Ocean City Sex Crime Arrests
If a person is investigated for a sex crime in Ocean City and the decision is made to have charges issued, the person can be arrested. A warrant is issued for the person’s arrest and they could be arrested by any law enforcement agency who verifies that the warrant exists. The person would then be taken into custody and transported to the public safety building on 65th Street in Ocean City.
If you have been arrested on sex crime charges in Ocean City, contacting a sex crimes lawyer can be vital to creating your defense. Ocean City sex crimes lawyers have an understanding of local laws that may apply to your case.
Sex Crime Investigations
The first important thing for a person to know after being arrested for a sex crime is that they have the right to have an attorney with them, while under investigation. Unfortunately, when arrested in Ocean City, people make the mistake of trying to talk to the police officer and explain everything after their arrest.
Anyone speaking to the police about their arrest without an attorney is essentially digging a huge hole for themselves because everything that they say to a police officer can be used against them at trial. If someone confesses to a sex crime, that is considered a significant piece of evidence. If that person speaks to a police officer and gives some sort of chronology as to where they were and the police investigate that and find the chronology is not accurate, the appearance of lying could be used against them in court.
Following An Arrest
When someone is processed into the jail they are given a pin number to use when making phone calls. Before they start dialing the phone, they are advised by an automated message that the call is being monitored. Investigators who work for the prosecutor’s offices monitor those telephone calls. A person should not talk on the jail phone, not discuss the case with anybody, and not discuss their situation over the telephone.
Bond Hearings
When the district court was established in Maryland, they started referring to magistrates as district court commissioners. After an arrest in Ocean City, the individual will meet with a district court commissioner who is responsible for telling the person what they are charged with, explaining their right to have an attorney, and making the first determination regarding bail or bond. Depending on the person’s charges, the bond could be high because those allegations are very serious. The court may consider that person to be a danger to the public in general and a danger to the person who made the allegations of the crime.
It is quite possible that the person would have a significant bond for a sex crime allegation. If they cannot post their bond, there is bond review hearing as soon as a judge is available. There is an initial appearance in front of the judge that is an opportunity to revisit the issue of bond. A judge listens to everything that wants to be told regarding a bond review. The judge could lower, increase a bond, or could decide to leave bond exactly where it is.
It is possible that someone who cannot make bond could sit in jail pending the resolution of their case. If they are arrested in Ocean City, they are held at the Worcester County Jail which is located in Snow Hill, the county sits for Worcester County.
Contacting a Lawyer
It is important to talk to a lawyer before talking to the authorities because that can be the difference between somebody not saying anything to hurt themselves or saying things that are incredibly damaging and used against them in their case. It is so important to speak to an attorney before agreeing to sit down or have any conversation with a police officer.