I Recently represented a client at Scottsdale Municipal Court who was originally charged with furnishing alcohol to a person under 21. After the supervising prosecutor reviewed the facts, she decided to charge my client with furnishing alcohol to a minor with sexual motivation. Having handled nearly 100 underage drinking cases, I have never heard of such charge!! In fact, I spoke with a friend of mine who has been a prosecutor for 9 years and he had never heard of such charge either. It appeared to me that the prosecutor was fishing to charge my client with something more severe than a typical furnishing charge.This was a very serious charge, if my client was convicted, he could have been sentenced to jail and would have to register as a sex offender.
After conducting a very thorough investigation, and presenting the prosecutor with evidence demonstrating that the alleged victims were not harmed in any way, the prosecutor agreed to dismiss the sexual motivation charge. It turned out, the alleged victims willingly participated in drinking activities with my client and it was their parents who called the police after learning their ADULT children did not return home that evening.
In any event, this was a tremendous outcome for my client and it goes to show the importance of hiring an attorney who will go the extra mile for his clients.
Author Bio
Matthew L. Lopez
Matthew L. Lopez is the Managing Attorney and founder of Matthew Lopez Law, a criminal defense and DUI firm serving clients throughout Arizona. His track record of case dismissals and charge reductions has earned him honors, including a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 nomination, a “Superb” 10/10 Avvo rating, and a Rising Star designation by Super Lawyers.
Matthew is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and holds active memberships with the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice and the Arizona Association for Justice. His firm handles criminal defense, DUI, drug charges, and traffic offenses, offering free consultations and affordable payment plans to make quality defense accessible to all Arizonans.
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Practice areas
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Tempe
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Lake Havasu City
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Apache Junction
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Parker