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Thursday - I dropped by my dealers house to pick up some bud (1 gram) and left. Less than a half mile down the road, I noticed an undercover officer behind me, and thought to myself, "Play it cool, they can't stop you if you don't commit a driving infraction."
After being followed for a couple miles, my heart sunk as I saw the blue lights flashing. Again, I tell myself, "Play it cool", which I did. The officer comes up to my drivers side window and asks for my licence and registration, he also asks where I've been. I told him that I've been at school and was heading back home, he says "Ok". He then asks me if I have any contraband or weapons in the car, to which I replied, "No". He then asks me if I had a problem with him searching the vehicle, to which I replied, "I do not consent to a search".
After that, he headed to his vehicle (in the mean time, another officer had pulled in behind him and was talking on his cell phone, I figured he was calling the K9 to conduct a search). Quite a few minutes later he comes back and says "I know that's not the only place you've been today" and asks to search my vehicle again, again I refuse. He then informs me that he has the authority to conduct a brief search of the vehicle and asks me to step out of the car, to which I obliged. I state again that I refused a search, which didn't stop him. He finds the drugs hidden in a bag that he opened and promptly arrests me (I must state that I also had 15 Percocets in the same bag).
I go to the police station and they begin questioning me about my dealer and telling me that if I cooperate in a sting that my charges could possibly be dropped (after they talked to the DA), I said I would think about it (I really wasn't thinking about it, I just wanted to get the heck outta there).
I lawyered up yesterday and he said that he could get it down to where I only have to take a drug class and possible community service. He agreed that the search was unlawful and said, "It's my word vs. the officer's". He's charging me $1000 for the weed and percocet possession as well as the traffic offence, and another $500 for an expungement after court.
My question to you guys is, is there a better option? Should I fight it myself (due to the unlawful search)? Or take my attorney's advice and try to get the charges reduced? I know I screwed up, but I'm still frightened. I've worked too hard in school to have it messed up by a mistake.
After being followed for a couple miles, my heart sunk as I saw the blue lights flashing. Again, I tell myself, "Play it cool", which I did. The officer comes up to my drivers side window and asks for my licence and registration, he also asks where I've been. I told him that I've been at school and was heading back home, he says "Ok". He then asks me if I have any contraband or weapons in the car, to which I replied, "No". He then asks me if I had a problem with him searching the vehicle, to which I replied, "I do not consent to a search".
After that, he headed to his vehicle (in the mean time, another officer had pulled in behind him and was talking on his cell phone, I figured he was calling the K9 to conduct a search). Quite a few minutes later he comes back and says "I know that's not the only place you've been today" and asks to search my vehicle again, again I refuse. He then informs me that he has the authority to conduct a brief search of the vehicle and asks me to step out of the car, to which I obliged. I state again that I refused a search, which didn't stop him. He finds the drugs hidden in a bag that he opened and promptly arrests me (I must state that I also had 15 Percocets in the same bag).
I go to the police station and they begin questioning me about my dealer and telling me that if I cooperate in a sting that my charges could possibly be dropped (after they talked to the DA), I said I would think about it (I really wasn't thinking about it, I just wanted to get the heck outta there).
I lawyered up yesterday and he said that he could get it down to where I only have to take a drug class and possible community service. He agreed that the search was unlawful and said, "It's my word vs. the officer's". He's charging me $1000 for the weed and percocet possession as well as the traffic offence, and another $500 for an expungement after court.
My question to you guys is, is there a better option? Should I fight it myself (due to the unlawful search)? Or take my attorney's advice and try to get the charges reduced? I know I screwed up, but I'm still frightened. I've worked too hard in school to have it messed up by a mistake.
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