A good criminal attorney can be the deciding factor in a criminal trial for a defendant who has been charged with an offence, in understanding the rights and restrictions that are imposed upon him. Prosecutors are only human and as such are capable of making mistakes that are common to all people. Procedural law is strict. A New York Drug Crime Lawyer said only a person who has been sufficiently trained in the law is capable of deciphering the requirements that the prosecution team has to meet in order for them to obtain a conviction. When the prosecution team makes an error, it is not up to them to admit to the error. It is incumbent upon the defense team to expose the error.
The case of one defendant in New York is an example. He was charged with several misdemeanor offenses of menacing and reckless endangerment stemming from incidents that occurred between May and October of 2009. On October 12, 2009, he was arraigned on two misdemeanors. Bail was set on the charges and court date was set for October 16, 2009. On the 16th, the prosecutor served and filed an information with the court. As an oversight, the prosecution team failed to convert the misdemeanor information with a misdemeanor complaint as required. A New York Drug Possession Lawyer said that an information is a court document that details the facts of a case against a particular defendant. The information provides the details of the offenses and the charges that are being pursued.
The defense team filed a motion to release the defendant from custody because the complaint was not converted to an information as required by the New York State statute CPL §170.70. This statute requires that a misdemeanor complaint filed by a prosecutor of the state of New York must replace the complaint with an information within five days of the person’s incarceration. The five day rule does not include Sundays. If the complaint is not replaced with an information within five days, the statute requires that the defendant be released on his own recognizance.