You can be charged with a crime even when you do the right thing in Logan, Weld, and Morgan County. For example, a woman was recently charged with False Reporting after she rescued a stray dog. According to news reports, the woman saw a yellow lab tied to a pipe in a vacant lot on bitterly cold day. The woman wasn’t able to find any tags identifying the owner, so she called the Sheriff’s Department in the County where she found the dog. A deputy informed her they didn’t have the facilities to care for the dog, and said they couldn’t transfer it to the correct county. The woman drove the dog into a different County and told the police at the station that she had found the dog alongside a road in their County. She didn’t know if they would accept the dog if it was from a different jurisdiction. The frantic owner finally caught up with his dog, but was facing a fine because a city ordinance prohibited dogs to run free. The woman called in and told the truth about where she found the dog, and was charged with False Reporting for her honesty.
What is False Reporting?
False Reporting is a crime which is charged when a person “knowingly causes the transmission of a report to law enforcement authorities pretending to furnish information relating to an offense or other incident within their official concern when he or she knows…that the information is false.” There are other instances where False Reporting is charged, such as tampering with a fire alarm or providing false identification to police. The woman was charged with False Reporting because she lied about where she found the dog. Even though she told her story in order to protect the freezing animal, she is facing criminal charges.
When Police Are Involved, Charges Aren’t Taken Lightly
As experienced criminal defense attorneys for over two decades, we’ve learned that when police are involved in criminal charges, the government is unforgiving. When you lie to police, you will face charges. But, in the woman’s situation, she had to lie in order to save the life of the dog. In many situations in Greeley, Evans and Erie, police are overly critical, and admissions or statements you make will later be used against you. Our advice to all our clients is to remain silent when speaking with law enforcement officers. You are not required to give them information. Instead, use your right to remain silent, and tell them you wish to speak with an attorney. Even the acts of a Good Samaritan can result in criminal charges.
If you or a loved one has been charged with False Reporting or another police involved crime in Greeley, Johnstown or Wellington after being a Good Samaritan, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009, or submit the “Get Help Now” form. Together, we can protect your future.
Image Credit: Pixabay – Jyerk