Two nights ago I was arrested for furnishing alcohol to a minor. I threw a party at my house and a friend brought one of my old co-workers with her. I was under the impression that the place we worked together at didn't hire people under the age of 21. Also, at that job I always heard of this girl going off with other co-workers to bars, clubs ,etc. and getting really drunk. Anyways, she ended up getting into a fight and the police were called. By the end of it all I found out she was actually 18. My question is if there is any leeway in the law for this or am I just out of luck?
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Alcohol & Drugs: MIP, MIC, Intoxication Unknowingly furnished alcohol to a minor
- Thread Starter ThomasV
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seniorjudge
New Member
Since you admit furnishing booze to a minor, then you are guilty of furnishing booze to a minor.
CdwJava
Moderator
It depends on the laws in your state and the specific offense you were charged with.
As it is, you sound guilty. You can always try to fight the charge using ignorance of age as an excuse, but be prepared to be asked what reasonable steps you took to determine the age of your guests.
- Carl
Green_Hornet
New Member
No you are not guilty in America you are innocent until proven guilty; Seniorjudge knows not whereof he speaks.:no: Your post said you were arrested, have you been charged yet? Did you make the same statement to the police that you made on your post?
Depending upon how rigorously the state wants to pursue this as well as your criminal record have a bearing.
Contact a criminal Lawyer to find out if he can get the charge dismissed or reduced, the police can charge you with anything the state still has to prove it in court. On the internet anyone can claim to be a Judge, only a real Judge or Jury, in a real court room can find you guilty. Not some so called legal expert on an internet site with 2000 some posts. The arresting officer gave you a better answer in the Miranda waning than this Supermoderator has.
CdwJava
Moderator
Why would the arresting officer needed to read the OP his Miranda rights? Maybe he did ... but there is no necessity to do so.
The vast majority of arrests do not require Miranda.
And Seniorjudge's comment was factual. If the OP admitted to furnishing alcohol to a minor (someone under the legal age) then he is guilty. Whether a court finds him LEGALLY guilty is a different matter. One can be "guilty", or, "culpable, if you will, and still not convicted.
At the very least one can only hope the OP will have learned from his error and check IDs in the future.
- Carl
Well Senior, I admitted nothing. I had alcohol and offered to people under the impression that they were of legal age. As it was I didn't feel I needed to take steps to find out her age because I thought I knew how old she was. I have been charged and have been bailed out. I'm waiting to hear when my court date will be. When I gave my statement the police said they were mainly interested in the two assault charges (neither on me) that happend that night. So I didn't enter most of it in my statement, just that I had a false impression of the girls age. And as for my criminal record it is clean.
CdwJava
Moderator
Well, I'm not sure how it works in your state, but in my state you have to make reasonable inquiry. NO inquiry is rarely going to be considered "reasonable".
But, you may get lucky and they will either drop it or lower it to something very minor. This isn't the biggest crime of the century, and the state may not be excited to pursue it if the right deal is accepted, or if they feel it's not worth the effort.
- Carl
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