Abandoned handguns and nearby fleeing suspects- Fairfax criminal lawyer

Fairfax criminal lawyer on the risks of fleeing suspects being convicted for nearby abandoned handguns

Abandoned handguns can convict nearby fleeing suspects. I know this as a Fairfax criminal lawyer, and Calvin Cardale Townes learned the same, as affirmed this week by the Virginia Court of Appeals. Townes v. Virginia, Record No. 0885-17-2 (Va. App., March 13, 2018) (unpublished).

Fairfax criminal lawyer warns about the guilt that can be inferred from fleeing police with probable cause to arrest

As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that a criminal suspect who flees police with probable cause to arrest the defendant, enables trial judges and trial jurors to infer consciousness of guilt from that flight. Certainly, innocent reasons can exist for fleeing or hiding from police, but Calvin Townes dug himself into a hole for possessing an abandoned handgun after his car and foot flight from police simply trying to pull him over for not having illuminated headlights.

Fairfax criminal lawyer warns about being near any contraband

Police repeatedly will arrest everyone near contraband, and leave it to the bullet-sweating defendants to argue that they are not culpable for the contraband. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that people play with fire to knowingly or recklessly be near contraband. As much as it may have been fascinating for me to watch two fellow dorm building residents snorting a line of cocaine each in the hallway, it was foolish for me to not have walked away. Worse, who knows what rat-infested prison cell fate I might have faced had police descended upon the hut in which I was sleeping in Thailand’s golden triangle when only a few feet away from me a few ofmy fellow trekkers smoked local opium? It is not worth it (even though that trek was one of my greatest life experiences).

Fairfax criminal lawyer on the factors that convicted a fleeing suspect for an abandoned handgun

Calvin Townes got convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm through a mix of unfortunate circumstances, starting with his running from the police, together with holding onto something with his right hand (the handgun?) while running away, and the police finding an abandoned handgun not far from where Townes got apprehended, with the gun warm to the touch (purportedly from being recently held) and dry on top of leaves wet from a recent rain, with no other people in sight that evening.

When you get charged with a crime, it is essential to obtain a qualified criminal lawyer. 

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best defense for all felony, misdemeanor and DUI cases. To discuss your case with Jon, please call his staff at 703-383-1100 for a confidential consultation.