermore, we can argue that you had no knowledge of the drugs on your property, protecting your innocence in front of a judge.

DUI

A conviction of driving under the influence in Maryland can set your life back by months or even years, with expensive fines, jail time, the suspension of your license, or having to install an ignition interlock device.

The legal limit for alcohol in your bloodstream is .08% or higher blood alcohol content (BAC), at which point you can be formally charged with DUI. Maryland observes DUI per se laws, which means that blowing above the legal limit in a breathalyzer is sufficient evidence for a DUI charge even if you showed no other evidence of intoxication. Furthermore, you might not be safe from prosecution even if you blow under the legal limit; you can be charged with driving while impaired (DWI) if a law enforcement officer can prove you were driving while drunk.

To defend against DUI charges, our criminal defense lawyers will question the results of chemical tests as well as any field sobriety tests, as these methods of evidence-gathering are frequently prone to error or improper procedure.

Assault/Battery

Assault is heavily prosecuted in Maryland, and you can be charged with this crime regardless of whether or not someone was actually hurt. These offenses tend to fall into one of three categories:

• First degree assault, for conduct resulting in (or the potential to result in) serious harm to another person. This is a felony offense that covers cases like intentional choking or strangling, or using a gun during an assault. If convicted, you could be incarcerated for 25 years.
• Second degree assault, for conduct resulting in bodily harm or carrying potential bodily harm. This is a misdemeanor offense with a possible 10 years in prison, but you can be charged with felony second degree assault for bringing harm to emergency responders, with a doubled fine.
• Reckless endangerment, for conduct that knowingly puts other people in harm's way, even if there was no malicious intent behind the act. This is a misdemeanor offense that carries a possible five-year prison sentence and a fine no more than $5,000.

Note that assault and battery are prosecuted as the same crime under state law, as no distinction is drawn between intent to harm and actual harm inflicted.

Meet with a Criminal Defense Attorney in Greenbelt, MD Today

The criminal defense lawyers at Salvado Law Offices handle a wide variety of cases, including violent crimes, sex crimes, traffic offenses, and more. If you have been charged with a crime in Greenbelt, it is in your best interests to seek out a qualified attorney as soon as possible. To schedule a free consultation for criminal charges, contact us at 301-933-1814 today.