Don’t Make a Statement

Let me make something perfectly clear. When the police ask you to come in for an interview to make a statement, they believe you have done something wrong and are looking for evidence to put you in jail.

Now they may be barking up the wrong tree. You may not be guilty at all. But you still should not agree to make a statement without a lawyer being with you.

You Can’t Explain It Away

You cannot talk yourself out of a situation if the police think you are the perpetrator. They are asking you to come in because someone, a person they are referring to as the “victim” has made a complaint about something you did.

This can range from a very serious situation like a murder, robbery or domestic assault. It might be because the police are investigating a leaving the scene situation. No matter what it is, if you are a suspect, (none of this applies if you are simply a witness to something) you should never make a voluntary statement without a lawyer being with you.

It Is Best To Keep Quiet

Recently a man came to me because the police asked him to come voluntarily to the station to address an allegation made by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her. I asked hm what happened. He explained it all to me. It was clear to me that based on what the woman said there was not enough evidence to file charges against him So why should he go in and make a statement?

The only thing he could have done was blurt out something that the police could misinterpret and use against him. Remember the Miranda warning says what you say will be used against you in court.

No charges were er filed in the man’s case. He did not sexually assault the woman. Her own version of the facts did not even lay the grounds for a sexual assault.

Don’t Let Your Own Words Put You In Jail

Let me finish by telling you that there are all sorts of people who are in jail because they could not resist the temptation to talk their way out of it. If you feel the need to tell your side of the story at least wait until you have a lawyer who can help you present it in the light most favorable to your position.