When I meet with clients who are charged or have been arrested for a sex crime, we sit down in my office, and we pretty much go over what happened related to their arrest and what type of evidence the police might have been able to gather related to the offense.

We will also discuss why they got arrested and some of the solutions we can come up with to deal with the problem.  The great thing about it is it's all confidential.  I always tell people, let's talk about it honestly.  Please give me all the information.  Don't hold anything back because whatever you tell me is protected by the attorney/client privilege. Your privacy is of utmost importance, and I will never disclose any information without your consent.

This means that even if you don't hire me, I'm still not going to tell anybody and can't ethically tell anybody about what we talked about.  It's an excellent opportunity to discuss the case and get a really good sense of what you're facing and what you're up against because that's what many people want to know.

Many clients ask me, 'What's the worst that could happen?  ' I understand the need to be fully informed, and  I always strive to provide honest and straightforward information. This helps you understand the potential outcomes and prepare for your case.

I wouldn't say I like defense firms that puff and talk about a bunch of stuff that either doesn't apply to a particular person's situation or is never going to happen related to a specific person's situation.  But, they're just saying things to try to get the sale, to get the client in.  That's not an excellent way to practice sex crime defense. Our California sex crime defense lawyers will review this topic further below.

Can You Post Bail After a Sex Crime Arrest in California?

Yes, in most cases. Many people don't realize that if you have been arrested for a sexual-related offense, you can usually bail out of jail and go to court later. However, you're potentially facing your bail being raised because, in many sex crime cases, the prosecutors can try to stack the bail.

This means if they charge you with five charges and each charge has a $20,000.00 bail, they can get you for $100,000.00.  Put simply, they can “stack” the bail against you.  Whereas, in other standard crimes, they're not usually permitted to do that. This is another reason you want your own private criminal defense attorney so they can go to court on your behalf and try to avoid taking you into custody and raising your bail so you can't get released from custody.

Court Ordered Classes and Other Types of Requirements

Another thing you're potentially facing, in addition to jail time, sex registry, and a large bail amount, situation, is you might be ordered by the court to do certain things, such as attend a sex offender class, community service, and Caltrans.

The judge might also want you to be evaluated by a psychologist, known as a Penal Code 288.1 PC report. This means they are attempting to determine whether you are a danger to society and whether, if you're given probation and an opportunity for release, you might be a recidivist, meaning a repeat offender.

You're facing several things, most of which are an embarrassment and potentially life-changing if convicted. Anybody convicted of a sex crime will see it on their criminal record, whereas future employers will see that, and it's going to be very challenging to get a job.  You could also lose the right to own or possess a firearm if convicted of a felony crime in California.

Negotiation with the Prosecutor for a Favorable Outcome

So, in my consultations, you're going to get it straight.  You're going to get truthful information about where you stand — whether or not it's the type of case you should consider taking to trial or whether it's one where we need to try to negotiate and resolve.

If we decide that it's a case that we need to negotiate and resolve, then we'll end up making a realistic plan together. I'll need you to be honest with me, and we'll try to figure out some bottom lines related to the case.

Sometimes, we can only do that once we get all the information. In other words, we need the arrest report and the evidence that the prosecutors will use to prove the case. Sometimes, that requires waiting until the court date to get all that information.

But we don't need a bunch of false promises, a bunch of defenses that don't apply to you, and a bunch of information that is irrelevant to your particular situation. That's what I try to avoid.  I try to set it up to look at a realistic picture when you leave my office.  In other words, you're able to say, “Okay, here's what I'm facing.

Here's what I can do to help myself.  Here's what I'm not going to do.”  You leave, you understand where you are, what's going to happen with your case, and what you can do to assist in the defense of your claim. So, suppose you're looking for somebody who's handled thousands of sex crime defense cases over the last 30 years, who's worked for the DA's office, who's worked for a Superior Court judge, and who has been a criminal defense attorney for cases just like yours for the last 28 years. In that case, you've come to the right place. I have a deep understanding of the legal system and a proven track record of successfully defending clients in sex crime cases.

Pick up the phone now. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding. We'll go through our consultation step by step, get a game plan together, tell you the truth about where you stand, and start the process of putting you in the best possible position. During the consultation, we will discuss your case in detail, review the evidence, and explore potential defense strategies. Hedding Law Firm is located in Los Angeles County and offers a free case consultation.