Statutory Rape Charge Reduced by Challenging Witness' Credibility

A Roberts Law Group PLLC client was facing a serious statutory rape charge when attorney Patrick Roberts stepped in to defend against the charge.

2011-05-10

RALEIGH, NC, May 09, 2011 (Press-News.org) A Roberts Law Group PLLC client was facing a serious statutory rape charge when attorney Patrick Roberts stepped in to defend against the charge. By challenging the credibility of the accuser, criminal lawyer Roberts was able to negotiate a reduction in the statutory rape charge to indecent liberties with a minor. This reduction led to a decrease in the amount of possible prison time from nearly 25 years to 10 to 12 months.

The facts of the case aren't all that uncommon in North Carolina because many don't realize the consequences stemming from sex with a minor. In this case, a 20-year-old male was caught engaging in alleged sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl by the girl's mother. Whether or not the girl consented to the sexual interaction is irrelevant because of her age. Anyone between the ages of 13 and 15 in North Carolina is not legally able to consent to sex and is considered a minor for the purposes of a statutory rape charge, which requires the state to prove that sexual intercourse occurred.

Therefore, when the statutory rape charges were brought against the 20-year-old male, he was facing a very serious criminal charge with a maximum sentence of nearly 25 years in prison. While the facts were not generally in his favor, the credibility of the witness and the accuser were also in question. Criminal lawyer Patrick Roberts raised enough doubt about the credibility of the witnesses, the girl's mother and the alleged victim, to allow room for negotiations with the assigned Assistant District Attorney (ADA) in Giulford County.

Attorney Patrick Roberts also relied on his thorough understanding of evidence to question whether the ADA would be able to prove that penetration occurred between the girl and the man before they were caught together. Without critical DNA evidence, the ADA would have difficulty demonstrating that the two actually had sexual intercourse, Mr. Roberts argued. Raising this issue proved invaluable in getting a reduction in the charge from statutory rape to indecent liberties with a minor.

Anyone facing a similarly serious sex crime allegation, such as statutory rape or child pornography, should not hesitate to contact the Roberts Law Group PLLC for legal advice. The attorneys are knowledgeable and take the time to understand the incident that has led to a criminal investigation or criminal charges. This is often the most important step in fighting for your rights in the criminal process.

Website: http://www.robertslawteam.com

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Post-traumatic stress disorder common following significant orthopedic trauma

2011-05-10

Although most commonly associated with military combat, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur in civilians, too – and with consequences that are just as serious, according to a new review article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs after a person experiences a traumatic event involving physical injury, and occurs in 20 to 51 percent of patients with an orthopaedic injury. "PTSD occurs with a significant frequency in civilian patients who have sustained an orthopaedic trauma, and ...

One-third of Spanish children do not wake up feeling refreshed

2011-05-10

Children have poor quality sleep. A new study carried out in Valencia shows that 37.4% of children aged from 6 to 8, 25.3% of those aged between 9 and 11, and 31.8% of those aged from 12 to 15 wake up feeling refreshed only once a week, or even not at all. The results also show that 4.26% of them fall asleep in class more than three times per week. "It is important to point out that the way we sleep throughout our lives depends on how we learn to sleep as children", Gonzalo Pin Arboledas, lead author of this study and a doctor at the Valencian Sleep Unit at the Quirón ...

Virtual possessions have powerful hold on teenagers, Carnegie Mellon researchers say

2011-05-10

PITTSBURGH—Digital imagery, Facebook updates, online music collections, email threads and other immaterial artifacts of today's online world may be as precious to teenagers as a favorite book that a parent once read to them or a t-shirt worn at a music festival, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers say. The very fact that virtual possessions don't have a physical form may actually enhance their value, researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and School of Design discovered in a study of 21 teenagers. A fuller appreciation of ...

How did debt and credit become the 'American way'?

2011-05-10

Taking on significant debt has become "normal"—and even patriotic—to some consumers, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "How did America, a country once so indelibly marked with Puritan principles of self-discipline and thrift, become a nation so awash in personal debt?" ask authors Lisa Peñaloza (École des Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord—EDHEC) and Michelle Barnhart (Oregon State University). The researchers interviewed 27 white, middle-class Americans before the 2008 financial crisis and found that even though consumers believe that ...

Faking it: Can ads create false memories about products?

2011-05-10

People who read vivid print advertisements for fictitious products actually come to believe they've tried those products, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Exposing consumers to imagery-evoking advertising increases the likelihood that a consumer mistakenly believes he/she has experienced the advertised product, and subsequently produces attitudes that are as strong as attitudes based on genuine product experience," write authors Priyali Rajagopal (Southern Methodist University) and Nicole Montgomery (College of William and Mary). In one ...

Henry Ford Hospital study: Open-access colonoscopy is safe

2011-05-10

DETROIT – Nurse-driven, open-access colonoscopy programs are as effective and safe as colonoscopy following a consultation with a gastroenterologist, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. "Our results showed no significant differences in safety outcomes related to perforation rate, emergent surgery, post-polypectomy bleed, overall lower gastrointestinal bleed, or death," says Gregory Olds, M.D., chief of interventional gastroenterology and director of endoscopy at Henry Ford Hospital and co-author of the study. With a nurse-driven open access program, a ...

Go for broke: Consumers who set conservative goals feel less satisfied

2011-05-10

Consumers who set conservative goals have a harder time achieving satisfaction than those who set ambitious goals, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. When cautious consumers meet their goals, they tend to raise the bar and compare themselves to the highest possible standards. Authors Cecile K. Cho (University of California, Riverside) and Venkataramani Johar (Columbia University) compared people who set conservative goals with people who set ambitious goals. They focused on situations in which goals were achieved, and measured the level of satisfaction ...

Report: Direct removal of carbon dioxide from air likely not viable

2011-05-10

Technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are unlikely to offer an economically feasible way to slow human-driven climate change for several decades, according to a report issued by the American Physical Society and led by Princeton engineer Robert Socolow. "We humans should not kid ourselves that we can pour all the carbon dioxide we wish into the atmosphere right now and pull it out later at little cost," said Socolow, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. The report, issued by a committee of 13 experts, was co-chaired by Socolow ...

Constrained consumers: When do people consider what they have to give up in order to buy something?

2011-05-10

Every time consumers spend money on a purchase, they are giving up other consumption down the road. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research looks at the factors that lead consumers to consider these "opportunity costs." "Rather than viewing a decision as 'Do I buy or do I not buy?' consumers feeling constrained view the decision as 'Do I buy or do I use my money on something else instead?'" writes author Stephen Spiller (UCLA). Feeling constrained is one major factor that leads consumers to consider how purchasing something now will affect what they can purchase ...

How do creative ads shake up the way we think?

2011-05-10

Innovative ads can help creative consumers break away from their existing thought patterns, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. These creative stimuli can affect the way consumers process information about different products. "Creative marketing stimuli are pervasive in the marketplace as marketers and advertisers scramble to break through the clutter to attract consumers' attention and win their approval," write authors Xiaojing Yang (University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee), Torsten Ringberg (Copenhagen Business School), Huifang Mao (University of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Global social media engagement trends revealed for election year of 2024

Zoom fatigue is linked to dissatisfaction with one’s facial appearance

Students around the world find ChatGPT useful, but also express concerns

Labor market immigrants moving to Germany are less likely to make their first choice of residence in regions where xenophobic attitudes, measured by right-wing party support and xenophobic violence, a

Lots of screentime in toddlers is linked with worse language skills, but educational content and screen use accompanied by adults might help, per study across 19 Latin American countries