Our client was approached by the police while parked on the street. The police told our client that they received a report that his vehicle had hit another vehicle moments before, in a nearby area. The police noted damages on our client's vehicle that were consistent with the allegations. Our client was also found to not have a valid drivers license.
As a result of this information, our client was charged with leaving the scene of property damage, and unlicensed operation. What made matters worse, our client was a citizen of El Salvador, and was currently going through the process of becoming a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States, or as it is commonly referred to, a "green card" holder. A conviction, or admission to the facts of a criminal offense thus could cause our client significant trouble in this process.
Attorney Alexander Conley was hired to represent our client. Attorney Conley appeared with our client for multiple court dates, and engaged in multiple in-court and out-of-court negotiations with prosecutors. Ultimately, Attorney Conley was able to convince the prosecutors to give our client a "General Continuance" for six months, with the only requirement being the payment of restitution.
A general continuance is a method of resolving a criminal case where the case is continued for a period of time, usually six months to a year. It involves no admission to guilt or other findings. During the time period, the only requirement is that defendant not pick up any new charges. If the defendant makes it to the end of this period, the criminal charges are dismissed.
For our client, this resolution meant there would be no guilty finding our admission on our client's criminal record. It also meant that our client would suffer no adverse immigration consequences based on the disposition of this case.
