In the state of Louisiana and throughout the United States, any individual who is accused of a crime will remain innocent of the allegations unless proven to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. Our legal system operates in this matter in order to protect the innocent from being wrongly accused of crimes. It also gives people who are accused of a crime, like a drug possession charge or other violations, the ability to shed light on their version of the facts relating to their case before a jury of their peers.
Not all criminal matters are heard before a jury in Louisiana. However, everyone accused of a serious crime will have the right to request a jury trial during their criminal proceedings. Depending on the facts of a case, the accused may decide that a jury trial may or may not be to his or her advantage given the circumstances.
A 28-year-old Louisiana man will now have to make similar decisions regarding the litigation of his criminal case. He was arrested following a routine traffic stop on Feb. 27. Police claim to have used a K9 unit to locate methamphetamines inside his car. The man has now been accused of drug possession and he was scheduled to be arraignment on March 6.
Even if the facts and evidence gathered against this man appear to be incriminating, he will still be entitled to his day in court. During this man’s Louisiana court proceedings, he may be able to reach a plea-bargaining arrangement with the prosecution in order to lessen the severity of the potential punishments he faces. In the best of possible outcomes, he may even succeed in getting his drug possession charge dropped or dismissed.
Source: thepeoplestribune.com, Traffic Violation Leads To Drug Arrest, No author, March 4, 2014