The worst crime to be accused of is child molestation. How you chose to respond is incredibly important, and can make the difference between maintaining your freedom and a lengthy period of incarceration. These allegations do not require any additional corroboration to result in an arrest, and as-such each and every suspected incident is taken very seriously by law enforcement.
First Step – Remain Silent
The first thing you should do is to remain silent. It is never in your best interest to talk with the police, social worker, or anyone else regarding the accusation. You have an absolute right to remain silent and decline to talk on the phone, meet in person, or answer questions submitted to you by any police or DSS investigator.
One of the dangers of these allegations is that nearly everyone accused, even people who in-fact have molested their children, will vigorously deny the accusation. Simply denying the accusation carries almost no weight. But anything else you say, such as confirming the time or location or other events, could possibly corroborate or go-along with part of the molestation accusation. This could be considered as supportive evidence by the police. It’s best to avoid giving up any information that could be used against you.
Second Step – Retain Counsel
Many of our clients have never been charged with a crime before, or been the subject of a police investigation. They are facing, for the first time, the risk of their freedom, family and standing in the community.
Police investigators, government social workers, and prosecutors continuously participate in these processes. Law enforcement is trained in special psychologically based questioning techniques designed to increase the number of statements made against individuals own interests. As a regular person, you are simply unmatched with the power and experience the government can bring to the investigation.
Child molestation allegations are too serious to simply “go away”. There is much that an experienced criminal defense attorney can do to assist. This can include learning about the direction and scope of the investigation, as well as identifying what evidence exists both supporting and against the allegation.
For these reasons we recommend consulting with a criminal defense law firm, such as the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, as soon as possible upon learning of an accusation or the possibility of an accusation. Doing so can make all the difference in the ultimate outcome of your situation.