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Maryland Armed Robbery Lawyer

As defined by Maryland law, armed robbery is the use of a weapon of any kind to commit any act of theft or to threaten to commit an act of theft from another person. A Maryland armed robbery lawyer can help you prepare a defense for the charges you may be facing. 

Most commonly in an armed robbery, a person steals something from a vendor or a retail establishment. They use a weapon to keep anyone from trying to stop them, like the owner or manager of the establishment so they can proceed with their act.

A person should contact a distinguished robbery lawyer with experience handling these kinds of cases. Armed robbery cases have complex issues. These cases require intense investigation to make sure the client’s rights are protected. 

Classifying Armed Robbery

Robbery and armed robbery are felony offenses. Armed robbery carries more significant penalties in terms of the weapons or threats of violence involved. Someone charged and convicted of a felony offense faces very serious consequences including the possibility of a period of jail time and lengthy probation. 

The armed element does not have to be significant. Even a small weapon or a small threat of violence constitutes armed robbery.
When someone is convicted of armed robbery, it is likely that they face a period of jail time, not just the possibility of jail time. The harshest penalty a person charged with armed robbery can face is up to decades in prison.

Gaining an Advantage over the Prosecution

The prosecutor must prove that a person attempted to steal from another by use of force or threat of force with a weapon. A criminal defense attorney can leverage their experience by knowing more than the prosecutor. The investigation is the most important thing a Maryland armed robbery lawyer can bring to the table.

When a prosecutor brings armed robbery charges, the attorney recognizes that the investigation is one-sided and is skewed towards the state. Problems with the state case are not uncovered and are often overlooked by prosecutors because the investigation is biased.

The defense attorney can conduct their own investigation and may find information and material the prosecutors do not know about. The attorney can catch a prosecutor being unprepared and put their client at a great advantage in the courtroom regarding a trial or plea.

Preparing a Defense for Armed Robbery

Maryland armed robbery lawyers conduct an independent investigation to determine what took place during the armed robbery. They examine all of the evidence and review the events with the client to paint a full picture of what happened with respect to the crime. The attorney makes sure that any evidence is presented and examined thoroughly to find out whether any constitutional issues exist.

The criminal lawyer identifies and interviews as many witnesses as possible. They try to obtain information and gather the facts to challenge the state’s criminal investigation and show that their client was not responsible for the incident.

NEGOTIATING DOWN TO ROBBERY CHARGE

A defense attorney might be able to negotiate an armed robbery charge down to a robbery charge depending on the strength of the evidence and other external factors such as a client with no prior history.

Role of the Client

When someone first contacts a Maryland armed robbery lawyer about an armed robbery charge they should make sure that they have all information about their case available. Any investigation or notes about potential witnesses can be helpful for their attorney. The person should provide the attorney with their contact information and background information.

In addition, the person should have any documents they received from the court that the charges and the next court date. They should bring any bail documents and paperwork from the police if their property was searched. If possible, the person can get a copy of the police report to assist the criminal lawyer.

Plea Deal Advisement

After a thorough review of the evidence and a full investigation of the defense, the lawyer might advise the client to consider a plea deal when it is in their best interest to do so. It is never a good idea to make those kinds of decisions or considerations too early in the process. A thorough investigation is the only way to make sure the person knows whether they are making the right decision with respect to a plea deal.

Hiring an Attorney

A person should hire an armed robbery attorney who has a great deal of experience defending clients charged with armed robbery because of the complexity of these kinds of charges. A robbery is a felony that carries significant jail time. Elements of the robbery involve theft with violence; it does not have to be a weapon. When a person hires an attorney who never handled these kinds of cases before, they may not know what kinds of witnesses to bring forward.

They are not aware of the kinds of evidence a jury would like to hear about in a particular case. They are not aware of how to best attack the elements of defense the prosecutor wants to bring to light. Additionally, armed robberies are often dependent on things like video surveillance that have rules of admissibility for prosecutors and those rules of admissibility may not be addressed.

Hiring a lawyer for an armed robbery case is important because the lawyer understands and recognizes constitutional issues and other defense opportunities. A lawyer without any experience in these kinds of cases is unable to identify the relevant issues and defenses.

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