Hi before two days i was arrested for petite larceny In new York state , it is about 52 $ .. Tomorrow i have to show up in to the court. The problem is that i am just a tourist here , i am not american citizen, and i dont have idea what to do for tomorrow.. i knead an advice what should i do in the court, what should i expect.thanks
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Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft petit larceny
- Thread Starter tgazajug
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mightymoose
Moderator
you are going to an arraignment... all you need to do is answer 'not guilty' to the charge and request a public defender to represent you. If you are a tourist just passing through then you will likely be gone before your case ever gets to trial. However, if you fail to appear to court when ordered, even if it is because you left the country to go home, a warrant for your arrest will be issued- but no worries about that unless you ever return to the county where the offense was committed.
army judge
Super Moderator
Get out now. Run for your life. You don't want to go to jail as a non-US citizen. We have some ornery, violent, diseased, disgusting creatures languishing in our jails. They'll eat you alive. Get out now. You should never look back.
Or, you could go to court, plead guilty, and pay a fine.
Just pretend you don't speak English well.
Ask for a translator, and be very nice, act very scared.
Sometimes they'll feel sorry for you, order you to pay a small fine, and that will be it.
Now, seriously dude, I've visited many countries and never broke their laws. Stealing is illegal everywhere on this planet. Some countries will cut off your hand for stealing. Stop breaking laws. Be a good visitor. Be a good person. Good luck!!
Or, you could go to court, plead guilty, and pay a fine.
Just pretend you don't speak English well.
Ask for a translator, and be very nice, act very scared.
Sometimes they'll feel sorry for you, order you to pay a small fine, and that will be it.
Now, seriously dude, I've visited many countries and never broke their laws. Stealing is illegal everywhere on this planet. Some countries will cut off your hand for stealing. Stop breaking laws. Be a good visitor. Be a good person. Good luck!!
Ye dude i know that i do a mistake, first in my live and never again.
this is going to be my first show up in the court in my live ind i really dont know how is functioning,
I want to know what is the option if i plead guilty or not guilty....How is going to affect the fact that i want to go home in Europe soon, should i tell that or no..
this is going to be my first show up in the court in my live ind i really dont know how is functioning,
I want to know what is the option if i plead guilty or not guilty....How is going to affect the fact that i want to go home in Europe soon, should i tell that or no..
army judge
Super Moderator
Dude, just go back home. You won't be extradited over this. Just get the heck outta Dodge, right now.
jacksgal
New Member
Unless you do something really dumb like plead guilty today. You will get another court date
army judge
Super Moderator
You can just leave and say nothing.
They'll never come to Europe looking for you.
This matter is too small for them to bother you.
You don't need to appear.
You don't need a lawyer.
All you need is your passport and plane ticket.
jacksgal
New Member
You need an Attorney and whether or not you return there is a moral obligation to deal with this. Keep in mind a warrant will beissued for your arrest if you avoid court which "might" be a problem if you ever return
mightymoose
Moderator
Absolutely nothing.
Our country has far more challenging issues (see "Mexico") than to deal with petit larceny charges against a non-citizen.
If you plead not-guilty, there probably won't be an issue of the requirement of your return for the charge. If you feel the need to have a discussion with the prosecutor (without disclosing anything more) about options, you might want to find out whether they will allow you some type of plea where adjudication withheld. This would mean that if you don't do anything wrong for a period of time, the case goes away and nothing is on your record.
If you plead not guilty and go home, I can't say what will happen to you but it's possible that they might drop the charges if you later tell a prosecutor you're halfway around the world and can't fly in just for the hearing. My thought is that if you need to enter a plea and plead not-guilty and ask for a public defender, you've delayed what will happen anyways for a while. Just my thoughts.
If you want to be 100% confident that you've done the right thing, hire an attorney who will know what to do and has experience dealing with these matters. If you need one, you can contact us and we can send you to excellent New York attorneys who are affordable (although that varies to people!) Best of luck to you.
If you plead not-guilty, there probably won't be an issue of the requirement of your return for the charge. If you feel the need to have a discussion with the prosecutor (without disclosing anything more) about options, you might want to find out whether they will allow you some type of plea where adjudication withheld. This would mean that if you don't do anything wrong for a period of time, the case goes away and nothing is on your record.
If you plead not guilty and go home, I can't say what will happen to you but it's possible that they might drop the charges if you later tell a prosecutor you're halfway around the world and can't fly in just for the hearing. My thought is that if you need to enter a plea and plead not-guilty and ask for a public defender, you've delayed what will happen anyways for a while. Just my thoughts.
If you want to be 100% confident that you've done the right thing, hire an attorney who will know what to do and has experience dealing with these matters. If you need one, you can contact us and we can send you to excellent New York attorneys who are affordable (although that varies to people!) Best of luck to you.
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