I was wrongly accused of commiting a crime today

[hxclespaulplayer]

Went to the post office to pick up something this afternoon and was headed to college from there. Heading to the bus stop, I'm approached by a policeman who wanted to search my bag etc, my thoughts were "well ok, I haven't done anything wrong" - pockets emptied etc, at this stage I'm told that someone with blue hair and a red bag (which I both had) snatched someones' bag at a school (which I did go past as it's on the way to the post office). Another officer very quickly appeared and the victims' description very quickly changed to "two-toned blue hair" - basically it seemed to me that they were using my description to fit the evidence and not the other way around, so I was arrested. You can imagine me shitting myself with their whole "just admit it now and it'll make your life easier"/"stop screwing us around and give me the truth" and such.

Taken into the station, strip-searched etc, and was trying to remember whether lawyers suggest you co-operate if innocent or whether anything beyond name, address and d.o.b should be met with "no comment" for the entire interview. However I had a bit of a panic attack in the cells, which was mistaken for a heart attack, which very quickly got me out of the cell and into hospital where I was discharged, no follow-up from the police other than that they may be contacting me. I must be very fortunate to have gotten out of an interview, a charge and being bailed etc.

I can't say that I've never stolen anything in my entire life but I certainly couldn't imagine committing a crime which would impact on another person!!! Being wrongly accused of something is probably someones' worst nightmare. Any advice? Not as in legal advice of course, as I feel reasonably well-grounded, and it's probably against forum rules anyway, but what should be going on in my mind in case the whole situation turns south?

 

[think]

Went to the post office to pick up something this afternoon and was headed to college from there. Heading to the bus stop, I'm approached by a policeman who wanted to search my bag etc, my thoughts were "well ok, I haven't done anything wrong" - pockets emptied etc, at this stage I'm told that someone with blue hair and a red bag (which I both had) snatched someones' bag at a school (which I did go past as it's on the way to the post office). Another officer very quickly appeared and the victims' description very quickly changed to "two-toned blue hair" - basically it seemed to me that they were using my description to fit the evidence and not the other way around, so I was arrested. You can imagine me shitting myself with their whole "just admit it now and it'll make your life easier"/"stop screwing us around and give me the truth" and such.

Taken into the station, strip-searched etc, and was trying to remember whether lawyers suggest you co-operate if innocent or whether anything beyond name, address and d.o.b should be met with "no comment" for the entire interview. However I had a bit of a panic attack in the cells, which was mistaken for a heart attack, which very quickly got me out of the cell and into hospital where I was discharged, no follow-up from the police other than that they may be contacting me. I must be very fortunate to have gotten out of an interview, a charge and being bailed etc.

I can't say that I've never stolen anything in my entire life but I certainly couldn't imagine committing a crime which would impact on another person!!! Being wrongly accused of something is probably someones' worst nightmare. Any advice? Not as in legal advice of course, as I feel reasonably well-grounded, and it's probably against forum rules anyway, but what should be going on in my mind in case the whole situation turns south?

lucky If I even get accused with anything I end in a psychiatric ward for several months on the "lucky" side.. my last accused time I spent almost three months in state psych ward cause my "x-girl" friend said I rapped and beat her..,, to a female judge.. that later found out she had no bruises or anything and I had not done anything at all ,,, except bring her flowers.. and I was falsely accused right two and a half months madness beyond madness.. yet.. In there I met this revolutionary ,, from south america. mmm yeah well that is another story and a half.

(and with how these forums are patrolled by military I should not of typed or posted that ....at all...really)

 

[LordMudd]

I used to work for the 3rd largest security company in the US. They told us when we were hired that they "take care of their employees. 2 years later my partner was applying for a position with the client. We believe that a friend of an employee was also applying for the position because had that person got the job, the employee would have received a bonus. We were told that he was accused of sleeping on duty. That is the kiss of death for a security officer. Problem was, he worked 9-5, Monday thru Thursday, the busiest hours of the busiest days when it literally takes 2 officers and sometimes 3 just to keep up with what went on there, AND right under an active camera that the FSO would spend hours watching us on, so with this in mind, we asked the client "Where is the footage? If he was sleeping, there has to be footage. Where is it?" Not only did they fail to produce the footage, a week later they came in and took out the camera! The following month I was removed from the site because "any employee accused me of stealing food out of the break room refrigerator." My supervisor told me that both companies investigated and that there was "no proof, no evidence, and no witnesses." I told him and wrote in the report that I was falsely accused and that I expected a formal written apology from them. I still believe my accuser was the same person we embarrassed when we called out the other accusation, and just to show how truthful that company really is, I never got my apology, and they never reported the client's criminal activity of false accusation, libel, and malignment and defamation of character to the proper authorities for prosecution, which is by legal definition conspiracy after the fact to commit all of the above, making both companies liable now.

I think you should demand a formal written apology from them. It is your right and the worst mistake they could make would be to refuse. I would suggest a certified letter so they can't deny receiving it, and just to add insult to injury, mail it from that post office. Keep a copy of the request and if they ignore you, post it on the internet everywhere you can.

CCC.

 

[Bisz]

Yesterday my coworkers accused me of not throwing out my paper plate and napkin ofter our pizza lunch celebrating a good safety month result. I had composted my plate and napkin and recycled my iced tea bottle, some ass had simply put their plate near to where I was sitting and so my coworkers had assumed it was mine.

I was very pissed to have my commitment to maintaining good 5S questioned.

Sounds like you had a worse day. I sympathize.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Taken into the station, strip-searched etc, and was trying to remember whether lawyers suggest you co-operate if innocent or whether anything beyond name, address and d.o.b should be met with "no comment" for the entire interview.

To comment on this. No, you should not cooperate even if you're innocent. After all, you don't know what they're really looking for (they can lie to you about that) and they might catch you with some other crime to prosecute.

To give a cliffnotes version, there's different rules depending on whether the police have arrested you or not (I'm assuming that, once they arrest you, they read you your Miranda rights and tell you that you have a right to remain silent and all that). Prior to Miranda, not much you can do besides smile politely and not say much (besides saying that you are not answering questions). After they give you your Miranda warnings, you should say "I want a lawyer before I answer any questions" or something like that. I chose that phrasology because I've seen "can you get me [my lawyer]" (identified by name) to be seen as ambiguous because you were "only asking a question." If you ask for a lawyer, all questions will stop. If you say that you want to remain silent (or words to that effect) they're supposed to stop questioning, but they can start again after a "cooling off period."

In my experience, being polite to the officers will give you the brownie points for being cooperative. But I have clients who might not have been found guilty but are facing 5-100 years because they jumped up and helped the officer out with information. In other words, confessing isn't necessary to be cooperative.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you matched the general description, which is why you were arrested. If you were charged (which it sounds like if you were sent to jail and searched), the next step is to get a lawyer. If you can't afford one, ask for the court to provide one. If the police didn't charge you, they might eventually decide to do so. In that case, you should keep an ear out for whether or not there's an arrest warrant out for you and you might need to turn yourself in. No matter what, the thought process should be that you should get a lawyer to help you with criminal matters and, if the police ask you questions, to make it known to them that you want a lawyer.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

 

[bbjeg]

Sorry that you had to go through that hxclespaulplayer. You shouldn't have much to worry about. Post being wrongly accused, I wouldn't worry unless they knocked on you door later saying they proved you were guilty, which shouldn't be a problem for you.

I was wrongly accused once. It definitely didn't go as badly. I was driving down the highway and got pulled over. The officer said he saw me leave a nearby bar. That puzzled me, thinking to myself why didn't you pull "me" over then?. I denied the accusation but he still made me get out of the car and do a sobriety test on the side of the highway. I finished the night by offering to say the alphabet backwards, which he asked me to do simply to see it, chuckling at the end before letting me go.

 

[JoeZhang]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

I think he's from planet "made-up story" myself.

 

[2takesfrakes]

There's a possibility that your credit might have been affected.This article may shed some light on the likelihood of the prospect:

Can Posting Bail Hurt Your Credit?http://abcnews.go.com/Business/posting-bail-hurt-credit/story?id=23288167

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

Australians don't say "college".

 

[DimesDan]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

Australians don't say "college".

And here a College is normally separate entity from University. I say normally as where I am studying my degree is actually a College but its Higher Education department is linked with the local University. College is normally a Further Education facility and more of a bridge between School and University.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

OK, if that's the case, ignore most of my advice except the part about consulting a lawyer.

Although I figured strip-searching was more an American thing to do.

 

[Squiggy]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

OK, if that's the case, ignore most of my advice except the part about consulting a lawyer.

Although I figured strip-searching was more an American thing to do.

Only on good days.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

 

[LordMudd]

I know the phraseology in the US is "innocent until proven guilty," key word being proven, so if they accuse you without producing any proof, that is slander (verbal) and/or libel (written), which is why I would want the apology, and if their actions are directly responsible for your trip to the ER, then so is their bank account, not yours and not your insurance companies, and the insurance company can probably help you there too.

CCC.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I can't speak for the law in other countries, but the police in the United States have immunity for actions done in good faith as part of their job. I doubt such a lawsuit would be successful.

 

[MacLeod]

I suspect it's the same in the UK as well, in this case it appears to be a case of mistaken identity.

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

The OP is not from the US. I want to say he's from the UK or Australia.

Australians don't say "college".

And here a College is normally separate entity from University. I say normally as where I am studying my degree is actually a College but its Higher Education department is linked with the local University. College is normally a Further Education facility and more of a bridge between School and University.

Robert Maxwell is correct, and as an aside, people do get kangaroos hopping around in their yard here (at least, people near bushland). I realise that this is a mostly American audience and change my terminology to suit.

My only concern is that the CCTV "evidence" will show me walking past the school where this happened as I did indeed walk past the school on my way but on the opposite side of the road.

According to someone on another forum, volunteering for them to search my bag was a mistake, though I figured that would do no harm as it would surely clear my name? (Until they got nasty that is)

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

NEVER auto translate. It makes you weak.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

You may want to seriously consider not discussing anything about this case in a public forum.