Rockville Criminal Lawyer

Being charged with a crime in Rockville, Maryland can be the beginning of an exhausting, emotional and downright frightening process. Depending on the type of crime with which you’re charged, as well as its specific circumstances and severity, your charges could result in a misdemeanor or felony conviction. Though misdemeanors are the less serious of the two, they can still permanently impact your life by taking you out of work at least temporarily, and potentially forcing you to serve time in jail or pay heavy fines. A felony conviction, regardless of the type of crime with which it’s associated, can result in a long prison sentence — as long as life in prison — as well as fines of up to $100,000 or more, in some cases. In addition, a felony conviction on your permanent record will make it extremely difficult to find stable employment in many fields of work, financial aid for further education, access to loans and much more.

The good news is that our Rockville attorneys are ready to assist you with all of your legal needs and concerns. An experienced criminal defense attorney will work with you on a personalized basis to identify and construct the strongest and most reliable defense for your specific case. Each aspect of your charges will be examined in detail, and your Rockville lawyer will call on all available legal resources, including physical evidence, circumstantial evidence and witness testimony, in order to fight the charges and protect your constitutional rights.

Rockville Crime Statistics

Rockville is a relatively safe city in Maryland, with an overall crime rate of 25.47 crimes per 1,000 people per year. This breaks down to 2.45 violent crimes and 23.02 property crimes per 1,000 residents annually. On average, 150 violent crimes and 1,409 property crimes are committed on each year. Given a population of just over 61,000, this makes Rockville safe than 33% of cities in the United States.

Violent crime in Rockville is rare relative to the Maryland average. Given an average Maryland violent crime rate of 5.48 crimes per 1,000 people per annum, your chances of becoming the victim of a violent crime in Rockville are 1 in 408 compared to 1 in 182 for Maryland in general.

Property crimes in Rockville are also rare compared to the median for Maryland. While the national median is 29.4 per 1,000 per year and the Maryland median is 29.97 per 1,000 per year, Rockville’s is just 23.02. Your chances of being victimized by a property crime are 1 in 43 in Rockville, compared to 1 in 33 in Maryland. A total of 58 crimes per square mile are committed each year in Rockville, while 77 is the Maryland average.

Over the course of 2011, crime in Rockville decreased by 4% overall. Although auto theft was up by 15% and burglary was up by 9%, rape, robbery, assault and larceny were all down by between 5% and 30%.

Some of the safest neighborhoods in Rockville include Falls Road, Potomac Woods, Glen Hills, Lakewood, West End Park, Walnut Woods and Rollins Park. Most of the city’s crime is concentrated in the central and southeastern regions, while the west is largely devoid of crime.

The Courthouse in Rockville, MD

As of August 1, 2011, the Rockville District Courthouse is now located at 191 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD, 20850-2325. The administrative clerk is Judy Lohman. Except for on legal holidays, the courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM. From I-270, you can reach the Rockville Courthouse by taking Exit 5, Falls Road, until reaching Maryland Avenue. After four traffic lights, make a left onto East Jefferson Street.

The Montgomery County Circuit Court is also located in Rockville at 50 Maryland Avenue. To get there, follow the same directions for the District Court, and the courthouse will be just before you reach East Jefferson Street.

Demographics in Rockville

Rockville is a city of 61,209 people, putting it in the top 10 largest cities in Maryland. Rockville is considered part of the Washington D.C. urban area, which includes over 3.9 million people. Rockville is quite diverse ethnically, as 67.89% of individuals are white, 9.01% are black, 14.13% are Asian, and 11.46% are Hispanic. Just under 31% of the population was born in a foreign country. Many individuals have ancestors in Ireland, England and Germany. Just over 59% of residents speak English primarily, while 11% speak mainly Spanish and 5.4% speak mainly Chinese.

In terms of wealth, Rockville is slightly above average with a median household income of $68,074 and a per capita income of $30,518. Roughly 7.77% of individuals live below the poverty level. The median home value is $579,416, and rental prices are also quite high at an average of $1,970 per month. The vast majority of homes are priced between $188,000 and $377,000.

Rockville is an educated city, but not astoundingly so, with 89% of residents being high school graduates and 52.93% being college graduates. Roughly 30% of the population is under 24 years of age, while another 33% is between 35 and 54. Just under 13% of the population is over the age of 65.

Nearly 90% of Rockville’s workers are directly involved in white-collar jobs, especially office jobs, administrative support careers, managerial positions and sales jobs. Like other nearby cities in Maryland, Rockville is largely driven by computer and math workers, as well as artists, designers and media experts.

Geographics of Rockville

Rockville is located 33 miles northeast of Baltimore and 14 miles southeast of Washington D.C. in Montgomery County, Maryland. The city sits roughly 450 feet above sea level, and has a population density of 4,532 people per square mile in a total land area of 13.51 square miles. The city is just 13 miles southeast of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the most notable features is Great Falls, a 79-foot waterfall located just 8 miles southeast of the city center. One of the closest major cities is Gaithersburg, which lies just to the northwest of Rockville. Rockville is intersected by I-270.