Got screwed, need some advice.

[Cobalt]

So I'm in a tight spot.

I had to go to work in the early morning a couple days ago for mandatory training. I usually work the night shift, so I don't wake up too well. Right before leaving, I took a dose of Craze because it was all that I had with caffeine. I fire off to work and after I get on base (I work on a military base), I pass a car quite quickly because they were being an idiot and slamming their breaks on every 100 feet for no reason.

Apparently I was too aggressive and got pulled over, but no speeding was involved. Police approached the car and I was shaking kinda hard. Craze + adrenaline doesn't mix too well for sitting still. They said I didn't look too well and that my pupils were "pinpoints". They had me get out of the car and sit on the curb, and called in another guy that was a civilian.
They asked to search the car, I said yes, but not my gym bag because it had clothes and personal stuff in it. They searched it anyways and took my vials of trest because "they looked like illegal steroids".

So the civilian cop gets there, says that I'm on something and does a field sobriety test, makes me do a breathalyzer for BAL, and still isn't convinced that I'm just nervous as hell, so I'm cuffed and dragged to the hospital and had blood drawn to look for something that would impair my driving.

Yes, I had explained (and showed them the tub of Craze) that I was nervous and had loaded up on caffeine.

So I'm taken back to the police stations, given "pending" citations for "failure to maintain lane" and "DUI". Pending the blood test results that can take up to 90 DAYS to come back. I'm also banned from driving on base.

On top of that, I was taken to the drug investigation unit and had to explain that it wasn't controlled steroids and that I was injecting it because it had a better bioavailability than pills or topicals. So I'm given a pending "simple possession" charge, because they need to run their test and make sure it isn't a controlled substance. That is also pending a 90 day test time frame and I can be banned from the base all together if they feel like it at any time.

There is a bit more to it that than, like never being told my rights, and being forced to do tests that I did have the right to decline. I'm looking for a lawyer, but does anyone have advice or experience with shit like this?

[tallstraw]

Ehhh, you work on base. You kind of gave up certain rights when y liu signed for your pass. But i have experience with this kind of. Idk what you had vials of injectable Trest in your bag anyways. But hindsight is 20/20. You did yourself a do service by telling them what it was and the bioavailable bit. It will come back non controlled, and they won't be able to do anything, because you aren't punishable for the most part of anything breaking their laws. Especially nothing that will hold up in court. Also civilian lawyers aren't gonna do anything, because you won't be tried in a civilian court. But then again I don't think you can be tried in a military court either. This is weird. I had andoseries. Uncontrolled prohormone, they called JAG. Jag said it wasn't illegal, and it was hands off, they couldn't do anything, and it was up to the command to give me a verbal warning or not. You're safe from the bad charge thing. Go to JAG ask what legal resource they can take, what rights were violated, what steps you can take to prevent anything, and are there any civilian litigation you can impose on them. A lot of JAG officers are GUARD and do this and maintain their own prectice or know a civilian counter part who can handle it well. But go walk in and ask one of thr JAG dudes. They'll answer any military faults right away. If there are any discrepancies and aletc. I imagine there will be. These are MP's. They definitely don't handle something like this often, so they probably fudged up along the way.

[Cobalt]

Yeah, I did give up certain rights, but I still have to be given options. They can technically search my car without consent because I have access to base, but there are still restrictions. Like I do have the right to refuse the FST, breathalyzer, or blood draw, but I would instantly be banned from base. The only thing is that I'm supposed to be give the option, not told that I'll submit.

JAG isn't my friend right now, because they would be the ones coming after me for this stuff. The federal courthouse for stuff on base is located in civilian land, downtown. There are civilian lawyers that fight these things all the time. I actually just had a friend fight a speed charge from an MP on base, and won.

I'm more pissed about the officer that showed up, violated my rights and gave me 'pending' citations that are screwing me over pretty hard right now. I seriously have no charges or fines that I have to pay. No court dates, nothing. Everything is pending per the test results. I just feel like I was improperly targeted and this guy is just looking for something to hit me with.

In hindsight, yes, the vials was a bad idea, but I feel like the vials came to light because of unrelated reasons.

[tallstraw]

It doesn't matter they'll spin it how they want about how it came to light. But no man, 1 JAG team is assigned to your case. There are jags we see, that are just defense attorneys man. They're not all out to get you lol. Trust me. Tons of dudes pop for drugs and these guys get em off without a hitch by looking for discrepancies. .just try, it can't hurt anything.

Tell them you're here to see jag about pending citations. If they ask for your unit and all. Just say government worker on base lol

[Cobalt]

Thanks for the advice. I'm really worked up over it, but I know they don't have crap on me. The biggest problem is that I'm banned from driving on base which is making my life hell for work right now.

Once I get that cleared up, I'm pretty sure I have a case against this specific guy that did everything he did. Like I said, there are more details that I haven't mentioned like how I was treated at the hospital by this guy.

[BBG]

If there's anything we can do to help... Let us know.

[longBallLima]

Sorry to hear, brother. But I will say this: Don't take it lightly. Those guys hate to end up with nothing to charge you with after the harassment. If this thing gets complicated try to get Rick Collins to at least consult in your defense, but I have to assume he's somewhat pricey.

[WesleyInman]

Charges will be dropped. Def get an attorney.

Problem with stuff like this is that you will have to foot the bill to prove your innocence. You won't get your legal fees back. Your Attorney should demand the products back. If they take them and test them, and ruin them, the Attorney can demand that the State reimburse you.

Gotta love it. Guilty until proven innocent. Such a joke. Sorry to hear man. Best wishes to you..this shouldn't even make it to Court...

Rick is a friend of mine, he's Federal based..he practices in New York and I believe Florida, so unless its a Federal charge, he can't really get involved. You can always call his office and ask them for some brief advice..but a good lawyer in your State will get this Nolled asap. Have them prove the "failure to maintain lane charge" as well.

Your Attorney can demand video from the patrol car. If that test comes back clean and you have an Attorney..they are going to run away as fast as they can with their tail between their legs from this situation. Won't even have to Nolle, they will "drop the charges" so you don't sue them.

[Cobalt]

It is a federal charge, which sucks. However, there are very good lawyers in town that deal with federal cases all the time and they will be easy to get. I have to wait until Monday to go in and talk to one though. They constantly get full-blown DUI's thrown out all the time.
I have no fear that the charges will be dropped, that is a given.

I just have the following fears:

1) I took a dose of Craze before leaving the house. Because of the ingredients, there was a scare of amphetamine false-positives, much like the DMAA FP's. I've looked into it and really can't find an answer on if it can or not. I'm confident that if I take the tub of Craze to the lawyers and explain what I took that if there is a FP in the blood test, it can get dismissed. However, if it comes back with anything positive, it becomes an instant DUI charge and I'm banned from base, which means no job/paycheck. That would put me in a really bad place. I had NOTHING else in my system that could trigger a reading. I've never touched anything that would do that, outside of Oxycontin over a year ago, but it was a legit prescription.

2) They also have a *pending* "simple possession" charge against me. They said it was for illegal steroids (they thought the trest/dien was illegal AAS, which is fair enough), but they also took the (sealed) needles that I had. I've looked into it and can't find federal regulations on having needles in your possession, outside of legit uses like diabetes. I know they can't touch me for the trest/dien, but could they try to hit me for having needles?



I may just be over thinking it and a lawyer could sort it out. I'm more concerned about being able to light a fire under the ass of the officer that put me through everything and harassed me. My life is seriously rough right now, and I'm seriously stressed so badly about everything that I really feel like there needs to be repercussions against this guy. It doesn't seem right that I have to put up with all this crap, only for it to get thrown out and it just be over.

[tallstraw]

Calm down man. Calm heads previal. There's no crime in having syringes. The problem you fucked yourself in is admitting to what the stuff was and what you do with it. Next time just keep your mouth shut lol. If you hadn't had said you inject it, at best it's circumstantial hypothesis of what could have occurred not what did, and does. But since you admitted to it, you dug yourself a hole there. Never admit to shit with police, ever, always remain calm. When you panic, you always incriminate yourself. After doing it 2x by accident by thinking being honest would lead to understanding and lax punishment, I realized all I did is make their case stronger. If i had never admitted to drinking even though I was under the limit by a decent amount and hadn't had much. It still cost me a ton of money and time. Apparently if I had just said no I wasn't drinking, thr cop would have let me go with a speeding ticket.

For my wreck less driving if I hadn't of somewhat admitted to racing, even though I was, I would have gotten away with it..

My speeding ticket, I said I was moving with the officer and thr flow of traffic around me. The lawyers suppressed every piece of evidence but the cop was doing 70. So the judge said he would only reduce mine to 70 ph and pay the fine for that. Long story short, just keep your mouth shut, always. Cops can fuck off. The few good ones I've met and know don't offset the shit load of bad and terrible cops. Don't help them do their job.