Belleville, IL asked in Traffic Tickets, Cannabis & Marijuana Law and Juvenile Law for Illinois

Q: I’m 17 years old. I have court soon and would like to know what consequences I’ll likely have to face.

I got charged with reckless driving, fleeing/attempt to elude an a officer, Unlicensed (it was after curfew), unlawful use cannabis/driver, 35+ in a 55, and disregard of 7 separate stop signs. I know nothing is certain until I appear in court but I’d like to know what they might charge me with since I was cooperative when they caught me. I’m planning on going to court and acknowledging that I messed up, because I did mess up, badly. I know what I’m asking is basically pointless since like I said it’s unsure until I appear in court, but I’m scared I’m going to get felonies and it’ll mess the rest of my life up. I understand felonies aren’t the end of the world but I’m just really scared to be honest. I’m planning on paying for a lawyer and not taking the public defender because I’m hoping they can help get the charges lessened. Am I correct that they could possibly get the charges lessened? P.s. sorry for making this so long, I just haven’t met with a lawyer yet.

1 Lawyer Answer
Theodore J. Harvatin
PREMIUM
Theodore J. Harvatin pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
Answered

A: If a driver runs more than two stop signs or stop lights or exceeds the speed limit by more than 20 miles an hour while an officer is in pursuit, that could be charged as a felony. The first court date is not the end of your case; it is the beginning. That is where you or your attorney plead not guilty and get a new court date. You don’t say where all of this happened, but you should retain the services have an experienced traffic attorney, who appears often in the county where this was filed. Good luck.

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.