Recently, the attorneys at Copenhaver, Ellett & Derrico aided a man, who found himself in a very precarious legal position, after the police entered a motel room that he had rented with his girlfriend and a few others. When the officers came through the door, they found the man on the bed, holding approximately 300 individual bags of heroin. As a result, the police charged him with possession with the intent to deliver heroin. The police also found a plethora of other illicit items and charged his girlfriend with possession of heroin after they opened a nightstand containing the woman’s phone as well as the drugs. The man’s situation was further complicated by having prior convictions, which heightened his possible penalties to between a mandatory minimum of three years in prison and a life sentence. With the serious charges against him and the possibility of such a lengthy prison sentence, he knew that he needed equally serious legal representation from a Roanoke criminal defense lawyer.
Attorney Michelle Derrico knew that her client’s options were limited based on his criminal record, but nevertheless, she began working to find him the best possible result. It was also important to the man to spare his girlfriend from any criminal charges. With that in mind, attorney Derrico began negotiating with the prosecution and eventually achieved a plea agreement for her client. This agreement involved withdrawing the charges against his girlfriend in exchange for a five-year prison sentence for the possession with intent to deliver heroin charge. Under his attorney’s adept representation, the man successfully removed any consequences for his girlfriend and was able to limit the time he needed to spend behind bars, which was a huge win, based on his criminal history.
The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.