What To Do When Under Criminal Investigation
If you ever find yourself under a criminal investigation, note that your actions going forward after the discovery may influence the direction of the investigation. It may also affect your case in case you end up getting charged with a crime. Here are a few things you should do to ensure your actions don't worsen things:
Find Out Exactly Why You Are Being Targeted
If you genuinely don't know why you are being investigated, then one of your first moves should be to find out why the police are interested in you. If you are lucky, it may be nothing more than a case of mistaken identity and the investigations will end (but don't hold your breath for this).
Don't Incriminate Yourself
You should not avoid the police, but you shouldn't help them build a case against you either. At the very least, you should listen to what the police have to say to understand exactly why they are coming after you. In most cases, you should not give the police any information other than your identification information. This advice is even more crucial if you suspect that you might have done something wrong to warrant the police's interest in you; you don't want to incriminate yourself.
Don't Discuss the Case with Others
It's also a bad idea to discuss your case with others, and this includes talking about it on social media. Your words may be used against you in court if the case proceeds to trial, and your audience may be subpoenaed to testify against you. It's even worse if your words are misconstrued, which can happen intentionally or accidentally (for example, if a colleague mishears your explanation of the police interest in you).
Keep the Evidence That May Incriminate You
You may be tempted to destroy evidence against you in your possession, especially if you committed the alleged act, but there are several reasons why you should resist the temptation. First, destroying evidence is a separate crime on its own, so you will only be generating further cases against you. Secondly, there is a chance that the policy may recover or uncover the hidden/destroyed evidence during the investigations, and it will still be used against you. Instead of destroying evidence, let your criminal lawyer use the evidence to build your defense.
Hopefully, the investigations against you will amount to nothing serious. However, it's not wise to rely on hope alone; consult a professional such as H. Charles Woerner, Jr. PA to analyze your case and prepare your defense as early as possible.