Asheboro Sex Crimes Attorneys

Sex crimes carry tremendous stigmatization, which means a conviction can be life-altering. Aside from the significant prison time these offenses carry, you can also face having to register as a sex offender. That can impact the kinds of jobs you can take, where you can live, and even the types of places you’re allowed to enter.

What are your options? The moment an officer from the Asheboro Police Department on East Academy Street arrests you, contact Greenwood Law. Our team of sex crimes lawyers will work tirelessly on your behalf to ensure that your rights are respected and that you’re treated fairly as you proceed through the justice system.

Understanding North Carolina Sex Crime Charges

There are a variety of offenses that fall under the umbrella of sex crimes. In North Carolina, these include but are not limited to:

Statutory rape
Forcible rape
Statutory sex offenses
Solicitation of a minor
Indecent liberties with children
Exploitation of a minor
Sexual battery
Possession, distribution, or production of child pornography
Sex trafficking of minors

North Carolina recognizes two categories of felony rape. First-degree forcible rape is the most severe, and it occurs when someone acts against the victim’s will to engage in vaginal intercourse.

To be considered first-degree rape, the alleged perpetrator must have used or displayed a deadly weapon, inflicted great bodily harm, or committed the rape with someone else’s assistance. If convicted of this crime, you could face a minimum prison sentence of 25 years.

Second-degree forcible rape occurs when someone engages in vaginal intercourse with the victim using force or when they engage in vaginal intercourse with someone who’s physically helpless, disabled, or mentally incapacitated. This is a Class C felony and carries a sentence of at least 50 months in prison.

Sexual assault charges, by contrast, don’t involve vaginal intercourse. Instead, they can include acts like fellatio, cunnilingus, and anal intercourse that are performed against the victim’s will.

Penalties for Asheboro Sex Crimes Convictions

If you’re convicted of a sex crime, you don’t just face prison time. You also risk receiving a variety of other consequences that can significantly impact your life.

Imprisonment

The exact prison sentence you could face depends on the type of sex crime you allegedly committed and the victim’s age. Many of the offenses, including first-degree forcible rape, are Class B1, B2, and C felonies. Class B1 felonies involving minors 12 years old or younger can result in life imprisonment.

Some offenses carry mandatory minimum prison sentences and often result in significant prison terms. These include child pornography possession or distribution with a prior sex offense conviction and sexual abuse offenses.

Sex Offender Registration

One of the most impactful consequences of a sex crime conviction is having to register as a sex offender. This means that you will have to register with local law enforcement following your conviction or release from prison.

You will need to re-verify your registration regularly (usually every six months). You will also have to provide a picture of yourself upon request. Once you’re on the sex offender’s list, your address, name, photograph, and the details of your conviction will be publicly available.

Residence Restrictions

Because most sex crime convictions in North Carolina require registering as a sex offender, residence restrictions will apply. You may not reside within 1,000 feet of a childcare center or a school. If you violate this restriction, you could be charged with a Class G felony. You also may not live in federally assisted housing, like halfway homes.

Employment Restrictions

With a conviction that requires you to register as a sex offender, your employment options will be limited as well. For instance, you are barred from:

Working or volunteering in any place where minors are present if you’d be supervising, instructing, or caring for the minor
Driving a bus or other motor vehicle that requires S or P endorsements
Obtaining professional licenses, including those needed to become an emergency medical technician
Offering babysitting services

Violating any of these restrictions can earn you a Class F felony, which carries a sentence of 41 months in prison.

Premises Restrictions

You also have restrictions on the premises you can enter if you’re registered as a sex offender. You’re not allowed to knowingly be anywhere that is primarily used for the care or supervision of minors. You also can’t be anywhere minors are often present, like arcades, swimming pools, recreational parks, and fairgrounds.

Another restriction is not being allowed to be within 300 feet of a location that is primarily used for the care or supervision of minors, even if the overall premises aren’t solely used for this purpose. A violation of these restrictions can result in a Class H felony charge.

Educational Restrictions

As a registered sex offender, you can be expelled from an institution if your presence there violates any of the above-mentioned restrictions. You must alert law enforcement if you’re planning on applying for an educational program, and they are required to provide the institution with information about your conviction.

The Importance of Hiring Experienced Sex Crimes Lawyers

All aspects of your life are irrevocably affected if you’re convicted of a sex crime in North Carolina. If you’re facing charges, the most important thing you can do to protect your freedom and your future is to hire Greenwood Law. You can’t depend on a court-appointed lawyer to help you through the complexities of sexual crime charges.

Our team of lawyers will investigate the alleged crime. We’ll look at how the police gathered the evidence they have against you and will fight to exclude anything that wasn’t obtained legally.

If there’s DNA evidence, we’ll investigate the lab that processed it. If we find improprieties or breaches in procedure, our team will do our best to fight to have the DNA thrown out.

Police officers have to follow strict protocols when they charge and arrest you, so we’ll also pay close attention to all of those details. If they used force, didn’t give you your Miranda Warning, or in any other way failed to respect your rights, we can include that in your defense.

We can also argue that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual. Often, this comes down to one person’s word against the other’s. Alternatively, there may be text messages or other evidence that proves consent.

Our Asheboro sex crimes lawyers will also fight to get you plea deals if that is the right path to take. We’ll always follow your wishes, however, and if that means going to trial, we will do so. Remember, you never want to step into the Randolph County Courthouse without a lawyer beside you.

Contact Greenwood Law for Experienced Sex Crimes Lawyers

Everyone deserves a strong defense, and that’s not something you’ll get if you rely on a court-appointed lawyer. You need people who have decades of experience. That’s precisely what we offer at Greenwood Law.

We are ferocious in our search for the truth, and we’ll go over every detail of the case to find discrepancies in witness testimonies or anything else that allows us to present the defense you deserve. The moment you’re arrested, the first call you should make is to us. Contact Greenwood Law to speak with a criminal defense attorney.