Akron Sex Crimes Attorney

Possible Defenses to a Sex Crime Charge in Akron

Sometimes, you can advance a solid legal defense to your pending sex crime charge in court. If the defense is successful, it can poke holes in the prosecutor’s case, so to speak, and result in a complete dismissal of your pending charge.

Some of the most common defenses that individuals may raise in response to a sex crime charge include:

• That the alleged victim consented to the sexual act in question
• That the alleged victim mistakenly identified you as the perpetrator
• That you were not the individual who participated in the sex act or that you were somewhere else at the time the alleged incident occurred (in other words, alibi)
• The alleged victim was of age at the time the incident happened

Our legal team can determine if you may raise one or more defenses at your criminal court proceeding. If so, we can advance the appropriate defense on your behalf and work to obtain a favorable result in your pending criminal case.

Possible Options for a Sex Crime Case

Given the potential penalties resulting from a guilty finding or conviction in a sex crime case, having several legal options is a good idea.

On the one hand, you can assert one or more strong legal defenses at your criminal bench or jury trial. However, if you do not have a solid legal defense to your charge, you can explore other options, depending on your circumstances.

Another option in a criminal case is to pursue a favorable plea deal from the state prosecutor handling the matter. Our legal team has good working relationships with criminal court judges and state prosecutors, and we can use that experience to your advantage when negotiating a favorable plea deal on your behalf.

As part of a plea deal, the state prosecutor typically offers one or more concessions in exchange for a guilty plea from the accused individual.

For example, in some instances, the prosecuting attorney might reduce the sex crime charge from a felony charge down to a misdemeanor charge. The misdemeanor charge will carry lighter penalties than the felony charge.

Alternatively, the prosecutor might offer the accused person a period of probation. This result is more likely in cases involving a first-time offender. If the accused subsequently satisfies all conditions of their probation, then any conviction on their record may disappear.

Our team can advise whether you should take your case to a criminal court trial and advance a robust legal defense or accept a pending plea deal from the state prosecutor.

If you accept a plea deal, you must be aware that you are waiving certain legal rights. For example, by pleading guilty to a criminal offense, you automatically give up your constitutional right to a trial by jury and your right to appeal the case result.

In addition, you must put your plea deal on the record in open court and tell the judge that you are pleading guilty without any coercion from anyone else. In other words, you must agree to the plea deal freely, voluntarily, and willingly. The judge can then accept your plea deal on the record.