Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
A fine and dutiful lass from Quincy got into a bit of trouble yesterday at the local district court. Now, after trying to pass some contraband to her boyfriend, through his lawyer, she needs an attorney herself.
Melissa A., 20, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) found herself in the Commonwealth bracelets of shame after she allegedly smuggled a hypodermic needle into the courthouse in her bra as part of a scheme to pass heroin and cigarettes to her jailed boyfriend, police said.
You see, the Defendant is said to have approached her boyfriend’s defense attorney and asked him to deliver a bulky envelope to the man, who was in the court lockup awaiting a probation violation hearing, said Quincy police Capt. John Dougan. The attorney, perhaps concerned about the envelope, presented it to court officers instead.
Inside, the officers found heroin, cigarettes and hypodermic needles, Dougan said.
The court officers then notified detectives, who arrested the Defendant at the courthouse.
Perhaps to garner points for consistency (in bad judgment), she apparently admitted to smuggling the items into the courthouse for her boyfriend.
When asked whether she had any more contraband, she said, “‘No, but I have a needle in my bra”. Clearly, this was a woman seeking to be helpful to all.
For her helpfulness, the Defendant was charged with distribution of heroin, being accessory before the fact, delivery of drugs to a prisoner, two counts of delivery of articles to a prisoner and other charges, Dougan said.
Of course, this will probably not help the boyfriend’s probation surrender hearing too much. He now stands charged with being an accessory before the fact, delivery of drugs to prisoners, two counts of delivery of articles to prisoners and other charges, according to Dougan.
Thanks love!
Attorney Sam’s Take:
Now, this is the criminal justice system I broke my teeth on!
I am referring to my days as a Brooklyn prosecutor. I recall one charming little incident in which I was trying a homicide case. In the midst of my cross-examination, the defendant was found to have smuggled a razor blade into court inside his mouth.
I guess I can be somewhat annoying duiring cross-examination…!
Upon further investigation, they found that his girlfriend, a corrections officer, had been smuggling in treats of all sorts behind the scenes.
Since coming back to Boston, I brought with me the memory of how seriously court officers took security. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to turn down some incarcerated clients’ requests that I run out and smuggle them cigarettes.
Such an error of judgment can curtail one’s career…not to mention one’s liberty.
The Defendant in this case has, of course, created more problems for both herself and her boyfriend. Interestingly, however, they may have some difficulty prosecuting the boyfriend for his lover’s actions. You see, while the Commonwealth may use the Defendant’s statements against her, they cannot use them against him. The only way to get any alleged agreement between the two to smuggle the material in will be to make a deal with the Defendant.
Of course, this does not mean that this little episode cannot be brought up in the probation hearing. It can be. It probably will be. I don’t know why he was being surrendered in the first place, but merely being arrested is enough to violate one’s probation. So, the Defendant’s boyfriend has more problems now than he did before the day in court.
Plus, he is still without those drugs and cigarettes…!
People make mistakes in judgment. Sometimes, they do not even know the mistakes were illegal. Whether you have made a mistake or simply allegedly broke the law, you want to have an experienced defense attorney with you to at least minimize the damage. Should you like to look into the possibility of that lawyer being me, please feel free to call me at 617-492-3000.
To view the original story upon which today’s blog was based, please go to http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1272270
