Many Illinois residents can relate to situations where things do not go as planned. For instance, someone might need to be at work by a certain time but is late due to heavy traffic. For two men who were recently spending a day together, a surprise visit from police led to a drastic change in their plans. Each of the men is now in need of criminal defense because they both have been arrested.
One of the men, age 22, is from Lincoln. His 22-year-old acquaintance is from Peoria. They were both at the same residence on a recent Thursday when drug investigators showed up. It seems that the one man was taken into custody because of two outstanding warrants for his arrest.
The other man was also taken into police custody. He was charged with manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. No information was provided as to what type of drug was involved. In Illinois, this is a Class X felony that carries severe penalties under conviction. The arresting officers transported both of the men to the same county jail.
As in all arrest situations, any person charged with a crime in Illinois or elsewhere is guaranteed the opportunity to present a criminal defense. It is sometimes possible to avoid conviction; in fact, if the court determines that prosecutors lack sufficient evidence for a trial, the judge overseeing the case might order a dismissal. To maximize their chances for a successful outcome, most defendants choose to rely on experienced legal representation rather than try to go it alone in court.