Effective Drug Crime Defense Lawyer in Merrillville Protects Your Rights

Protecting your rights in Lake County and Porter County courtrooms

Drug charges can lead to heavy jail time and fines, and saddle you with a permanent record that makes it hard to get a job, a loan or even an apartment in the future. Prosecutors and police may rush to wrap the heaviest charges around your neck, but you have rights. We’re here to protect them.

At the Law Office of Weiss, Schmidgall and Hires, P.C., our Merrillville drug crime lawyers know the system. For more than ten years we’ve made sure our clients’ rights are respected. We know how to find holes in the prosecutor’s case and get unlawful evidence thrown out. We’ll get all the facts and put together a strong defense strategy to get you the best results. To make sure that even a minor drug crime conviction doesn’t follow you around, our Merrillville lawyers can also try to get your record sealed or expunged.

We know what matters in drug crime defense

When it comes to drug charges in Indiana it’s all about what you had, how much of it there was, and if they can say you had an intent to distribute.

• What drugs you had — Indiana puts drugs into different “schedules” based on how powerful they are and whether they have any real medical uses. Smaller amounts of drugs in more serious schedules can have heavier penalties.
• How much there was — Depending on how much of the drug there was can alter what level of felony. Level 6 is 6 months to 2.5 years in the DOC and fines of up to 10k. Level 5 is 1 year to 6 years and 10k fine, Level 4 is 2 to 12 years and 10k fine, Level 3 is 3 to 16 and 10k, Level 2 10 to 30 and 10 k fine, Level 1 is 20 to 40 and 10k fine We know how to get the best evidence to minimize the charges you’re facing.
• Marijuana’s different — Marijuana falls into its own schedule. If you have more or less than 30 grams determines whether you’re facing a Class A misdemeanor or a Class D or C felony. The differences in maximum jail time and fines are significant, so it’s important to have a drug crime lawyer who knows how to get your charges reduced. Marijuana charges also offer a one-time conditional discharge if it’s your first offense. It’s an important part of the law that we know how to use for a client’s benefit.
• Intent to distribute — To prove you had an intent to distribute, the police and prosecutors need to make a circumstantial case about what you were planning. If they prove it the penalties can be severe, but with a skilled Merrillville drug crime attorney you have a better chance of fighting the prosecutor and getting your charges reduced.

Call our Merrillville drug crime attorneys for a free consultation

At the Law Office of Weiss, Schmidgall and Hires, P.C., we listen to you, get your side of the story and collect all the facts we’ll need to challenge the police and prosecutor. We’ll work to get your charges dismissed or reduced and help you move past this ugly incident. If you’ve put up a cash bond we can also show you how to use that to pay for your defense. The first consultation is free. Call 219-293-8988 or contact us online.