Arrested In Germantown, TN: What Happens Next

Germantown, Tennessee is a suburb of Memphis located in Shelby County, Tennessee. Because it is outside the Memphis city limits, it has an independent municipal government including its own court system. Thus if you are charged with a crime in Germantown your case will not be heard at the downtown Memphis court, but at the Germantown Municipal Court located at 1930 South Germantown Rd. Germantown court convenes one night a week, on Wednesday.

Like with all Tennessee jurisdictions, Germantown crimes fall into two broad categories: felonies and misdemeanors. Both are serious matters but felony offenses are extremely serious. Virtually all misdemeanors, and a number of felonies, are probation eligible, which means jail time can be avoided, and most can be removed from a first-time offender’s record.

The following are some of the more common misdemeanors handled through the Germantown court:

Shoplifting
DUI
Domestic Assault
Reckless Driving
Minor in Possession of Alcohol
Marijuana Possession
Disorderly Conduct

Under Tennessee law the maximum punishment on most of these crimes is 11 months and 29 days. A Germantown criminal defense lawyer should be contacted to see what options there are for keeping the charge off your record and avoiding jail time.

For example, with Germantown shoplifting charges, the offense may be deferred for a period of time while the accused pays court costs and performs community service. At the end of that period the charge can be expunged. Your lawyer can coordinate with the store and the prosecutor’s office on how to do this.

Germantown domestic assault cases can sometimes be resolved without a trial or guilty plea. Probation is always an option for those who qualify, and this may require completing anger management classes and other court-ordered conditions. Furthermore, it may be possible to allow the accused to return home while the case is pending. If the victim consents to this, a Germantown domestic violence attorney can work with the prosecutor and the judge to amend the no-contact order.

For Germantown speeding tickets, the court offers a six-month probation program. If the individual does not receive another ticket in that time the ticket will be dismissed with payment of court costs. A Germantown speeding ticket lawyer can go to court for you and set this up.

DUI cases in Germantown are a different matter. These cases are not easily dismissed and may have to be tried. In challenging a DUI case, some of the things to look at are any illegal actions by the police, the driver’s performance on standardized field sobriety tests, and whether he or she submitted to a blood alcohol content test and, if so, what was the result. There could be many other factors. A Germantown DUI attorney can advise you further after reviewing your case.

Felony cases such as drug possession with intent and sex crimes will probably be sent to the grand jury and cannot be disposed of in Germantown court. However, you should contact a Germantown criminal defense lawyer to begin investigation and to explore what options there are for resolving the case.

Whatever your case, you’re going to have to retain a lawyer and you’re going to have to go to court, possibly many times. The more serious the charge, the longer it will take to resolve and the greater the potential punishment. However, for most first-time offenders there will be options for avoiding a permanent conviction.