Q: Do I need a lawyer to dismiss a disorderly conduct and trespassing charge, both in municipal court, charged by the state
Trespassing and disorderly conduct both municipal court. The bar tender was extremely rude,I should’ve just left but decided to tell him off and knocked a glass over and walked out. As I was walking out I was tackled by the bar tender and two servers and held down until the cops got there to arrest me. They didn’t press the charges but the state did. I ran into one of them and apologized which he accepted, he wasn’t there to see how the bar tender was acting not that it excused my actions. I ran into the bar tender and he was apologizing to me. Can I get this dismissed without a lawyer? My friend knows the arresting cop and he said he got the cop to agree not to show up to court.
A:
At your first court appearance, you could show up and explain the circumstances to the prosecutor. However, that can be risky as you may give the prosecutor too much information. Also, the prosecutor will not take it well if you have somehow succeeded in getting the police officer not to show up- you shouldn't mention this to the prosecutor. If the prosecutor is unwilling to dismiss the case, you would next have to plead not guilty and set your case for trial. If the police officer and other witnesses do not show up to testify at your trial, the prosecutor may decide to dismiss the case or the judge can continue your case and issue warrants to the witnesses who ignored their subpoenas.
This process is not easy to navigate without a professional by your side. Short answer to you question is no, you do not have to have an attorney. However, I would highly recommend the investment to protect your record.
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