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1st time offender in Indiana class d felony theft
Anonymous4 views1 answers
im freaking out ive been charged with a class d felony for theft in indiana, this is my 1st and last offense. I found out I was pregnant a couple days after I did this and already have a 7 month old. I have alot on the line, i went to jail and was bonded out, i have court in 3 days and i am very very stressed and scared im going to jail. i cannot afford a lawyer i know one will be appointed to me but i haven't met him/her yet. can someone tell me what my chances are of going to jail and what i should plea i have been told to plea not guilty but i know i did it...i dont know what to do any advice will help.
Gregory Philip BowesCriminal Defense AttorneyIndianapolis, IN ·
The first thing you should do is stop admitting that you committed the offense in a public forum. It is possible you committed one offense, but the prosecutor charged you with the wrong offense.
If you are charged with a Class D felony, which is the lowest felony in Indiana, you are allowed to ask for what is called Alternative Misdemeanor Sentencing or AMS. This option is created by statute at Ind. Code 35-50-2-7(b), which is available at http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar50/ch2.html. If the judge uses AMS, you would have a misdemeanor conviction as far as the law is concerned.
If this is your first offense, there is no minimum prison sentence required even if you are convicted for a Class D felony.
You should consult with your attorney before deciding how to go forward. Although any criminal charge is serious, this may not be as scary as it looks to you right now.
