Lawyers In Union County, OH

Any time you’re facing criminal charges in Union County, you must take them seriously. A criminal conviction can significantly impact your life in numerous ways. It can make it difficult to land and hold a job, seek higher education, secure housing, and obtain loans.

Are you facing criminal charges in Ohio? Contact The Law Offices of Saia, Marrocco & Jensen Inc. for a free consultation about your case with one of our criminal defense lawyers. We can help you make sense of the charges you’re facing, their penalties, and possible defenses. Our team is dedicated to providing exceptional legal defense and minimizing the impact criminal charges have on our clients’ lives.

Criminal Cases We Defend in Union County, Ohio

If you’re facing criminal charges in Union County, Ohio, it’s vital that you work with an experienced and knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer who can explore all of your defense options. The Law Offices of Saia, Marrocco & Jensen Inc. has experience handling a wide variety of cases, giving us insight into various defenses that may work for your particular situation.

Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence (OVI)

Operating a vehicle under the influence is a serious offense in Ohio. A first-time offense could result in jail time between three days and six months, a license suspension of between one and three years, and a fine of between $375 and $1,075. Second and subsequent offenses have increased penalties, including longer mandatory jail sentences, longer license suspensions, and heftier fines.

When charged with OVI, often one of the best defenses is to dispute the evidence presented by the prosecution. This could involve disputing the police officer’s interpretation of your field sobriety test or calling into question the effectiveness of the breathalyzer used to record your blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Sex Crimes

Being charged with a sex crime can impact your life even without a conviction. It can affect your relationships with friends and family and even cost you your job. And a conviction only gets worse from there, resulting in prison time and mandatory registration as a sex offender, potentially for life.

If you’re facing sex offense charges, various defenses may be available to you, depending on the circumstances of your case. We could attempt to prove that the sexual contact was consensual, that sexual contact didn’t occur, or that the prosecution’s main witness isn’t credible.

Violent Crimes

Violent crimes include things like assault, weapons offenses, and homicide. These are among the most serious offenses and tend to carry the harshest penalties. For this reason, it’s essential that you work with a lawyer experienced in handling these kinds of cases in Union County.

For violent crime charges, a successful defense doesn’t always mean being found not guilty. Depending on the evidence the prosecution has, a successful defense could involve negotiating for a lighter sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense. Or, it could involve making a favorable appeal to the jury in your case, resulting in the jury not convicting on all charges.

Drug Offenses

The penalties for drug offenses vary depending on the exact charges you’re facing. A possession charge could involve relatively light penalties compared to possession with intent to distribute or trafficking charges.

However, what can make drug offense charges significantly more severe is if you’re charged in federal court. Certain drug offenses can become federal crimes, such as trafficking controlled substances across state lines. And these federal charges typically have harsher penalties than state charges. If you’re facing federal drug charges, you need a lawyer with experience defending cases in the federal court system.

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse allegations can not only result in criminal charges but also impact your relationships with other family members. After an accusation of domestic abuse, it’s best to consult with a criminal defense attorney to determine what your options may be if charges come your way.

These cases can be tricky because they tend to rely on the testimony of the accuser and the accused without much more evidence beyond medical records indicating an injury occurred. However, we may be able to obtain digital communications between your accuser and other family and friends that tell a different story.

White-Collar Crimes

A white-collar crime is a financial crime, including fraud, identity theft, insider trading, and money laundering. While these crimes are non-violent, the state takes them seriously and punishes those convicted accordingly.

However, many of these crimes require that prosecutors prove specific intent, which we may be able to use to beat your charges or get them dropped. For example, if you didn’t intend to defraud the government by failing to pay your taxes, and took steps to remedy the situation once you learned of it, it may be hard for prosecutors to charge you with tax evasion.

Theft and Burglary

Theft is the crime of stealing, while burglary is illegally entering a building with the intent to commit a crime, usually theft. The penalties you may face for these crimes can scale up with the value of the allegedly stolen items.

One defense commonly used in these cases is a lack of intent. If you didn’t know the items in your possession were stolen, or if you believed you had permission from the owner to take them, that can make it challenging for prosecutors to secure a conviction. However, proving a lack of intent involves providing additional evidence for why you didn’t believe you were committing a crime, such as a message from the property owner.

Traffic Violations

Running a stop sign, speeding, failing to yield the right-of-way, and other traffic violations may result in fines or jail time in some cases. Even though these violations may seem minor, it’s important to take them seriously and have a criminal defense lawyer handle your case. Traffic violations can add up and lead to more severe penalties otherwise.

Felony Classifications and Penalties in Union County

If you’re facing a felony charge in Union County, the degree of the felony is a key factor in the potential penalties you could face if convicted. Fifth-degree felonies carry the least severe punishments, while first-degree felonies carry the harshest punishments:

• Fifth-Degree Felony – Between six and 12 months in prison and a fine of up to $2,500
• Fourth-Degree Felony – Between six and 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000
• Third-Degree Felony – Between nine and 36 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000
• Second-Degree Felony – Between two and eight years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000
• First-Degree Felony – Between three and 11 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000

It’s also important to keep in mind that other factors can contribute to criminal punishments. For example, having previous offenses on your record can result in a judge increasing the penalty since they’ll consider you a repeat offender. And some offenses can be treated more seriously if they involve specific aggravating factors, such as the use of a weapon.

Contact Our Criminal Defense Lawyers Serving Union County, Ohio

If you’re facing criminal charges in Union County, contact the Ohio criminal defense lawyers at The Law Offices of Saia, Marrocco & Jensen Inc. for a free consultation. We’ll review the charges you’re facing, explain the potential penalties, and help you understand your legal rights and options.