Salt Lake City, UT asked in Criminal Law for Utah

Q: If the statute of limitations has run can the police still arrest you?

My friend met up with some hookers 5.5 years ago in Salt Lake County and he worries he's going to get in trouble for it. I believe the statute of limitations In 2016 is 2 years for them to find out and press charges. Now 5.5 years later can anything happen to him?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Lance E. Bastian
Lance E. Bastian
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Licensed in Utah

A: While you are generally correct that the statute of limitations in Utah for patronizing a prostitute is 2 years, there are a few important caveats to that. First, if your friend has prior convictions for the same thing or if the prostitutes involved were minors, it could be a third-degree Felony rather than a class A Misdemeanor, which would have a 4-year statute of limitations. Obviously, that's also within the 5.5 years you mentioned. However, if your friend was outside of the state of Utah for any length of time during that period, the statute of limitations would have been paused during that time. In other words, if this happened 5.5 years ago, but your friend was out of the state for 2 years, the timer on the statute would be at 3.5 years right now. Chances are that no one is waiting around to grab your friend on this after 5.5 years, but depending on the circumstances, he might not be entirely out of the woods.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.