An 47-year-old assistant district attorney in North Carolina is facing drug-related charges after being taken into custody on April 22. Police originally stopped the man because of traffic violations including speeding.
Reportedly, they saw a tourniquet on the passenger seat along with a syringe containing brown liquid. Police allegedly found half a dozen syringes filled with heroin and three others that had methamphetamine in them. The man, who works in Gaston County, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was taken into custody and then bonded out. According to the Gaston County district attorney, as long as the charges are pending, the man will not be prosecuting any cases. The executive director of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys says that if the man is convicted, a motion for appropriate relief could be used by defense attorneys to challenge prior convictions. However, a judge would ultimately make the decision about each case. The man has a May 17 court appearance scheduled in Union County.
A person who is facing these types of charges might want to consult a Raleigh drug charges criminal defense lawyer. Drug-related charges can have serious consequences not only in the legal sense but for the career of a person employed in a field such as law enforcement. They may also affect a person’s ability to access some types of student loans and housing. Therefore, a person may want to talk to an attorney about whether the charges might be dropped entirely. For example, this might be possible if law enforcement violated the person’s rights in the course of the investigation or while taking the person into custody. Another option might be a plea bargain.
Source: WCNC, “Gaston Co. assistant DA arrested on drug charges“, April 23, 2018