If you are suspected of criminal charges, experienced defense lawyers in Michigan would recommend you stay put. Leaving the state or country will only allow you to evade arrest momentarily–law enforcement officials will go to great lengths to find you and will charge you with even more counts of criminal behavior. This is particularly true for those wanted for felonious crimes including sex crimes, as seen in a recent arrest of a wanted out-of-state rapist in Lapeer County.
According to the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department, 43 year-old Charles Leonard was arrested by U.S. Marshals after attempting to avoid jail time for rape charges out-of-state. After pleading guilty to statutory sexual assault with a minor and several other criminal charges, Leonard’s sentencing date was set for January 2010. However, instead of showing up in court he fled the state ultimately ending up in Lapeer County.
Leonard will likely face even stricter punishments
Immediately following Leonard’s no-show performance at his sentencing hearing, the court issued a warrant for his arrest. Initially unable to find him, police from the original state contacted U.S. Marshals who tracked Leonard down in Michigan, taking him into custody last week. Currently, the suspect is being held at the Lapeer County Jail pending the extradition process. Because he attempted to evade the consequences of the rape charges against him by fleeing the state, Leonard will likely face even stricter punishments with increased fines and jail time.
As seen by the example of Charles Leonard, you can run from the law, but you cannot hide forever. Conviction of one set of criminal charges is enough for any person to experience, let alone additional consequences for trying to flee law enforcement officials. It is essential to pro-actively seek the best legal defense possible and not attempt to run away from pending charges. . Using the superior legal advice and legal representation of experienced sex crimes attorneys in Michigan can help to ensure that the charges against you do not change your life forever, keeping you at home instead of on the run.