Expectations After a Richmond Drug Arrest

Being arrested for a drug offense can be a frightening experience, especially if it is your first offense. You may not know what to expect following your arrest, but an attorney could help. If you want to know what expectations after a Richmond drug arrest you should have, speak with a knowledgeable drug lawyer. An experienced legal advocate could answer any questions you may have, and address any concerns you may have. Speak with an attorney that could build a solid defense for you.

Arrests That Occur on Foot

The two situations an individual will normally find themselves in are arrests that occur on foot and arrests in a vehicle. If an individual is on foot and is arrested for something that is not that serious (like a marijuana Class 1 Misdemeanor), that person should expect is to be detained, searched, and have their immediate area around them searched too. If they are in a house, in their home, on the street; the area around them, e.g., their pockets, their bags, et cetera will be searched. They will be questioned about what was found or about the situation by police unless, of course, they arrested. That is if a person is on foot.

With a high-level offense, they should expect to be detained and expect to be arrested. They should expect to be searched (a pat down) once on the scene and when they are at the jail they should expect to be strip-searched. They should expect to spend a significant amount of time in jail as they await their options, when they see a Magistrate, and then even more time in jail as they await their actual trial date. That is if a person is on foot.

Arrests When a Person is in a Vehicle

If a person is in a vehicle, they should expect to be stopped, pulled from the vehicle, searched, questioned, and to have the vehicle searched. They should also expect to receive a summons and then get released on a low-level offense. On a high-level offense, a person should expect to be stopped, searched and/or for their vehicle to be searched, and arrested. They will most likely go to jail and be arrested at the jail.

An individual’s expectations after a Richmond drug arrest should include the expectation that their car will be impounded and taken to the police impound. In Richmond, it will be one of the precincts or Seibert’s Towing Lot, which is the police towing lot in the City of Richmond. A person should the Lot to hold the car and charge the person $45 a day, for every day their car is impounded. While the car is impounded, the person should expect that the car will be searched thoroughly and, in certain situations, may never see that car again as they are sitting in jail also awaiting trial.

What Happens Following an Arrest?

If a person is sent to jail, after all the heavy searches, one of the expectations after a Richmond drug arrest is that they will see the magistrate. The magistrate will hear information from the officer and determine if there is enough information to issue an actual warrant. If a warrant is issued, then the person is going to spend some time in jail. The person will speak with the magistrate again and the magistrate will determine if the person should get a bond or not.

If the person gets a bond, they should expect to be released after posting bond to await the court date. If they are not granted a bond, then they will sit for at least a day or two as they await their first appearance in court. At that time, the person will be arraigned, notifying the person exactly what their charges are, appoint a lawyer for them or give the person an opportunity to hire an attorney. They should expect to sit in jail while they are trying to hire an attorney. Richmond is not going to release an individual just because they were trying to hire an attorney. From the time a person hires an attorney, they should expect at least a two-day period (or 48 hours) until the attorney can get the person back into court to have their case heard on a bond hearing. If arrested and if the person does not receive a bond, they should expect to spend a minimum of five days in jail, trying to figure out what is going on if they have no bond. Individuals who have been arrested for drug offenses should speak with skilled drug attorneys that could pursue a positive outcome for them.

Where Richmond Drug Cases Are Heard

One of base level expectations after a Richmond drug arrest is that an individual will go to trial. Drug cases are heard at one of two venues, either the General District Court or one of the Circuit Courts of Richmond, Virginia. Most cases are bench trials. In the General District Court, a person does not have the right to a trial by jury and in the Circuit Court, most cases are still tried by judges (a bench trial). Misdemeanor offenses normally take around 60 days, felony offenses take anywhere from 90 to 120 days. If an individual has been charged with a drug offense and needs representation, they should consult a skilled attorney that could help.