The Medlin Law Firm - Gary Medlin

Common Errors During Criminal Investigations & Arrests The first and biggest mistake is always to talk to the police or the detectives and answer any questions, even if the person is innocent, even if the person was entitled to self-defense. It is almost always a mistake to answer questions because the detectives or the law enforcement agency may take it out of context or use it to corroborate other evidence so they can make the case stronger against the person accused. That is the first mistake people make. The second mistake would be to not hire an expert attorney to [...]

We handle a lot of drug cases from possession of marijuana to more serious cases involving possession or even delivery of controlled substances such as meth, heroin or cocaine. We also handle a great deal of assault cases from just minor assaults, assaults on family members all the way up to aggravated assaults with deadly weapons. We have even handled a few murder cases over the last few years. We handle a great deal of theft cases from just minor shoplifting all the way up to major theft of cars and embezzlement. We also handle weapons cases and there are [...]

Common misconceptions would include thinking that they have to go to jail, that there is no way to get the case dismissed, or that there is some magical way to get the case dismissed. Sometimes people believe that because they were not read their rights that that must be a get-out-of-jail free card or an automatic dismissal, and that may or may not be the case. It is not quite like TV, where the police officer might want to get the case thrown out so he purposely does not read the person their rights. If the person has been arrested [...]

No, absolutely not! No one is obligated to meet with the detective who calls them saying they want to ask them some questions or they want to clear something up. In fact, it is almost always the best advice for that person to not meet with the detectives and not answer any questions. It is always my advice that the right thing to do to exercise their right to remain silent. All of my clients have the right to remain silent but a lot of them do not have the ability. It is always the right thing to do because [...]

Once you’re arrested, you’ll be taken into custody and usually within 24 hours would be taken before a magistrate, and bond would be set. Once the bond is set, then you’re able to get out of jail. So one option at that point is posting a cash bond; if the bond is set at $1,000, then you’d deposit $1,000, and that $1,000 is returned to you after the case is over, minus a small administrative fee, usually around $35 or so. Another option, rather than coming up with the full amount of the bond, is to hire a bondsman or [...]

The first and most important mistake often happens before they’re even arrested, and that’s when the person starts answering questions. Sometimes when they’re first pulled over by the officer and the officer asks them if they’ve had something to drink, right there, most people make a mistake by answering. People at that point should go ahead and say, “I invoke my right to remain silent. I refuse to answer any questions.” But after they’ve been arrested and after they’ve been released, the first and the biggest mistake they make is not hiring an experienced attorney, as soon as possible, because [...]

There is not much more paperwork than what you’re charged with and how you’ve secured release as far as any bond. So if you post a cash bond, you should have a receipt for the cash bond; if you hire a bondsperson, you should have a copy of the bond paperwork. This paperwork should show you what the magistrate said you were charged with, the offense and the amount of the bond. And that may be all you’re given. That may be all you know at that point. You may later hear of your court date through the bondsperson or [...]

What set our firm apart are our experience, knowledge and our individual attention to each case. We are not a mill or some factory where we have so many thousands of clients that we just run everything through and we cannot give individual attention to each case. We have a smaller caseload so that we can spend more time with each case, we can meet with each client. We can evaluate their case and meet with them in the office to give them our evaluation, recommendations and let them know how the best ways to handle their case. We take [...]

Yes. It may depend on the jurisdiction. Many jurisdictions, Tarrant County particularly have diversion programs, the person may be put in some type of program that diverts them from court, it is called Diversion because it is not through the court. It does not result in any type of record and it puts them in the position later if they complete it, to be able to expunge it from their record. There are also some programs called Deferred Prosecution. In some jurisdictions, that can be run by the district attorney’s office, the person is placed on an informal probation outside [...]

Surprisingly, yes! Police can lie to you, and they frequently do. They frequently will lie to people and lead them to believe that maybe they already have some evidence or that someone else has given evidence against them. Police are allowed to lie to people in order to investigate crimes and that does not mean that evidence cannot be used against them. Are People Allowed To Lie To The Police In Return? The best thing to do is exercise your right to remain silent and not answer any questions. Do not put yourself in the position of telling the truth [...]