- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Being accused of a sex crime can turn your life upside down. Your career, relationships, reputation, and even your freedom can all be at stake. The moment that the Davie County Sheriff’s Office charges you with a sex crime, you need to contact an experienced lawyer.
At Greenwood Law, our Mocksville criminal defense lawyers have decades of experience helping the people of North Carolina fight the accusations made against them. Learn more about the types of sex crimes you can be charged with, the penalties attached to each, and how a lawyer can help.
In North Carolina, sex crime offenses carry a wide range of penalties that depend not only on the severity of the offense but also on the ages of the accuser and offender. In the state, a sexual offense is an offense in which a person submits another to unwanted sexual acts.
Class B1 and Class B2 sexual crimes are the most serious. Class B1 offenses include:
These convictions carry prison sentences that range from 144 months to life in prison without parole. Class B2 sexual crimes include attempted rape and carry sentences of between 94 and 393 months in jail. If convicted, you would be required to register as a sex offender, as well, and face restrictions on where you can live for the rest of your life
Class C sex crimes in North Carolina refer to:
These crimes carry sentences of 44 to 182 months in prison. You would also have to be registered as a sex offender.
A Class D sexual crime refers to the sexual exploitation of a minor, while a Class E crime is sexual molestation. Class F sex crimes involve prostitution, and Class I sex crimes involve third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Suppose that you’re convicted of a sex crime in Davie County Superior Court. After you have served your time, you still won’t be allowed to return to normal life. This is because you have to register as a sex offender with the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry. When you register, your photo, address, and conviction are available to the public.
As a registered sex offender, you’ll have residence restrictions. You won’t be able to live within 1,000 feet of a school or childcare center, and you won’t be able to live in federally assisted housing if you have a lifetime registration requirement.
There are also restrictions as to where you can physically be, including places specifically designated for minors. You’ll face job restrictions, as well. You won’t be able to work or volunteer in places where minors are present and where you’d be supervising them. You won’t be allowed to drive a school bus or even obtain an EMT license or other professional licenses.
If attending school would violate any of your restrictions, you could be prevented from attending educational programs. You might also be subject to satellite monitoring if you’ve been convicted of a sex crime that requires lifetime registration as a sex offender.
In some instances, you may also face some internet usage restrictions. You may not be allowed to join sites that minors predominantly use, for example.
Mocksville is a relatively small town. Like many small towns, there are areas bustling with culture, and others that are more rural. Understanding the Mocksville area may be a key to your defense in many ways. How so? Depending on the location where someone made a claim against you, it could be a rural area, have minimal lighting, or be a public area with witnesses. Some examples of geographic areas in Mocksville include:
The consequences of being convicted of a sex crime are dire. You may feel overwhelmed and think that the evidence against you must be significant. The moment you’re charged, you need to contact a Mocksville sex crimes lawyer with experience who can guide you through the justice system.
At Greenwood Law, our team will investigate the accusation thoroughly. Often, police officers try to convince those who have been accused that there’s insurmountable evidence against them so they’ll accept unfavorable plea deals. We’ll look at all of the evidence the police have — and we’ll look at how they obtained it.
Police officers sometimes overstep their legal bounds when gathering evidence. If we discover this has been the case, we’ll do everything possible to get the evidence thrown out. Often, that’s enough to get the case dropped.
Our lawyers will also seek out our own evidence to show that you weren’t able to commit the crime. We can rely on surveillance camera footage and witnesses who can confirm you were somewhere else.
We’ll also search for discrepancies in the prosecution’s witness testimonies. We’ll aggressively look for discrepancies in the accuser’s testimony, as well, which can erode the strength of their claim. Alongside this strategy, we know how to flush out evidence that can question the credibility of the accuser.
Our team will advocate for you in court and present our own view of what happened. This brings doubt into the accuser’s version of events. Often, this means showing that the sex act was consensual.
Another defense option we have is to show that you were mistakenly identified as the perpetrator of the crime. If you were in a lineup, this can easily occur.
If there’s DNA and other forensic evidence against you, we’ll investigate how it was collected, where it was processed, and whether all protocol was followed to the letter of the law. If it wasn’t, we’ll try to get the evidence thrown out.
It’s important to also consider any bias that the police may have had against you. These issues are still a concern, and we can highlight them in court to showcase that you were targeted.
In some instances, however, the best option is to plead out. If that is what you prefer to do, we will negotiate the best possible deal.
We’re your advocates and your support system. We understand how serious it is to be accused of a sex crime, and our team will do everything possible to prevent the worst consequences.
If you’ve been accused of a sex crime in North Carolina, don’t despair. Instead, call our team of criminal defense lawyers to represent you.
We have decades of combined legal experience, and we have argued cases throughout the state. This means that we know how the system works and how to best help you beat the charges.
From the moment you step into our offices, you will receive the respect you deserve. We’re advocates who will aggressively defend your rights and look for even the smallest piece of questionable evidence to target.
With our team of experienced lawyers, you can have a chance to break free of the charges laid against you. Because being convicted of a sex crime can be so highly detrimental, it’s vital that you consider hiring experienced lawyers for help.
If you think you’ll be charged with a sex crime or if you have already been charged, now’s the time to get the qualified legal help you need. Contact our team of experienced Mocksville sex crime lawyers at Greenwood Law to schedule a consultation and begin the process of defending your reputation, freedom, and future.
