• Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Oak Ridge Sex Crimes Attorney

Oak Ridge Sex Crimes Lawyer Serving Guilford County

Prosecutors in Guilford County take sex crimes very seriously, and they’ll do everything they can to secure a conviction and maximum penalties. Don’t make the mistake of facing the criminal justice system alone. Instead, defend your rights and fight back against your charges with help from a knowledgeable, dedicated sex crimes defense attorney from Greenwood Law. We have the experience and resources you want in a defense team, and we’re prepared to get started right away. Contact our firm today for an initial case evaluation with an Oak Ridge sex crimes defense lawyer, and let us protect your freedom and your future.

Why Choose a Sex Crimes Defense Attorney from Greenwood Law?

Sex charges can have significant consequences for your reputation, freedom, and future, so your choice of legal representation in your criminal case is one of the most important decisions you may make. Turn to a sex crimes defense lawyer with Greenwood Law to guide you through the criminal justice process because:

  • We dedicate ourselves to offering clients the personalized attention and vigorous legal advocacy they need during the challenging process of facing sex charges. Our firm works hard to ensure no client feels like just another case number. Instead, we take the time to listen to your story and understand your concerns, needs, and goals to ensure we take a tailored approach to our legal representation.
  • Our team treats every client with the same respect, compassion, and dedication we would want from our attorney. We strive to uphold our core principles of comprehensive service, a detailed-focused approach, and high-quality legal advocacy.
  • Clients get to work with the same attorney from start to finish in their case, ensuring that they always have an advocate thoroughly familiar with the facts and evidence.

Types of Sex Charges We Handle

At Greenwood Law, our firm advocates on behalf of individuals facing prosecution for sex charges such as:

  • Rape: An individual commits rape if they engage in sexual intercourse with a person through the use of force, against that person’s will, or with a person with a mental or physical incapacity.
  • Sexual battery: Sexual battery occurs when a person engages in sexual contact with a person through the use of force, against that person’s will, or with a person with a mental or physical incapacity.
  • Statutory rape: A person commits statutory rape if they have sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of consent, regardless of whether the minor agrees to sexual intercourse.
  • Lewd and lascivious acts: Illegal acts can include exposing oneself or engaging in sexual activity in public or in the presence of other people who might find such activity offensive or alarming.
  • Taking indecent liberties with a child: A person commits a crime if they take or attempt to engage in immoral or improper activity with a child under the age of consent to arouse or gratify sexual desire or commit a lewd or lascivious act upon a child.
  • Sexual solicitation of a minor: A person may commit an offense if they contact a minor or someone presenting themselves as a minor to engage in sexual activity
  • Sexual exploitation of a minor: A person may engage in sexual exploitation of a minor if they compel or induce a minor to participate in the production of child pornography or engage in commercial sexual activity.
  • Possession or distribution of child pornography: State and federal laws impose severe penalties for individuals who possess or distribute materials containing child pornography, including modified or altered materials purporting to show children engaged in sexual activity.

Defenses to Allegations of Sex Offenses

A person charged with sex crimes in Guilford County may have factual or legal defenses to their charges, depending on the facts of the case. Commonly raised defenses in sex cases include:

  • Consent: Many sex offense cases involve a consent defense, with a defendant arguing that the alleged victim validly consented to sexual activity.
  • Mistaken identity: A defendant may argue that the victim or an eyewitness has mistakenly identified them as the perpetrator of the alleged crime, either due to the victim/witness misperceiving the perpetrator or unduly suggestive police identification procedures skewing the victim’s or witness’s memory.
  • Alibi: Defendants may present evidence proving they were elsewhere when the alleged crime occurred.
  • Fabrication: A defendant may assert that an alleged victim has fabricated their allegations, either due to imagining that the alleged events occurred or seeking to gain a legal advantage over the defendant.
  • Unreliable forensic evidence: When a case involves DNA or fingerprint evidence, a defendant may contest the reliability of the prosecution’s forensic testing to undermine the strength of that evidence.
  • Unlawfully obtained evidence or statements: Defendants may argue that investigators obtained evidence or statements from them through an unlawful search or interrogation.

Consequences of an Arrest or Conviction for Sex Offenses

Although an accusation of committing a sex crime can have significant consequences for your reputation, a conviction can lead to life-altering legal penalties. First, a conviction will result in a criminal sentence. North Carolina law grades many sex crimes as felony offenses, which can impose harsh incarceration terms depending on factors such as:

  • The felony class of the offense
  • The defendant’s prior criminal history
  • The aggravating and mitigating factors in the case.

For lower-level felonies, courts may have the option to sentence a defendant to community punishment (probation or community service) or intermediate punishment (supervised probation). However, for more serious offenses or defendants with extensive criminal histories, courts must impose jail or prison time for a conviction.

Sex crime convictions will have other collateral consequences for defendants, such as disqualifying defendants from some jobs or professions. Most sex offenses also impose sex offender registration requirements, which obligate offenders to report to law enforcement periodically.

Finally, a conviction for a sex crime will also result in having a criminal record, which may carry a social stigma that makes it challenging to pursue employment, housing, or educational opportunities.

How Can a Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer Help You?

Having experienced legal counsel in your corner can give you the best chance at obtaining a favorable outcome to your sex crimes case. A criminal defense lawyer can help you face sex charges by:

  • Thoroughly investigating your charges so you do not have to rely on the evidence turned over by the prosecution, who may not investigate the case thoroughly enough to find evidence favorable to you
  • Evaluating the facts and evidence to identify potential defense strategies in your case
  • Ensuring you understand your charges, the potential outcomes of your case, and your legal options so you can make informed decisions at each stage
  • Challenging your charges throughout the case, including seeking to exclude the prosecution’s evidence as unlawfully obtained through violations of your rights
  • Fighting as hard as needed to secure the best possible outcome under the circumstances, even when that means going to court or trial

Contact Our Firm Today for Dedicated Legal Advocacy

If you’ve been charged with a sex offense in Oak Ridge, don’t leave your reputation, freedom, and future to the mercy of the criminal justice system. Get an experienced legal advocate to fight for a fair and favorable resolution to your charges. Contact Greenwood Law today for a confidential consultation and to discuss your case with an Oak Ridge sex crimes defense attorney serving Guilford County.

Area Served

Oak Ridge in Guilford County, NC