Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
As a Jacksonville Sex Crime Attorney, I follow high profile sex charge cases and the case against Jerry Sandusky is about as high profile as it gets. Sandusky is currently on trial for numerous sex crime accusations. Although Sandusky himself did not take the stand in his own defense, his wife, Dottie, did. According to an article on Fox News, she told the Pennsylvania criminal jury that contrary to what the alleged victims said, she never saw or heard anything resembling bad or sexual behavior between these boys and her husband. Dottie Sandusky also testified about the alleged victim’s personalities and her observations of the boys.
In Duval County Sex Cases and in the Sandusky case itself, there is often little or no physical evidence linking a defendant to the alleged victim. Often times, it only takes a child telling someone they were touched. In many Jacksonville Sex cases, the case starts with the child telling a caregiver, such as a parent or teacher, that something inappropriate happened. At that point, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is called and the child is brought to The University of Florida First Coast Child Protection Team. At that location, the child is interviewed by a child protection worker and that interview is videotaped if the child is younger than a teenager. If the child is over twelve years of age, it is not recorded. No reason has been given as to why there is a difference, but as a Jacksonville Sex Crime Attorney, I think it is helpful to see and hear exactly what a child says did or did not happen. The Jacksonville sex crime detective assigned to the case is usually watching this interview through a two-way mirror. If he or she has any additional questions, they instruct the child protection worker to ask it.
After the interview is completed, the detective moves to the suspect. The police will make contact with a the suspect, usually by phone, informing him or her about the sex allegations against them. At this point, tell the officer you want to speak to your Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer immediately. The officers are not there to protect your rights and are not here in your best interest. They are there to make a Jacksonville sex crime arrest. Detectives are taught in interrogation classes to tell a potential suspect anything, including lies, to make a suspect say what they want them to say. As an experienced Duval Sex Attorney, I instruct my clients to invoke their right to remain silent. I speak to the police, they do not. In most cases when I am hired prior to my client speaking to the police, I am able to prevent my client from being arrested on a sex charge in Duval, Clay and Nassau Counties. Even if you have already spoken to the police, it is imperative to also speak to a Duval County Criminal Attorney.
Our Jacksonville Trial Lawyer, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, has represented hundreds of people charged with sex crimes in Duval, Clay and Nassau Counties. In addition to successfully having many of these serious criminal charges dropped, she has proceeded to trial and achieved many successful outcomes. Sex crime accusations are extremely serious and you need a serious sex crime trial lawyer who has actually represented clients at trial. Some Jacksonville attorneys have not conducted a trial for a client in years, if ever. Call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 today for a free consultation. Our Jacksonville Criminal Attorney is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.