Hoosick, NY Criminal Defense Law Firms & Lawyers

You should look to see what exactly is on the appearance ticket, and what crime you are being charged with. It is possible you were only charged with a violation, but it is important to see what specifically is the charge. Often times something like this, a first offense for a small possession, is pled out to an "ACD", which stands for "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal." Basically if you don't commit any other crimes or infractions for 6 months after pleading guilty, then the case will be dismissed, and you won't have to worry about a long term impact. For future jobs, usually they specifically ask "Whether you have been convicted of a crime in the past 10 years" and more often than not they specify that it be a misdemeanor. If you eventually have the case dismissed, then you will not have a conviction and do not have to worry about it affecting your future job prospects.

A defendant cannot be forced to testify at her own trial but can at someone else's. It is possible that she can invoke the fifth amendment at her father's trial but you didn't give enough facts.

Sorry, but you probably do. It's a minor amount involved in the theft, but the action of stealing is serious enough to constitute a crime with up to a year in jail. Without priors I do not believe it is ever regular to serve that length of jail, but nevertheless if you can afford an attorney it is one of those things worth spending money on (typically you're looking in the 1200-3000 range for an attorney is my understanding of the market in the King-Pierce county area.