Criminal Law
Attorneys Tanya Fender and Ashley Minton are aggressive litigators who have represented thousands of clients charged with many different types of crimes, ranging from misdemeanors to murder.
Felonies, including but not limited to:
- First Degree Murder
- Second Degree Murder
- Manslaughter
- Attempted Murder or Manslaughter
- Capital Sexual Battery
- Sexual Battery
- Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Lewd and Lascivious Molestation
- Failure of a Sex Offender to Register
- Aggravated Battery Deadly Weapon/Pregnant Victim
- Discharge of a Weapon
- Throwing a Deadly Missile
- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
- Carrying a Concealed Firearm
- all 10-20-Life crimes
- Armed Robbery
- Robbery while Masked
- Robbery by Sudden Snatching
- Burglary (with a Battery or Assault)
- Burglary of an Occupied Structure
- Burglary of a Conveyance
- Driving Under the Influence
- Vehicular Manslaughter
- Trafficking
- Possession with Intent to Sell a Controlled Substance
- Sale
- Delivery or Purchase of a Controlled Substance
- Manufacture of a Controlled Substance
- Possession of a Controlled Substance
- Grand Theft Auto
- Third Degree Grand Theft
- Escape
- Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
- Resisting an Officer With Violence
- Child Abuse
- Elderly Abuse
- RICO
- Giving False Info to a Pawn Broker
- Dealing in Stolen Property
- Conspiracy crimes
- Accessory crimes
Misdemeanors including but not limited to:
- Driving Under the Influence
- Driving While License Suspended
- Driving without a License
- Failure to Register Vehicle
- Attaching Unassigned Tag
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident
- Petit Theft
- Disorderly Conduct
- Disorderly Intoxication
- Criminal Mischief
- Resisting an Officer Without Violence
- Giving a False Name
- Battery
- Assault
- Trespass
- Possession of Marijuana under 20 Grams
- Possession of Paraphernalia
- Animal Cruelty
Other Crimes:
- All Juvenile Crimes (including but not limited to all crimes listed above)
- Traffic Violations
- Violations of Community Control
- Violations of Probation
- Violations of Parole
- Prison Releasee Re-offenders
- Habitual Offenders
- Habitual Violent Felony Offenders
It’s 3:00 a.m. and you get a phone call telling you that your son has just been arrested. That’s a phone call that no one wants to receive, but it happens everyday. Here at Fender and Minton, we want to be the reassuring voice you hear on the other end of the line when you call for help. We will be there to walk you through this sometimes scary process step by step.
Criminal cases, whether they are state or federal charges, can be very complex, and it is exceeding important that you have an experienced criminal defense attorney by your side at each stage of the proceeding, from first appearance to the disposition of the case.
You may be asking yourself, how did this happen, how did I get here? A criminal case usually begins with an arrest. Either a police officer believes he saw you break the law, or the officer believes that he has probable cause that you broke the law. This is the beginning of the criminal case … the arrest.
Once you have been arrested, you will be transported to the county jail. Once you are booked in at the jail, you are required to been seen by a Judge at first appearance within 24 hours. This is a very critical stage of the proceeding and one at which you should, if possible, have an attorney present with you. At first appearance, the Judge will read you the formal charges. The Judge will also inform you that you have the right to counsel. Additionally the Judge will set a bond amount in your case. If you have an attorney present, your attorney can argue for a lower bond so that you may be able to bond out of jail.
After your first appearance, you will hopefully be able to bond out of jail and you will be given a new court date. However, if you are unable to bond out of jail because the bond amount was too high, or you were not given a bond at all, you have the right to come before the Judge who will be presiding over your case for either a Bond Hearing or a Bond Reduction Hearing.
Your next court date, whether you are in or out of custody, is called an Arraignment. Your charges will be formally read to you again, and you will enter a plea of not guilty, no contest, or guilty at that time. Involving an attorney at the earliest stage of the proceeding is invaluable, as it gives your attorney ample opportunity to negotiate with the State Attorney, so that your case may possibly be resolved by your Arraignment day. However, understand that most people do not, and should not, plea at arraignment.
If you plea not guilty at Arraignment, you will get a second court date, most commonly known as a Docket Call day. It is between the Arraignment and Docket Call that your attorney will be vigorously preparing your defense, whether it be through a Motion to Supress, a Motion to Dismiss, or other various motions and legal defenses. Your attorney will also be participating in the discovery process and may already be setting depositions in your case to determine what all the listed witnesses are going to say against you. If you are wanting to take your case to trial, your attorney will then set a trial date from the Docket Call if they are prepared to go to trial at that time.
Being charged with a crime is going to be one of the most profoundly difficult times in your life, if not the most difficult. You are going to want an attorney by your side who is going to vigorously defend your rights all the way to the end. You are going to want an attorney who will do everything ethically within their power to ensure that you receive a just result in your case. You are going to want Tanya Fender and Ashley Minton to be your attorneys.
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