A probation violation is a serious crime in Missouri. From the point of view of the court, you already had one chance when you got placed on probation. Now, somehow, you violated that probation. This is situation where you need the best criminal defense attorney you can find.
The court has to decide two things. First, did you in fact violate the terms of your probation? And second, if so, what should the judge do to you? He or she can send you to prison or jail, or just extend your probation. The judge has a lot of discretion in these types of cases.
This is when you need an experienced criminal defense attorney like Bill Byrnes to come in and fight for you. Bill goes all over the state of Missouri to help criminal defendants.
Drop the wait and see attitude.
One difference with Bill is that Bill understands that you need to take action now. The action you take now will go a long way in determining the outcome of your case. Sitting on your hands and just hoping everything works out is not a good action plan. When you walk in front of the judge, you better be able to tell him what you did to fix the situation as much as possible… not what you’re planning on doing. Judges just don’t want to hear that you plan on doing something. If you’re counting on saying you want to make amends, by the time you get in front of Judge you better have already done it.
Bill will go over your case and explain what is likely to happen and what actions you can take now to positively impact your case. Many times Bill has changed prosecutors’ minds about sending someone to prison by helping his clients take action. Bill will take the completion proof back to the prosecutor and try to change the Recommendation from prison to continuing that client on probation.
What can you do before you go to court?
If you think the day of court is the day you need an attorney, you’re already in trouble. You need your attorney now for guidance, so when your court date does come around, you will be in the best possible position for a positive outcome.
- If you had a drug charge, we need to get you clean and get a clean drug test. In addition we need to get you into a class or treatment program. The judge wants to see that you have taken care of the drug problem.
- If you have an assault charge, an anger management class will usually help.
- Bill will identify other actions that will be helpful to your case. Action steps may include showing gainful employment, being enrolled in school, or getting letters of recommendation.
However, if you don’t feel hopeful because too much time has passed and you haven’t been able to take action, there’s something else you can rely on.
You want Bill’s reputation in your corner.
Bill has a reputation for bringing clients to court clean. His clients are known for the effort they put into making things right. Judges trust Bill to get his clients on the right path. At Byrnes Law Firm, we can put together a course of action during a free initial consultation. Bill will map out what you can do so that you don’t feel discouraged and lost. He will also ask the court for a continuance to give us time to put our action plan into play.