What to do if you’re Accused of Child Molestation? | Huppertz & Powers

Child molestation is a serious charge. The stigma of being a child molester will change the way that people interact with you on a personal and professional manner. If you are convicted of this type of crime, your life will change forever.

If you have been accused and arrested for child molestation, it is imperative that you seek legal representation from a criminal defense lawyer Waukesha that is knowledgeable about this type of case.

Criminal defense attorneys do not all handle the same type of cases. If you are facing this serious charge, you need to hire an attorney that has the right knowledge and case history to build your case against child molestation charges.

Steps To Take If You Are Accused of Child Molestation

If you have been arrested and accused of child molestation, you are encouraged to take the following steps to protect yourself from false accusations:

• Invoke Your Right To Remain Silent. If you have been arrested of this type of crime, it is in your best interest to listen instead of talk. Provide your basic information to the police during their questioning, but do not divulge too much information to the police, even if you believe it will prove your innocence. There are two significant things to remember at this point in the process:

1. Everything that you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Even if your statement was meant to prove innocence. The police are looking for any particle of information that they can find to build their case. They are NOT interested in proving your innocence, only in building their case.
2. You do not have to prove your innocence to the police. You will be required to prove your innocence in front of the judge and jury. Save your information to give to your attorney so that you can build a solid defense case.

• Invoke Your Right To An Attorney. The U.S. Constitution guarantees you the right to legal representation. To enforce your right to remain silent, you can request that your attorney is present during any questioning conducted by enforcement. Having a criminal defense lawyer Waukesha at your side will give you a better outcome to your case right from the start.
• Contact A Criminal Defense Attorney. If you have already given a statement to the police and have been officially arrested, don’t panic. You still have the opportunity to contact a criminal defense attorney to start building your case. It is never too late to get help.
• Avoid Talking About Your Case. You want to avoid talking about your case as much as possible. Avoid social media period.

Important Information About Criminal Charges And Social Media Use

Social media has become integrated into everyday life to a point where most people turn to social media first with any of their problems. If you have been accused of child molestation, the last thing that you want to do is go on social media with any of the information about your case.

If you have been arrested for child molestation, you must not go on social media and:

• Declare your innocence. If you start broadcasting all of the details of your case, you are giving the prosecution all the information they need to build a case against you. Anything you say can and will be held against you, even if it was meant to prove you did not commit the act.
• Make accusations against another person. If you believe that you have been mistaken for someone else, it is vital that you discuss this with your attorney so that the right authorities can be notified. Social media is not the place for this information.
• Make accusations against the victim. You cannot accuse the victim of lying or trying to get you into trouble. Even if this is the absolute truth, it will make you appear hostile. This is especially true when a child is involved. You need to keep this information to yourself or tell only your attorney.
• Do not try to use social media to build an alibi. Everything that you post is open information to the public, and the prosecutor will see this as trying to influence potential jurors.
• Avoid making any posts about personal matters. Acting as if nothing has happened is also a way for the prosecution to make you look as “uncaring” an “oblivious” to what has happened.
• Do not accept any friend requests at all period. It is not unusual for people to seek friend requests from you so that they can “pump” information about the case or the incident from you. These “friends” may be from investigators of the prosecution or family members seeking vengeance.

The most important rule that you should observe during this challenging period in your life is to “read and not post.” It is understandable that you still want to keep informed about what your family and friends are doing. However, it is beneficial if you go “radio silent” during the lead up to your case for your protection.

How A Criminal Defense Lawyer Waukesha Can Help

From the moment that you hire a criminal defense attorney to represent your case, your attorney will protect your rights. Although you have been accused of a serious crime, you still have rights guaranteed to you under the Constitution, and it is imperative that these rights are protected.

Your attorney will then begin the process of building a solid defense for your case. They will gather evidence, interview witnesses, review reports and records, go over the arrest and the formal charges, and speak with you in depth about the crime you have been accused of and what it means in court.

Although your attorney cannot guarantee the outcome of your case, they can guarantee that you will have the best possible outcome for your case when you have quality legal representation. The most important thing to remember is that being accused of a crime is much different than being convicted. If you have been accused of child molestation, speak with a Waukesha criminal defense attorney today.