Washington County Solicitation Lawyer
State law broadly defines solicitation which often leads law enforcement officers to assume solicitation is occurring. In some cases, what you believe to be normal conduct could constitute proof in support of a solicitation charge. A Washington County solicitation lawyer could be instrumental in helping individuals defend their interests in criminal proceedings.
A solicitation charge has the potential to be devastating to your family and your career. Fortunately, a criminal lawyer could be a critical part of your ability to successfully defend yourself against solicitation charges.
Washington County Solicitation Charges
Under § 11-306, individuals violate the law when they solicit prostitution or assignation. A solicitation lawyer in Washington County may help overcome or reduce these charges.
Prostitution occurs when individuals exchange sex acts for money or something of value. Assignation happens when people make appointments or arrangements to engage in prostitution or take any other steps to carry out those engagements.
This code section defines solicitation, prostitution, and assignation very broadly. As a result, various actions may violate solicitation laws. These actions may include hiring someone to provide prostitution services at a party, forcing others to engage in prostitution, either with themselves or others or operating a prostitution scheme.
More often than not, these charges stem from lengthy investigations and monitoring of personal ads, online chat rooms, and websites for interested traffic. The results of such stings are often arrests.
Penalties for Solicitation in Washington County
Solicitation, like prostitution and assignation, can result in a maximum jail sentence of one year and a $500 fine. State law establishes no mandatory minimum jail sentence in a solicitation case. As a result, individuals facing first-time charges may be able to avoid jail time altogether in favor of probation.
A solicitation conviction can still be detrimental to personal and professional aspirations. A permanent criminal record can result in job loss, challenges in finding employment, and irreparable damage to reputation. The stigma and embarrassment of being involved in solicitation in any way can be highly damaging to short and long-term goals.
Evidence in Washington County Solicitation Cases
Due to the breadth of the definitions of solicitation, assignation, and prostitution, under state law, the standard of proof for a conviction is not extraordinarily high. Just as the law does not require money to exchange hands for prostitution to occur, the law does not require that the parties involved even agree on the terms of the transaction for a solicitation conviction. In other words, if the other party to the solicitation had no intention of going through with the activity, the accused persons still could face solicitation charges.
Likewise, some actions are enough to merit solicitation charges, such as taking others to a specific place for prostitution or assignation that they previously had discussed. Withdrawing money from an ATM in a certain amount, making a phone call or sending text messages to the parties involved, or reserving a hotel room all can be evidence of solicitation.
Police sting operations commonly result in arrests for solicitation, prostitution, and assignation. As these code sections contain such broad definitions of these crimes, police can set people up to engage in these illegal activities, even if the events never occur or if the people never intend them to happen. Consulting a solicitation attorney in Washington County situations such as these may be wise.
Work with a Washington County Solicitation Attorney Today
A solicitation charge can adversely affect personal relationships, social reputation, and employment opportunities. A conviction will give you a permanent criminal record that prospective employers, landlords, and financial institutions can view in the future. Due to avoid these unwanted consequences, talking to a Washington County solicitation lawyer for advice may be useful.