What to do if a friend of mine called and said she found my name on a grand jury indictment list in our local paper?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

What to do if a friend of mine called and said she found my name on a grand jury indictment list in our local paper?

I looked it up. It was my name, correct age, and an address from 2 years ago! For “delivery of marijuana”. How can this be? The most I gave ever had is a speeding ticket. Can the grand jury just charge you randomly?

Asked on February 23, 2013 under Criminal Law, West Virginia

Answers:

B.H.F., Member, Texas State Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

It could be that someone with a similar name was identified in a recorded drug deal and they just assumed that you were the one in the same person from the drug deal.  It could also be a mistake in the inputting which accidentally pulled your info in because of a name similarity.  Unfortunately, there are several ways this could happen.  That's why most defendant's are fingerprinted-- which is more reliable than a name and DOB match.  I would strongly suggest that you hire a criminal defense attorney to make some preliminary calls for you to see if the other identifiers match.  At this stage, you wouldn't need to hire them for full representation-- but rather just to make calls for you and see if you are the defendant they are actually looking for.   The expense for a couple of phone calls is cheaper than full representation and will give you a peace of mind that they won't come looking for you.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption